King Of ALL The Wild Things, Nursery Designed For "The Baby"

Oh how I love to design a nursery!!! I was begging for another one after my secret nursery reveal in May for a very special baby girl! And now a sorority sister from my IU days asked me to help her come up with a nursery for her baby boy, Thad. Both nurseries for "the baby" of the family and so even more special projects being that I too am "the baby". And as "the baby" I think we deserve our little corner of the house all to our own, right?!  So when I think youngest I think let's creatively bend the rules and let the wild personality of these favorite children shine though!!:) Did I say favorite?!? For little Thad I had to pull from personal experience of having a baby boy as my own youngest child. They are the "king of all the wild things" and will always remain the baby which makes the saying "I'll eat you up, I love you so" oh so very true!

What I love about this design is that it is practical and transitional. It has a theme but with some changes could transition into an older boys room. It also reuses and re purposes a couple pieces that she already has so our costs are lower and who doesn't like that!? Let me show you a couple vignettes in the room on concept boards and then I will break it down as always~

I will start with the bedding as it is hard to tell what it may look like from the swatches in the collage above. Emily already had a honey finish natural slat crib she could use. I like slat cribs because they showcase bedding better than any other type of crib and some of the cribs out there have such mass and detail that they need no pattern and color competing for attention. I love crib linens. However, that said, I hate almost everything that is pre made out there. Although the Pottery Barns, Land of Nod and RH of the world have done a better job with pattern and color since I have had kids, I still always want to change something in their sets! Or they try to appeal to all and are so plain and in my opinion not worth the crazy prices! So Etsy it is. There are so many talented people on Etsy pairing fabrics from all over and they are very cool! You can pick and choose what you want made and in what fabrics. The main fabrics were chosen from an Etsy store Sleeping Lake Designs. I would have her do the arrow one for the skirt and the fox and tree fabric for the sheet!

Sheet fabric: Designed by Becky Long (I couldn't get an image without the watermark but obviously the fabric doesn't have that:) 

Skirt fabric: Designed by Kerry Lynn Yeary for Kenner Road (same here with the designed watermark which will not appear on actual fabric)

This next fabric could be used for a changing pad if Emily decides she needs that. Thad is several months old already so I am not sure she will but we can also look into having a blanket or accent pillow made from it too. I think it really compliments the other fabrics and brings in blue which was a color she mentioned liking! Not the best image... This fabric is from a store called Nesting Threads on Etsy

While we are talking about the wonderful finds of Etsy. I can speak a little about the artwork on my nursery design! The much much loved "Wild Things" artwork was found on Handy Gerl. What I love about much of the artwork on Etsy is that things like this are just downloads and for $6 a piece you have 2, 11x14 prints that you can jazz up with frames and if you want to get fancy, a great pop of color mat to even make them look nicer! I would use maybe a rustic looking frame like the ones you can find at Hobby Lobby.

The other artwork, the series of three designs on wood are simple and have a great message for little boys and I like that these can grow beyond a nursery and other decor changes down the line. These are from Devenie Designs and for the entire set are $135.00

I also selected this small size deer head to pair with the three wood art designs. These are very reasonably priced at $49.95 from Z Gallerie and they are not giant (although it looks it in the picture) He is only 17"x15" and so can easily be part of the collage with pictures and not a huge focus. I like the idea of having taxidermy in a color like white in a kids rooms as it softens the look but yet still gets the theme across:) I chose the deer but any of these would be cute (note the huge one in the second picture is a size large deer and more expensive)

Lets talk rugs!! In design usually you can't have your cake and eat it too. What I mean by that is kind of what I described above with the bedding. I found the bedding fabrics and loved the detail in them and so decided that since the simple slat crib was available to me then the bedding would work beautifully on this type of crib. If it were a super traditional more elaborate massive crib, the bedding patterns may need to be downplayed. With a rug it's the same way. If you find a great rug with lots of color or pattern, you may not want your walls to be a dramatic color. Too many cooks in the kitchen, if you know what I mean. Design elements need to compliment one another for everything to live in the same space in harmony. This West Elm rug has been on my mind since the minute I saw it. It looks like something of a uber expensive exclusive designer rug. But West Elm has made this handmade rug available at what I consider to be a very decent price for this large a rug! The 5x8 is $599 and the 8x10 is $999. This is for sure the splurge of the room but I think it makes it! 

