It all started off with the already painted wall. Purple-ish gray hue with white wainscoting. We had painted this room when we moved in our house taking into account this would “one day” be the room of baby. I wanted something that was neutral so we could either go boy or girl with pops of color. I love gray so it was only appropriate to incorporate that in major elements in the room.
I chose tone on tone gray houndstooth fabric for the modern glider that would fit perfectly in the corner of the room. A gray shag rug which would be placed under the dark wood crib would accent the gray in the glider. I was getting custom bedding made and because it would be handmade, I wanted to choose colors that were gender neutral so that I can use this amazing bedding for baby #2 if we happen to have one I wanted modern prints; stripes and dots in bright colors ; blues, yellows and green.
Theme? Well you can say that I went pinwheel crazy. I guess that’s the theme. Modern Bright Pinwheel gender neutral nursery. Phew… that is a long title, but seems to be right on the dot. I loved pinwheels as a child and realized it was something that wasn’t being used much in nurseries (well anyway I haven’t seen any) … so I went all out. Making this colorful paper toys was a great inexpensive DIY project and I scattered them all around the room. I made a wall of custom art (all designed by me) framed in white frames (so that they would pop on the gray wall) and added a couple of pinwheels to the layout.
I also added some pinwheels in the pom clusters I also DIY-ed. I didn’t want to have a mobile in the room so I figured having a cluster would be a more modern way to go about it. I included 2 white paper lanterns I took home from my baby shower as well as green and blue paper lanterns I found at the party store. They fit perfectly with the greens and blues in the bedding. Lastly, I wanted to incorporate typography somehow, so I got custom letters made out of bamboo and hung them from the cluster.
I am really happy with the outcome of the room, I just hope baby boy will too.
Here is a movie I made of a mini tour of Mavi’s nursery. With custom bedding to DIY frames and PomPom clusters, this blue, yellow, green and gray modern nursery is perfect for this little boy. (Well I seem to think so)
For those interested here is the cost break-down of the nursery decor.
Loving these mini goal chalkboards from Mary Kate McDevitt. Perfect for motivation, excellent decor piece and just overall pretty. With various options both chalkboard design and color, these chalkboards are definitely on my “want” list.
Hello! I’m so happy to be helping Kelly by guest blogging during her maternity leave! My name is Jody and I’ve been fortunate enough to meet the new mommy through our involvement as Weddingbee.com bloggers. (I’m Mrs. Deviled Egg.) In addition to sharing my wedding story, I started a home blog, Creativity & Domesticity, where I post about renovations, decorating, recipes and crafty stuff.
One of my favorite things to do lately is shopping for things to make my house feel more like home. The rooms in our house are on the small side, so I have to be careful not to add too much and clutter it up. I’m always on the lookout for inexpensive and creative storage solutions that add style and function to our decor, so I thought I’d share some of my favorites.
I love this rustic crate-style organizer and think it would work great in a craft room or office. I can also see it as a display for small collectibles, like a variety of sea shells or vintage photographs and cameras, as shown.
Thinking of craft room storage, I would love to have a set up like this. I really like how the desk is made from open shelving units. This helps keep items easily accessible while your working. Shelves are an inexpensive base for a desk and you can use re-purpose an old door or used counter top to make a work surface.
Re-purposing everyday items for storage is such a great idea. I have a few, old muffin tins that would be perfect for use as jewelry storage. I can also see these tins filled with buttons and small scrapbooking supplies.
Of course, finding a way to organize pretty necklaces, bracelets and earrings that doubles as wall decor is also ideal. Collapsible peg racks like this one can be found on the cheap at any discount store.
My all time favorite re-purposed storage item is an old library card catalog. The drawers are perfect for stashing and organizing smaller items and the labels and draw pulls keep everything orderly and at your fingertips.
It would be a great addition to an office or craft space. Imagine all of the different sewing notions you could keep in one!
And the options aren’t limited to one room. I love the idea of using one as a buffet in your dining room or turning one into a bar for wine bottle storage.
Card catalogs can be hard to come by, but you can often find one listed on eBay or on Craigslist. They are also rather costly and heavy to transport. However, if you find one and are able to get it into your home, it is well worth the effort! The possibilities for storage are endless and they look fantastic in any space.
Well hello there! My name is Brooke and on any given day you can find me rambling over at my blog, Claremont Road. Kelly and I became blog-friends during our days as wedding bloggers over at Weddingbee — you may also know me as Mrs. Cupcake — and I’m delighted to be guest blogging for you all.
In honor of the newest addition to Kelly’s family (hi, baby Mavrick!), I thought it apropos to share with you some of my absolute favorite nurseries that I’ve stumbled upon while perusing the web. There are no kiddies on the horizon for me and my hubby quite yet, but that doesn’t mean I haven’t been saving these gems in my back pocket for when the time comes!
I am a color girl. These rooms just feel so happy and cheery to me, without being so colorful that they make you dizzy.
