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A Calm and Neutral Room for Two

A big difference I found from doing the twins’ room and from my singleton’s room was my own personal motivation. I had so many plans and couldn’t wait to start…but I also just couldn’t start. This pregnancy was a lot tougher than my first, and I also had much less free time than I did during those child free days before my son was born!
Because I was so tired and uncomfortable, this room has a lot less “personal” touches in terms of DIY projects. (Thank you, IKEA.) I am ok with this. I am still happy with how everything turned out and although it meant our budget was a little (a LOT) more than my first baby’s room (which was mostly thrifted or DIY’d), we spread things out and it was completely manageable.
I had been swooning after this rocker for a few months, and my husband surprised me with it for Christmas. What a guy. It  is was Ita huge splurge for sous but totally worth it for me. It is so comfortable and high enough in the back to rest your head, which was a must for me. It’s also very wide, and I can already envision snuggling in with my three little guys for storytime.
The sheep ottoman is kind of “whimsical” and not something I would normally gravitate towards, but I think it’s a cute touch for a baby’s room. It is also very sturdy and a decent size. 
For cribs we went super simple with the IKEA SNIGLAR crib. At $99 each, the price was right (especially because we needed two) and they are also very suited to my personal style. I was initially worried about the quality and sturdiness, but the reviews were great and after we’d  put them together, they really are very solid. We hung the white LACK shelf (also from IKEA) on the wall above the crib, and for safety purposes, it is holding less than half the recommended weight in bric-a-brac and Matt went overkill with the anchors attaching it to the wall. It’s not going anywhere.
IKEA strikes again! We went with the KOPPANG dresser to use as our change table. This thing is a beast and has a ton of storage. It was fairly easy to assemble and it fits the space we have on this wall perfectly with enough room on either side for a laundry hamper and diaper genie.
One of my favorite things in the room is this watercolor rainbow elephant print from Society 6. It was one of the first things I picked out for the room, and I made all my other choices around it (which is why everything else is so neutral)! I am not crazy about color but I do love me a good rainbow in a nursery. I kept the cost down framing this guy by thrifting one for $30 from Value Village that I repainted a nice fresh white.
All of the other smaller decorative items are either from HomeGoods or Value Village. I love plants in a nursery (and any room, really) so I added a few to warm up the room, and last but not least, laid this super pretty/affordable rug from Wayfair.
I am so happy with the final result. Its bright, spacious, and calm which is exactly the vibe I was going for. We can’t wait to bring our new little guys home and for everyone to get settled in to our new “normal”.

Dream Nursery for Twins

When I found out we were expecting twins, I was very tempted to get a decorator to help us put the nursery together. We bought our home not so long ago and are in various stages of decorating. Each room has at most 3-4 pieces of furniture and each have one thing in common – they are all incomplete. I wanted to make sure the nursery wouldn’t end up in the same category.
After we selected the room that would become the twins’ nursery, I knew I was not interested in having it painted white. Instead I went for this soft grey color to give the room a luxurious feel with a hint of contemporary and traditional. The color would ultimately help me identify what pieces of furniture I would select for their room.

The nursery would reflect my personal style and aesthetics, and at the same time provide room to adapt to the twins’ taste.  I wanted elements that would make the space fun so the twins would enjoy spending hours playing with their toys. When I was creating my mood board filled with nurseries that I was drawn to, I noticed a common theme.  I fell head over heels in love with nurseries designed by luxury interior designers in London. I don’t have a large budget but I wanted to create that same luxe feel for my twins’ nursery, so I set out to identify what elements I needed to help me create that luxurious feel I was drawn to, and at the same time make it functional (and budget friendly).
After we painted the room in this gorgeous shade of grey, I fell in love with these cribs we found during our trip to Santa Monica. I had heard so many wonderful things about Restoration Hardware and how they had a beautiful showroom for their Baby & Child section in Santa Monica, so we made a special trip to check it out during our baby-moon. It was well worth it because we picked up two beautiful cribs, the perfect changing table and the most comfy rocker. I knew I would be spending a great deal of time breastfeeding, so it was important for me to invest in a comfortable chair where I would spend a large portion of my day for the first year.

From there, I wanted to add a personal element to the room that came from both my husband and myself. Our last trip before we decided to start a family was to Africa. It was a wonderful trip for the both of us because we went to Africa with both of our parents. We had the ultimate tour of where they were born, lived, fell in love, got married and the last place they stayed before they migrated to Canada. So it felt natural that we brought some elements of that trip into the room by adding this beautiful jumbo giraffe and this cute elephant rocker. A month after we did this, I stumbled across some beautiful prints from the little animal print shop and knew they were the perfect addition to hang over the changing station.

When I was kid, the very first big kid book I read was Around the World in 80 Days by Jules Verne. It was from that book that I became fascinated with travelling and of course hot-air balloons. So for sentimental reasons, I purchased these miniature hot-air balloons to hang over my little girl’s crib.

