Behind the Scenes with Tori Swaim of New Arrivals, Inc.

You know we love New Arrivals, Inc. bedding, so we were so excited when the creator of the line, Tori Swaim, agreed to write a guest post for us to share with all of you how they painstakingly select and mix and match fabrics in the perfect combinations for your nurseries. Thanks, Tori!

Although much of my day is spent “pinning,” “instagramming,” marketing, selling and more, my main focus at New Arrivals, Inc. and My Baby Sam is product design. New product development is first and foremost in order to keep our products fun and fresh. And boy, have things changed since my babies were born! Nurseries can be incredibly sweet, fun, bright, simple or elaborate, depending on the new parents’ desires. Traditional, vintage or modern—anything goes! Lots of color, simple whites or soft pastels are all for the taking. When designing our new bedding collections, we keep in mind the variety of styles new parents are looking for but always create a look that we too will love.

Where do I look for design inspiration? With the onslaught of social media, looking for inspiration can be easy yet overwhelming. Pinterest is a huge source of inspiration for me. Whether it’s clothing, jewelry or room decor, I am frequently inspired by the amazing images that can be found on this incredible pinboard!

I am a huge fan of fashion and love scouring the internet for stylish clothing, shoes and jewelry—all of which can often inspire the looks we create at New Arrivals, Inc. Keeping up with the latest trends by perusing a variety of style and decor magazines, books, blogs (such as Project Nursery!) is a must too.

One of the most important trips I make twice a year is to the International Textile Market held in High Point, NC. There, I am able to see all of the latest and greatest fabrics as well as color and style trends. That is when the process begins for creating a bedding collection. Many new parents aren’t opting for “baby” fabrics anymore, so we have fun looking at all of the new patterns and colors created by some of the biggest names in textiles.

Sometimes I am so overwhelmed with all the choices of fabrics that it can be difficult choosing! Once we have new fabrics in house, my design team goes to work. Coordinating three to five fabrics for each collection, deciding on skirt, blanket and overall style (traditional, modern, vintage) are first and foremost. Although each of us has our own taste for the nursery, we keep an open mind and design for a variety of looks.

Although, my three kids are all grown up now, I still thoroughly enjoy the process of creating bedding and decor products for nurseries and kids’ rooms. After twelve successful years in the industry, our business continues to grow and evolve. As we expand our line, our goal is to make sure we continue to offer products that new moms and dads will love!

Here are some of Tori’s tips for mixing and matching fabrics and patterns in your own nursery:
1.  Start by pulling together all of your favorite fabrics and then separate them into color groups (you can do this with swatches or even in a mood board on the computer if you don’t have the actual fabric in hand).
2.  Which color group has your favorite patterns and the best selection of fabrics? Which fabrics coordinate well with other accessories you will be using in the room (rocker, furniture, lighting, etc.)?
3.  Choose one main patterned fabric and then coordinate basic patterns (solid, dot, stripe, chevron, etc.) to it.
4.  Decide where you will use the main fabric—usually the skirt or bumper. Coordinating basics are perfect for the sheet and changing pad cover. The main fabric is also good for curtain panels and throw pillows.
5.  Pull together with paint chips, decor and furniture selections for the room.
6.  Seeing it all together will help you to visualize the look your new beautiful nursery!