I love pale aqua tones with splashes of yellow and red…
…and then there are the more artsy interpretations that aren’t traditionally “baby,” yet they are still perfectly charming and appropriate for the little ones:
Ahh, babies. The joy they bring when they coo, smile for the first time, crawl, and take their first steps. Before you know it, they’re talking up a storm! Mobile toddlers, and even babies, will eventually need a space to call their own, whether it’s in the nursery or a play room. A lot of families struggle with a lack of space and “oh my goodness, where are we going to put all of this stuff?!”. It’s even more difficult when one parent works from home and needs their own home office space as well. What is a family to do? If you have the room, a combination home office/play room might be the solution your family needs! You can keep an eye on the little one as you attempt to go about your normal routine (wait, nothing is “normal” anymore, but you know what I mean!).
My name is Kristin, and I am the owner of Bien Living Design. Interior design is my passion, and I have a new service that allows anyone, anywhere to work with a designer through the power of the internet. Now, I’ve come up with a plan that busy working families can adapt to suit their own needs. This one comes in the form of a creative mom who happens to love pink, and her little boy (sound familiar?!). Also, play rooms can be well designed and look great – they don’t have to be filled to the top with plastic toys.
What does all of this mean? I’ll explain below:
Light grey walls in Benjamin Moore’s Gray Owl will be the common element that draws both spaces together (and circles!). I’ve also chosen a rug for each side of the room, with grey as the background color. The individual pieces is what will set them apart. I’ve chosen the ever popular Expedit bookcase from IKEA to act as the divider between the space. Mom can take the top shelves and organize them using slide in drawers or cubes to house business materials and paperwork. Baby will take the lower cubes and use collapsable fabric cubes to hold everything from stuffed animals to trucks and beyond. Function is the key word here!
Starting with the playroom side of the space, I’ve chosen fun, non-fussy pieces that will grow with your child. This adorable hopscotch rug is playful and functional (and can even be used in a modern living room!). These fun swivel chairs can be used for years – hiding from mom or a place to curl up with a book – and are some of my favorite items for kids. Toss a couple of throw pillows inside for a cushy nook.
This play table also adjusts as your child grows. Envision art projects and other quiet play activities here. I also like to incorporate multiple tactile things that kids can do, hopefully entertaining themselves long enough for mom or dad to get some work done. There are various ways to acheive this, including chalkboard wall paper circles (can be a fun DIY project with chalkboard paint), easels, round mirrors dotted around and hung at toddler height – perfect for visual fun and acts as a dry erase board for art – and areas for active play (load up on a bunch of inexpensive throw or floor pillows for this!).
For the decorative elements on this side of the room, we’ll keep it simple with window treatments…we don’t want anything that Junior can grab and make into a rope swing. Avoid anything with cords and floor length fabric. As they get older, you can swap them out with coordinating drapery from the adult side of the room Mirrors will also help the room feel larger. Art work can come in the form of personalized wall art or any other bright, fun work.
Moving over to mom’s side, I wanted the space to be functional and luxe all at the same time. The grey walls and this inexpensive but pretty rug are a perfect backdrop to the white book case and furniture, and we’ll incorporate other white and light elements as well.
Keeping it simple and coordinating, this white desk is minimal yet has a large, functional work surface. Storage comes by way of filing cabinets, which will flank each side of the desk. Resting on each, this pink twist on the classic stacked ball lamp provides a touch of glamour. Creative types tend to be visual, and this french memo board will keep important things handy. In the event that clients may be present, these white leather side chairs are compact and chic. Window treatments will stay light and airy, and the round disks make them a fun, modern take on a basic sheer. You don’t need a whole lot of things for a functional home office (and office furniture can look GREAT!), and these simple solutions will keep any mom or dad who works from home happy and well organized.
Interested in finding out more? Head over to my website, Bien Living Design, and join in on the conversation!
Finally, a BIG congratulations to the new family!!
Today is my official due date. Yup, I’m at 40 weeks in my pregnancy. I am really excited to see this lil guys face and hope he decides to come real real soon. So all I am doing is waiting. Impatiently.
Of course the nursery is complete and almost ready to share with the blog-o-sphere… but for now, I am just giving you a sneek peek of 1 major element in the room. Remember I blogged about clusters? Well here is my version :
I am all for creating suspense… so hopefully you will want to see the rest. All you need to know is this… yellow, green and blue (with a hint of gray) are the colors that make up the room. Elements of typography, paper pinwheels, and patterns make up the decor of the room.
I made all the pinwheels and pompoms myself, and well that awesome bamboo typography, courtesy of LuxeCuts™
When I saw these lamps…. I drooled just a little. Aren’t they absouletly stunning? The textures the shape… All I can say is ♥ ♥ ♥ Bonne Nuit lamps are handmade by Sarah Foote.
This nursery is bright, cheerful and perfect for a little girl. I love the attention to detail from the lamp to the hooks. The combo of the bright green and fucshia pink paired with the swirls and butterflies… is perfect, and looks great! See for yourself.
I wanted modern prints; stripes and dots in bright colors ; blues, yellows and green.
Avoid anything with cords and floor length fabric. As they get older, you can swap them out with coordinating drapery from the adult side of the room 
