A Beach Lover's Nursery

                                   

A few months ago we began working on a nursery for a friend of mine due in July with a baby girl. What I know to be true of my friend is that the woman manages to take more tropical vacations than anyone I know. She is a warm-vacation worshiper and is happiest when she's not at her desk (obviously) and instead on a beach in Hawaii or somehow swinging invites to the Ixtapa Food and Wine Fest two years in a row (I mean, come on...). So when I showed her this fabric out of a big stack, I realized I could have just brought the one and not bothered with the rest. It was 1) not pink, 2) tropical in its style and 3) versatile enough to grow with their daughter. 

My friends were tasked with picking out their favorite crib and dresser for this teensy room given some parameters for size. Same goes for a chair that they both found comfortable given that both she and her husband are on the tall side and wanted to be able to rest their head for those late nights and early mornings. The white slipcover is still-to-come due to a backorder issue, but the chair from the Land of Nod is a winner for it's swivel-rocker feature. We also decided to have a crib skirt made in the 11th hour so it's a few weeks out and in a coordinating green.

For us, this room was an exercise in working with color in a soothing way. Color and nurseries are a given for lots of people, but my friends didn't want anything to "baby" and given how neutral Susie and I tend to be, this was a fun step outside our comfort zone.

Pre- Slipcover!

We found these original corals and we worked with the artist to find the right shade of lavender based on the wall color so that it was in the same tones, but stronger. They are all signed and I know for some people, my friends included, having something original from an artist is important, rather than something off of a shelf at a big box store. And just because they are custom and original, it doesn't mean they were expensive!

Replacing the light fixture was a big change to the room (in addition to the crown that we added). The ceilings are low, but when we started working on the room, my friend said she wanted two things with no wiggle room: a chandelier of some sort and something interesting for the ceiling or a wall. This Morovian Star fixture did both. It's fun and special like a traditional chandelier would be, but it has muss less drop and allowed us to do something special while not sacrificing heads to bumps and bruises.

And, since doing a wallpaper on the ceiling was slightly out of reach, the fixture creates light patterns on the ceiling (which we did paint at 200% strength of the wall color for subtle variation).

My favorite Target lamp gives extra light to the room in addition to having two three way bulbs -- genius for wanting only 40 watts if the baby is sleeping or as much as 200 if you were trying to land a plane. Floor lamps combined with a corner chair are an absolute must. As soon as the lamp goes in, it completes the vignette and gives the spot purpose.

Love this little metal and wood table too. Perfect spot to rest your bottle/mug while camped out.

Also, a note on drapes: If there is ONE thing that makes a room, it's adding drapes to your budget. Even for a nursery when there is so much to buy, they make the biggest  difference. As soon as they went up, the room immediately felt special and bigger. We added a tape to the leading edge to give them some interest and sophistication (plus play up the green), but there are multiple ways to accomplish drapes via workrooms and sewing shops and I'm so thankful that my friends trusted us with their home and budget. 

All the best,

Kate

If you would like help creating a home you love or are interested in purchasing to-the trade items, please contact us at kate@troveinteriors.com.