Leo’s Room

Description

When my husband and I moved into our new house, I took on the nursery design project as something to keep me busy on the weekends. The room (and house) is a classic 50s remodel and was in great shape. The house still has the original hardwoods throughout, so there was a nice base to start with.

Design Inspiration

I wanted the room to be non-themed. I didn't want anyone to walk in and see clowns or spaceships everywhere. So, I started with grey. I love the color grey and I knew I wanted the walls that color. From there it was a mix of patterns and colors that didn't quite all match but somehow seemed to work together in the end.

Decorating Style

I'm a graphic designer by trade, so I'm very into colors and typography. I didn't want the room to be overwhelming but I did want to punch it up in places with some of my artwork.

Project Details

We started with the grey walls. My husband is a contractor so he painted the room. I showed him a pantone swatch of a grey I like and he matched it. The artwork was all done by me on my computer. I printed it locally and set them up as a standard size so they would fit into store bought frames to cut down on costs. The rocking chair was a steal at $150 from rockingchairs.com. I never knew how much solid wooden rocking chairs could cost! The crib is from babies-r-us. It's a modern euro style and I really like it. I'm not big on bedding skirts, so I like the fact that it looks good without one. The mobile is from Urban outfitters. It's not meant to be a baby's mobile but when I saw it I knew it would be perfect for what I wanted; something unique and non-expensive at only $12. I used old family polaroids I got from my grandparents.

Favorite Items

The dresser was a cheap craigslist find and probably my favorite piece in the room. It was antique white with a mirror on top. We took off the mirror and my husband painted it using an oil based paint. I picked the yellow because it reminded me of a classic boys room from the 50s. I added the hardware from Anthropologie to give it a modern kick. My husband added new drawer slides so they work just like a expensive new dresser. I think it's a perfect size and something we can use for years to come. 

Advice

When I first started looking for room ideas, I got frustrated because every room seemed to have a theme. I like the fact that modern rooms can still have classic vintage touches. For me, I found it more difficult to design for a boy. The bedding was probably the hardest to decide one. Personally, I'm not a big fan of the brown. This was a challenge because a lot of boy stuff seemed to have either brown or blue in it. Don't get discourage in your search. Give yourself plenty of time. I started early and reminded myself that it was a fun project and not to get stressed out. I did all of it on weekends and completed it right before I hit full term in my pregnancy.