Lily

My husband and I wanted to create a neutral, calming and soothing space for our first baby, due in Spring 2016. Although we knew we were having a boy, we strove to create a relatively gender-neutral space.  We utilized a variety of colors, fabrics and textiles, focusing on natural materials. We drew a lot of our inspiration from our pre-baby travels, including to Europe, the Caribbean, and throughout New England and the US. The bowl on top of the bookcase holds shells, rocks and driftwood collected from some of our favorite beaches around the world – many in the shape of a heart.
One of our earliest decisions was to select one accent wall for wallpaper – we chose the largest wall, without any windows or closets, and placed the crib against that wall. We love this detail – it was well worth it!  We chose a geometric pattern – it gives a bit of a modern feel to the room and balances the rest of the space nicely.  We selected the wall color after receiving the wallpaper so we could closely match them.  The walls are Benjamin Moore’s Navajo White, with Benjamin Moore’s White Dove as the trim color.
Much of the artwork and smaller details are from Etsy, including the Paris and New York City prints (our two favorite cities) made by a London artist, and the woodland creatures prints made by a Parisian artist. The hanging wreath, window hearts and hot air balloons are all made from maps and were part of my baby shower thrown by my sister (with a “Welcome to the World” theme).  The painting of Block Island is a watercolor done by my mother (the baby’s grandmother to be).  The blue and white fish hanging mobile in that corner was purchased at a tiny shop on the Costa Brava in Spain.
The furniture is largely from Pottery Barn Kids, with the exception of the crib, which was a much-appreciated hand-me-down from my sister (purchased at Babies ‘R Us).  Many of the books were from my childhood, with most of the rest given to us by loving friends and family. The wooden crates holding receiving blankets, swaddling blankets and burp cloths for now (will later be used for toys and books) were made in northeastern Connecticut in the 1960’s for a sparkling water bottling company.
The chocolate lab is a 6-year old rescue from Georgia. She’ll meet the newest member of the family in just a few short weeks!