PROJECT: NURSERY!

When your child tells you she’s having a child, it’s a sublime moment.

Flashes of your own dear grandmother run through your head.  A quick take on yourself with gray hair and an apron is quickly rejected.  A few moments on the idea of a continuum causes some eternal sparks to fly…

Then for me, the most important thought popped in:  we get to design a nursery!

My daughter (future mother) and I are great collaborators.  We enjoyed many long sessions talking about the furnishings and colors in their new home two years ago.   She has her own style, which I appreciate, yet she often consults with me on various decisions.  Now her home office would become the greatest nursery ever created!

I’m a huge fan of Land of Nod.  I look forward to receiving their catalogs, and really love what the stylists come up with for children’s rooms that are imaginative without the cutesiness.

My daughter sent me a photo of a nursery with chalky white walls, a hit of gray and a few gold and peach accents that the company had recently featured.

We could recreate it!  Then the shock.  My grandchild is a grandson.  Good-bye gold and peach.  Hello to – what? Another hackneyed mural with dinosaurs in construction trucks?

I mentioned to her that Land of Nod recently introduced a line of Charlie Harper items – graphics, pillows, quilts and toys.  I have always admired the Charlie Harper design approach.  Especially the animals.  He’s taken cubism to the forest and created the most appealing, colorful creatures.

 

 

 

This discussion led to other ideas for graphics, which often become the pivotal item in a room that dictates many of the other elements.  We thought maybe we could impart a love for nature to this child by finding antique national forest posters.  Even better, they’re now issuing new designs for the national parks that are truly inspirational.  My daughter ordered three of her favorites for the crib wall.  A roughhewn frame gave the trio a perfect vintage look.

I stepped in with some paint ideas.  I’ve never been afraid to go dark in a small room if you want cozy.  Our first choice was Benjamin Moore Tate Olive#HC-112, a very deep olive, with White Dove #OC-17 for trim and accents.  The birch tree and forest animal decals that my daughter and her husband painstakingly applied to the entrance wall were the perfect enhancement to add depth and interest.  (The pine ceiling creates even more of a woodland feel to the room.)

We searched for the perfect area rug.  Something that could withstand all types of stains (from baby and dog).  Refreshingly, my daughter’s choice was a Moroccan wool creation with colorful zigzags and tassels. Such a departure from the typical nursery offerings.  I really love its unusual presence in the room, and it pulls all the colors into play.

Natural wood blinds at the windows were already perfect – we simply added a touch of orange in the drapes.  My daughter ordered a fabulous mission -style crib that converts to a single bed.  

At that point, the Charlie Harper quilt with woodland animals was a shoe-in!

Craig’s List provided an opportunity for us to buy a beautiful antique dresser for the changing table.  The three big drawers will really hold everything she and he need!  And of course, now you can order the top for changing tables online – no need for Grandma to get out her sewing machine.

Our friends at Closet Works turned a strange little open area under the eaves into a functioning, beautiful closet with double doors and built in drawers.

My daughter ordered an oversized rocker/glider (with ottoman) that was the ideal corner piece.

Some of the unusual items she found in Michigan antique stores added charming accents.

The final piece of furniture was a must.  We needed a small console table to hold a lamp and miscellaneous paraphernalia.  The West Elm Mid-Century Console offered a wonderful medium warm wood tone, and even better, a lower shelf for the humidifier.

 

At last, the nursery is finished.  Now we’re just waiting around for this little boyscout to be born.  I’m crazy about his room.  It’s really magical: cozy, a little mysterious, inviting, and full of friendly wildlife.  I am hopeful that it’s a door to his explorer self, and he will always love roaming in the wide-open spaces.