DIY: Bringing an Inspiration to a Reality

When it comes to designing a nursery, I prefer to add touches of a theme rather than repeating a particular design element throughout the room over and over. For our third and FINAL nursery, I was drawn to the simple, modern image/outline of an elephant. Plus, one of the colors I used was gray, so I thought it fit nicely into the scheme. Although not available in an elephant motif, I have always been in love with this Jonathan Adler Giraffe Lamp.

I was hard-pressed to get my hubby to commit to repainting the existing nursery for bambino #3 let alone spend the moola for a (fabulous) lamp! It was time for me to get creative. So with that inspiration in mind, I set out in search of a fixture that could fit into my non-existent budget. I looked everywhere until I stumbled upon this lamp, singing to me (lalalalala) from the clearance shelf at Babies R Us. Wait…it’s pink and brown—ahhh, nothing a little magical spray paint and new shade couldn’t fix. So, off of the shelf and into my cart it went. This lamp retails for around $50, and I scored it for $19. Not sure why it was on clearance, but I knew that a glossy coat of fresh white paint would take care of any blemish this little gem may have had.

Here is the before—super cute, but unfortunately, we are not having a girl, so the pink and brown just wouldn’t work.

The Emma Lamp by Lambs & Ivy

And here is the after! All it took was a $7 shade from Target and a can of glossy white spray paint, and I was able to create a similar feel to the high-end lamp I have swooned over for such a long time.

My design tip? Always start with some sort of inspiration in mind; this will help keep your final project on track. There are so many fabulous nursery items out there, and without a plan, a first time mama can be easily distracted or overwhelmed and end up with too many design elements in one room.

Do you have that one item that completed your nursery? Please share!