Believe me, my son’s bedroom never really looked this neat and clean. Photos you see in magazines, on websites, and on blogs are all styled and staged. Remember that. None of us are perfect and if you’re not obsessively organized stuff tends to get in the way.
Though my son is good about cleaning up his toys (while singing “clean up, clean up, everybody clean up!” -amazing what they learn at daycare), toddlers have way too many toys and stuffed animals which seem to spontaneously multiply. Last weekend we reached a tipping point with stuff -he started climbing out of his crib so we had to by a bed. Now we have toys, furniture, and more furniture in the room. I think it’s time to go back to the design drawing board and come up with a plan with A LOT more storage. See for yourself:
(excuse the grainy photo – clearly not a planned photoshoot)
On the bright side, isn’t his new owl-printed fleece blanket so cute? What a great addition to his owl themed nursery. If it wasn’t for all the mess you could see all his cute owl paraphernalia. This blanket was a gift from my Mom for his second birthday and it’s from Simons.
Hey Canadians, you know Simons right? I loved shopping there while I did my undergrad in Montreal and I just found out they do online ordering (free delivery on purchases of $50 or more!). In addition to a great selection of clothes, they have some really fun home decor items. Here are a few throws that caught my eye:
I couldn’t find the owl fleece blanket online anymore but be sure to check out the Simons website anyway!
I have a soft spot in my heart for exposed brick walls. Having lived the “loft life” for several years, I know brick can dominate the room and may dictate your decor to some extent, but I say embrace it! While I do like the look of white painted brick, there is something edgy, rustic, and real about plain old exposed brick.
I am also a big fan of a modern take on a traditional toile de jouy fabric. Though typically used in French decor, a toile can be absolutely darling for a baby.
And with that, I share with you one of the best nurseries I’ve seen in awhile:
Brick. Pink toile. Soft grey. Seagrass baskets. Casual fun. What a sweet nursery by NYC designer Jenny Wolf.
Though you may not have the exposed brick in your own home, you can certainly pull inspiration from the traditional toile canopy, clean-lined furniture, and overall relaxed feel of the room above.
To give you an idea, I pulled together a few sources that would be a great start for a gender-neutral nursery:
Sources:
- “Toile N Around” by Waverly, available through Tonic Living
- Custom pillows, also through Tonic Living
- Turning Pendant from West Elm
- Seagrass Hamper from Restoration Hardware, Baby & Child
- Stokke crib
(images: 1&2- jenny wolf interiors, inspiration board-dayna simpon interiors)
Welcome to everyone stopping in by way of à la mode and Just a Touch of Gray!
Last month I participated in the Roomspiration Series and linked up my master bedroom and my son’s nursery. Both rooms made it to the top 3 top-visited on rooms on their respective day! How exciting and what an honour! A big thank you to Rachel and Shelli for hosting the link parties. If you haven’t already, hop on over to their blogs to see some of the other most popular rooms:
On a related topic, I am planning on a temporary substitution in our bedroom. Originally, as shown in my inspiration board, I planned on buying this classic Hudson Bay Co. point blanket ($275-$475):
But while I save my pennies for that purchase, I think I may pick up this new EIVOR throw from IKEA for a fraction of the cost ($29.99):
A good substitute for now don’t you think?
Excuse my absence as of late. My day job has been all-consuming these past few weeks and I simply haven’t had the time to continue my exploration in the world of design. The most recent issues of House & Home, Elle Decor, and House Beautiful, sit by my bed waiting to be read. Sigh. When I do crack ‘em open I’ll be sure to share some new inspirational pictures and ideas.
In the meantime, I thougt I’d share another installment of:
If you recall my past posts on kitchen banquettes and tile shopping, I’ve been working with friends/clients on their new home. Move in day is rapidly approaching so everything is quickly coming together, which is very exciting (it’s so much fun to live vicariously through clients!). The one room in the house that’s getting a complete design, is their daughter’s room.
About one year ago, I completed a nursery project for their bun-in-the-oven. At that time the gender was unknown, so we went with a soft blue paint, white furniture, and gender neutral accessories.
Once the gender was known (a sweet tiny girl), we added some pink accents. For more pictures and the inspiration board, click HERE.
This time around we are using the most of the same pieces (pendant, crib, dresser, glider, side table), but going we are going fully on girly with pink + orange + green accents. Here is the inspiration board:
Move-in day is less than a month away so I should have some great photos to share with you soon!
First off, thank you for the kind comments on my son’s owl themed nursery reveal!
As I mentioned in that post, there was one final element to be added to the room and that was a table and chair set. Back in July I showed you a few toddler table and chair options we were considering for our little man. After a bit of debate on quality, design, and price, we settled on a handmade round modern table with 2 chairs by Jessica Johnson via Etsy. It was one of the more pricey sets we were looking at but the fact that it was made handmade and unique in design sealed the deal. If you browse this vendor’s online shop you’ll see that you can choose from a variety of wood stains including vibrant colours but ultimately I decided to go with a simple dark stain on the base of the table and chairs, with a light stain on top to keep with the other woods in the nursery and the overall brown and green colour scheme.