When my husband and I started family planning, I envisioned sharing my love for reading with them and creating a cute space for them to read. To capture both elements, I got these floating shelves that store the books our close friends and family gave us from the baby-shower and nestled underneath it is their teepee that they can read inside of (and fall asleep in).

On a personal note, I am a very sentimental person. I wanted to create something that the twins could take with them when they transitioned from the nursery to their own room. I originally planned on framing their hand and foot prints in a small picture frame, but the moment I saw these shadowboxes I knew I could do something creative and personal. I framed these cute bunny outfits I bought during a moment of weakness and their booties that they could fit into during the first 1.5 months. I also had ample space to add my favorite ultra-sound picture of them and their names in wooden blocks.
The last piece I added to the room was this beautiful geometric artwork I picked up from HomeSense. The moment I saw it, it was love at first sight! I felt it was the perfect piece to help integrate this gorgeous chandelier in the room, plus a fun piece for the twins to look at.

One thing you will notice that we recently added to our nursery is the Google Home Mini. Our Google Home Mini has been amazing when it comes to getting into the room in the middle of night and requesting it to turn on the lights or draw the blinds. When it’s time for the twins to go to bed, the Google Home Mini always plays their bedtime music to help lull them to sleep.
I truly enjoyed creating this luxurious feeling functional space for my twins and I’m sure they’ll enjoy it in the years to come.

Photography by Heidi Lau

Garden Party First Birthday for Twins

A year of laughter, love and fun; our little ladies turned ONE!
To celebrate our flower girls– Zara Rose and Poppy Fields, we planned a spring-time garden party to honor their names as well as their year of growth!
Mostly DIY’d by family, with some items purchased to create an easy, casual garden party with the girls’ closest friends and family.  Matching dresses in different colors (to help party guest easily distinguish between the identical twins) were purchased from Old Navy and floral headbands ordered from Amazon completed the girls’ outfits.
Décor included beautiful paper wall flowers made by a family friend, spring flowers in terracotta pots purchased from a local hardware store, a framed “Stop and Smell the Roses” saying and yummy treats.  A pink and purple ombre-frosted cake, coordinating smash cakes and tulip-shaped sugar cookies were all made by Mom and devoured by guests.
 

Little Ladies Twin Nursery

Let me start by saying that twins came as a major surprise to us! We knew right away that they were identical, so we would have either two boys, or two girls. I was certain we were having boys & I was thrilled to create a rugged airplane or outer space themed nursery for them to destroy! BUT… when we found out we were having girls, the pressure to create the perfect space was on – ohhh the possibilities. I wanted my girls to have a space that’s girly and chic, yet tranquil, comfy and playful. To me, the nursery isn’t a space for only sleeping, feeding, and changing, but a sacred space where we will build late night & early morning memories…rocking, reading, playing, learning, and loving. We converted our home office into their nursery, which happens to be the smallest room in our house, but even with two cribs we managed to fit all of the necessities & simple comforts and then some. In order for me to calm my obsessive thoughts and tame my over-the-top ideas, I needed to focus on a color scheme & choose one element to build the room around. Up first, the color palette: off white, blush pink, lavender, gold, and gray. Check! For furniture/accents, I decided to start with the area rug as it would sit at the center of the room & be the main source of color (something I am afraid of); after hours and hours of online searching, I found the perfect soft, low pile rug with a chic color palette and a fun boho pattern. For optimal comfort, I layered a couple faux sheepskin rugs in spots where we’ll spend most of our time (hello, ROSS finds). Up next, lighting: we removed the ceiling fan and replaced it with a capiz shell floral light fixture that beautifully projects a warm kaleidoscope-esque pattern on the ceiling when illuminated. A comfy over-sized rocker & a blush pink frou-frou foot stool sit in the corner of the room with a reading nook above; clear acrylic shelves house the girls lil’ library. For functionality, I added a gold globe style floor lamp that hangs over the rocker for the perfect late night feeding/diaper change lighting. Sticking with brushed gold metals, I selected the cribs, and a small accent table with a marble top. An antique french inspired dresser from Pottery Barn Kids is stationed beneath the window & outfitted with the basic diapering necessities (a Bumbo changing pad, wipe dispenser, basket with diapers/creams/lotions, and fresh flowers – let’s see how long that lasts!). I have commitment issues when it comes to color & wall art, so I left the walls stark white & chose fairly simple and minimal wall art – at least for now. For personalization (and to keep track of who’s who), I covered 20″ wooden laser cut names with green moss, attached them to pre-made wooden frames & hung them from a satin off white ribbon with an added bow for that special girly touch. Clustered lavender rooster feathers in acrylic box frames, which are meant to resemble African Juju Hats, are also hung on the wall above their cribs (a great tjmaxx.com find!). To add texture & to brighten the space and reflect natural light, I added a round rustic beaded wood mirror on the back wall. I finished the space off with a few playful, adorable and meaningful decorative accents, including: a rattan unicorn laundry basket, moss covered unicorn figurine, stacking wooden rainbow, wicker unicorn basket filled with board books, a fun wooden musical llama toy, and last but not least…the most special accent of all, the babies’ very first picture – a single 5 day old embryo, displayed in a gold frame sitting atop their dresser. Created from a place of gratitude and love, this space could not be more special to us. We look forward to seeing the wonder in our daughters eyes as they grow & explore the elements around them.
My best advice for designing your nursery: Don’t be afraid to mix metals & textures (yes, gold and silver go well together), keep decor minimal (don’t over-do-it with the tchotchke’s), and break tradition (crib skirts are not a necessity).