And for those of you saying...it has pink in it and therefore it can't be for a boy... not not true... that's clearly salmon:) And there is barely any of it so no contest! Pink is one of my oldest sons favorite colors and he still wonders why people at school tell him that is weird! For you football men, you can say it's for breast cancer awareness! Since I just said we shall not compete with this color and pattern too much on the walls then it is a perfect opportunity to talk wall color. Now obviously what I can't do on E designs is be there to pick color for walls. So I usually try to give them a shade and she may need to test a few colors in the family to decide on what is perfect for the light in the room. What I suggest is a soft but bright, warm grayish white. More white then gray but not so beaming that it seems cool and blueish. This is a great shade called BM Swiss Coffee. It is a great off white without going yellow. Although it looks more gray in this swatch it actually appears more off white in most rooms. 

Emily mentioned having some barn wood to use on a wall and I like the idea of doing something on her wall that has the two windows side by side. I can say that I feel like the solid wall of barn wood look will be phasing out soon and the look is gonna get cleaner and more streamlined looking with trim detail going forward. What do I base that from, actually nothing really. I just feel like every trend needs to change up a little even if you stay within the theme of what has made it so popular. With the rustic theme I think the importance of mixing wood finishes, re purposing and creating a warm and cozy feel will stick but the more literal things like a wall wallpapered in solid barn wood will be the thing that may ease off over time. So, I found this alternative that I think would be a cool accent on one of the walls and a DIY of sorts. She can take it or leave it but it's at least an idea that seems fairly straightforward. You run board horizontally with space between from ceiling to floor. The board can be wallpapered with textured paper. She wrapped hers in a metallic paper in this design below but for this purpose I would do something like grass cloth with a more rustic woodsy feel. Love this idea. Creates warmth and texture in a soft subtle way! This wall design in a gorgeous ranch style home was found on Home Bunch if you want to check it out more

The wall I would suggest this for is the one with her double windows. See below her actual room. This would keep cost low, add a subtle touch without overwhelming and if they decided they liked it they could add the same treatment to the wall across the room. 

For window I would either do very simple roman shades. Maybe a simple banded shade in light gray with something like white or navy banding. Another option, if there is enough room on both sides of each window, are very simple panels that were relatively flat and not too fussy. These Pottery barn panels are a great option and they are on sale from $59-79 depending on the height she needs. They are also room darkening! 

As for furniture, Emily has this tall dresser that she can re purpose. My inspiration came from the dresser in the picture of the design board. She can keep the drawer fronts original in the dark wood and then switch out the hardware and paint the shell of the dresser a solid dark navy! 

This is her dresser as it stands: Its kind of dark but you get the idea!

This is the way she could re purpose the dresser to look and it would look very cool in the dark rich color combo against the white walls suggested for the room! 

As far as lighting goes. I pinned several options for Emily (see her Pinterest board here) but ultimately decide on this West Elm pendant which was a perfect size and price. I liked the natural color to compliment the crib color as well. 

Lastly the tepee thing is so cute and would create a perfect reading corner for a kids room as they grow older. I love the idea of laying pillows inside, stringing lights and using something like one of the inexpensive IKEA sheepskin rugs as shown in the design board. You can find tepees anywhere and there are lots on Etsy ranging in price from $100-200 but I thought I would draw attention to these two that are something of a miracle as they are actually sale items, not badly priced at.....get ready for it....Restoration Hardware Baby!   

Sale price $139.99

Sale price $200.00

One more look before I go! 

I hope baby Thad enjoys his nursery! To all wild things and favorite youngest children of the world! 

Let the wild rumpus begin!!

Cheers~

Laura

Client Living Space Renovation - Phase 1

Now that the master bedroom is complete, my client wants to start tackling their overall living space. Currently, their living room is being used as their toy room and home office area. The sunroom off their kitchen is used as their main TV and living room and their formal dining room is just not used. They wanted a plan to better utilize the space they have and take back some of their living space while still in the midst of raising young children.  

My fist goal was to get the home office out of the living room. And since the dining room is underutilized for eating, I suggested they use this space as a multi-functional den/dining room.

My client already has great built-in cabinetry in their dining room.