Cute isn’t it?! Modern lines but overall a classic set that should stand the test of time. The quality is great -very sturdy- and most importantly the little guy loves it.
If you are in the market for a toddler-size or preschool-size table and chair set, I highly recommend this Etsy shop.
(image: d.simpson)
Months ago I shared an inspiration board for my son’s nursery but I never got around to posting any final pictures for you. Since we’re starting to think about moving him into a big boy bed in the next few months I thought I better take some nursery pictures before things get changed up. We’re already in the process of transitioning him over, starting with a toddler table + chair set (not telling which one we chose yet…but it’s arriving next week!).
Originally I had dubbed this a “green and brown themed nursery” but as the room came together a few owl prints were purchased, then owl accessories were given as gifts, …..and now it is definitely an owl-themed nursery. I know, I know, owls are everywhere these days. I didn’t start out with the intention of using this über popular accessory, it just happened. Admit it – they are cute. And my son loves his “howels” and “hoo-hoos”, so that’s all that matters.
Hope you enjoyed this little nursery tour. I’m sure I’ll have an update on his toddler room sooner than I’d prefer. Sniff. Sniff.
In case you a interested, here are a few sources:
- Crib (yes, it does look small and that’s because it is a European/mini crib, which are hard to find in Canada!) – DaVinci AnnaBelle Mini Crib, in Espresso, purchased at Baby Shack but widely available in the U.S. We also have the matching change table.
- Paint – Benjamin Moore’s Nature Lover (CC-726).
- Pendant Light – LERAN from IKEA
- Picture Ledges - RIBBA from IKEA
- Chair – POANG from IKEA. This chair made a great nursing chair since it bounces easily, is wide, and the leather can be wiped down easily. I made it even more comfortable with a sheepskin throw.
- Lumbar Pillow – from West Elm, no longer available
- Knit Pouf – from CB2 (fyi – the first CB2 store in Canada will be opening in Toronto this November!)
- Playmat – by Skip*Hop in Green/Brown, widely available at baby specialty stores
- Twinkle Twinkle Owl Print – from Etsy vendor Curry on the Couch
P.S. Here are a couple outtakes from the photo shoot – blocks get strewn down the hall, the little guy wants to climb into my shot, and we all take a Kraft Dinner lunch break….
(images: d.simpson)
UPDATE: I’m taking part in the ROOMSPIRATION blog hop & link party. To view many more inspiring nurseries, click HERE and enjoy!
I’ve had this darling girl’s room in my inspiration files for ages. Today is as good as any to pull it out and share with you:
The two IKEA Minnen beds (convertible from toddler size to regular twin size) have a vintage feel and paired with the large-scaled Marimekko flower wallpaper, this room is the perfect space for a fun sleepover.
The warm colours are girly but with a predominant red/orange/brown scheme, with only dashes of pink, it’s definitely not over the top. I’d say the lucky occupant(s) of this bedroom will enjoy the space for years to come.
(image: ohdeedoh)
Hands up if you have white ceilings throughout your home. Hands up if you’ve never ever thought of painting them anything other than white.
I’m not judging – my hand is up too.
If there is one place in your home that you might go out on a limb and add some colour to the ceiling, why not try it your child’s room?! After these pictures you just might be inspired to….
So fun and cheerful, no? And this is totally a DIY project, see instructions here.
(images: 1-pinterest, 2-ohdeeoh, 3- houzz, 4-elizabethsullivandesign)
The iconic Eames rocker is a must-have for the chic modern nursery. Whether you’re going for a mid-century vibe, a clean streamlined look, or a bold geometric aesthetic, this classic rocking chair is the way to go.
Available in a wide range of colours, this chair can be incorporated into just about any chromatic scheme. Bright and vibrant (above), or neutral and calm (below).
Designed in 1948, this style of chair is also known as the RAR (rocker height, armchair shell, rocking base) was out of production for 30 years but is back now and more popular than ever. Originally made with fiberglass-reinforced plastic, these chairs are now composed of more eco-friendly polypropylene.
The original colours were ‘Aqua Sky’ and ‘Wafer’ (similar to those shown above) but as I mentioned, it is now available in a wide spectrum of colours. A licensed original will set you back almost $500USD but a good looking knock-off can be found at many retailers.
Now let me be straight with you Moms-to-be: this chair is all about style and not necessarily about function. At least not in the short-run. A nursing chair this is not! That said, as a chair that adds a whole lotta style to the nursery, a chair that your toddler will love to climb in, and a chair you can eventually move to another room in your home, I do think you’ll get a lot of use out of it in the long-run.
(images: 1-apartment therapy, 2-decor pad, 3-alexander van berge, 4-flickr, 5-decor pad, 6-project nursery, 7-decor pad, 8-le blog)
If you already have white walls and white furniture, don’t stress over which colour to paint the walls in your child’s room or nursery -consider keeping the room fresh and bright with white. Neutral doesn’t mean the room will be blah. As a matter of fact, white is a fantastic backdrop for a rainbow of colour and loads of personality.
How stimulating!
(images: 1-pinterest , 2-elizabeth sullivan design, 3-milk magazine, 4-nickey kehoe, 5-covet garden issue 1)