Modern Magnolia Baby Sprinkle

Who’s ready for a Magnolia themed Baby Sprinkle?! This theme came from our client’s love of Magnolia Market + all things Joanna Gaines.  The Soirée team did a modern approach to the theme by popping shades of blue + gold to compliment the natural beauty of greenery.  Accents included wood stands, farm tables, and simple farmhouse decor.  On the modern side, we used the Malibu collection of tableware which glammed our family style guest table.  Such a cute take on a trending theme!
Theme:  Modern Magnolia Baby Sprinkle
​Styling, Tableware, Decor, + Custom Signs: Soirée by Ria
 

Puppy Dog Tales

Our daughter and son in law are expecting twins!  ☺️One boy and one girl😍I am opening a baby boutique and one of the services offered is nursery design, so of course we were excited when they gave us the green light to design and compose the nursery for our first grand babes! What a perfect gift for us to give and for them to receive❤️
They started a K9 rescue three years ago and literally give everything they have to rescuing sweet pups and placing them in the right homes after ensuring their are healthy and ready. They have 5 beagles and one German Shepard themselves.
Brittany is a teacher and both work endlessly with not much time nor have that “nich” for design. Once the plan was made, they went on a “babymoon” for a long weekend away in order for us to pull of this complete revamp of the nursery to surprise them when they got back home. And all on a budget!
We first had a contractor come in a take paneling off the walls and remove a window. The room is small so we had to be VERY strategic and utilize every inch of space we could in order to give them storage and still have room. We had him put up 1x4s to creat some dimension for us. The room before was dark and hard to create a good layout/flow but he made these adjustments for us and it was great!
My husbands parents came down from NY to help us assemble the nursery for the weekend. My mother in law and I painted the upper half of the room and my husband and his father tended to electrical and assembling.😂☺️
For months I had been collaborating with some great businesses on Etsy as I knew I wanted it to be a custom nursery, with unique touches that were custom to the space,with little pink and blue. I believe that can be a tiresome pallet when having one of each gender.
We had mobiles made custom to fit their fur family of beagles and a shepherd. Every aspect and right down to the little details of this room were all thought of and executed perfectly! Right down to the outlet covers and custom crib sheets and prints. The changing table is a buffet made into a changing table with great storage! The light is a vintage antique designed lamp we got at an antique mall. My mother in law and I hung the wallpaper in order to have a feature wall. The twins also have Nook mattress under the sheets. The changing pad is a Hatch Baby Grow. The white dresser was also from an antique mall, brought home and painted with dog pulls added to the drawers. Every piece was meant to be current, trendy and functional for their needs and safety of the twins. The glider/rocker adds some relaxation and a space for bonding for these sweet parents.
When they arrived home to their extreme make over, they were absolutely flooded with happiness, joy, sentiment and excitement for theirs babies new space.
Everyone has said that the nursery needs to be in a magazine 😂so here I am sharing this wonderful creation that we are so honored to have been a part of.
We hope Project Nursery falls in love with their sweet Dog Tales nursery as much as we all have!!

A Not-So-Neutral Twin Nursery

Let me introduce you to my new favorite room in our house…our twin’s nursery! We are less than two weeks away from our due date and this room has been such a labor of love. We still do not know the gender of our babies, but that didn’t mean that I had to keep this room neutral, did it?
I have never been one to shy away from color when it comes to decorating my home, so our nursery was no exception! The biggest design challenge was taking this relatively small space and making it work for not one, but two babies. That second crib really threw us for a loop.
I knew I wanted to have an element of whimsy in the space and wanted to bring that in with wallpaper. I searched and searched for a statement print that I could base the rest of the room around and landed on Hunt Slonem’s bunny wallpaper. When I saw this paper after months of searching, I knew I had to have at least a touch of it in the nursery.
This was also the first time I have ever painted walls white (Pure White by Sherwin Williams) in our home, so I pulled in my signature stamp of color for the furniture and added a dark chair rail (Inkwell by Sherwin Williams) to break up several of the walls.