The plan is to simply remove the middle, lower cabinets and dress the former bar as a desk area.

Similarly, use the built-in buffet as a bookcase.

A round table for easy traffic flow and a chandelier that is large enough for the table but with a slightly masculine, den feel.



I added a narrow console table in front of the window for serving when the room is used for dining. The dining table I chose for them also converts to a larger oval when the leaf is in.

 I am so excited about this first phase of my client's living space renovation! Giving this space a purpose opens up an entire new area for them to live and love.

Stay tuned for the living room and sun room plans! {Erin}

Boys Dresser Make Over

A few weeks ago I posted a few projects that are one the "to do" list before the hectic summer calendar takes over. Here is the post if you missed it. My son's dresser was one of the projects I mentioned and I'm happy to report that it is officially crossed of the list! 

Just as a reminder, here is what is looked like before:

I used a hand sander, paintable wood filler and latex paint for the make over. I started by sanding down the entire dresser and drawers. 

This is an old veneered dresser and the top had several areas where the veneer was bubbled. 

I cut those areas out with a straight edge and added the paintable wood filler. 

I also filled the original hardware holes with the same wood filler. Once it dried, I sanded it smooth. 

I used latex paint and a small roller for the smooth surfaces and a brush for the detailed areas. It took about 3 or 4 coats of paint, but the result was worth it!

Project #1 is off the list! {Erin}

Design Dilemma: Decorating Rooms with High Ceilings

Rooms with high ceilings are often architecturally interesting and can make a room feel bigger than it appears. When I think of high ceiling rooms my mind drifts to the modern industrial look of loft living. Brick walls, detailed ceilings. The height of the space is a character in the overall design of the space. 

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Ok, now back to reality. Chances are if you live in a home with high ceilings, your space probably looks a bit more like this:

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Tall and intimidating.

My living room has cathedral ceilings and so I have spent a lot of time looking at pictures and reading design articles on how to make a tall space cozy and inviting. Here are some consistent rules of thumb:

1. Scale: Furnishings, artwork and lighting should work in tandem with the scale of the room you are decorating. Generally, tall spaces call for furnishings, art, etc. of a larger (or taller) scale.

Here, the large scale of the artwork automatically brings the height of the room down and works in scale with the tall ceilings.

Fresh Home Design & Architecture

If you don't have the budget for a wall-size masterpiece, consider hanging smaller art in stacked groupings for a similar effect.

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The neutral wall color in both of these rooms also helps to focus on the furnishings and art. The tall walls become a backdrop instead of a focal point.

The scale of window coverings is another element to consider. Taller window coverings of the same or complimentary color as the wall will unify and soften a tall wall.

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Here, the majority of the curtain is the same color as the wall (softening the space), while the dramatic trim detail brings your eyes down towards the furnishings.

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Of course, rules are meant to be broken! The bold curtain color in this room balances the bold hues in the floor covering and artwork. The neutral wall color is the unifying backdrop.

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2. Focal Walls: Another way to tackle high ceilings is to create a focal or accent wall. Here, a fireplace wall is made the focal point with color and the large scale artwork that balances the mantle.  

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Floor to ceiling artwork also unifies a tall wall and gives a focal point for the room. 

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A floor to ceiling bookcase works in a similar fashion. 

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Ceilings are walls too! Here, a painted ceiling combined with stacked artwork brings the ceiling height down and unifies the room. 

Fresh Home Design & Architecture

3. Architecture: You can also use architecture as a design tool. There is a rule of thirds that some designers use for tall spaces.  This general rule says that the bottom third of the room is furniture, the middle third is artwork and the top third is open space. This room is a perfect example of this design rule. The trim above the curtains and the varying wall colors draw the eyes to the lower two thirds of the room.  

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The repetition of architecture plays a key role in unifying this tall space. 

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Beams and architectural detail are also a popular way to bring ceiling heights down and unify a tall space. The large lanterns also bring the eye down. 

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Looking at a before and after sketch using these principles tells the best story. In the first sketch, the room has furnishing and decor that look dwarfed by the tall ceilings.

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 In the second sketch, the same furnishings are balanced by tall window coverings, stacked artwork, a tall mirror over the fireplace and a large pendant light that helps move your eye down. 

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Happy Decorating! {Erin}