So here you are, 8 months pregnant. Your feet hurt, your
back hurts and even your boobs hurt. You can’t put your rings on, your ankles
resemble a freshly fed pet python and o top it all off, you can’t even dye your
roots for some reason. If dealing with daily phone calls from your mother
in-law wasn’t enough, the constant pressure of finally getting around to the
baby’s new room is looming overhead like some generic pink or blue cloud. It’s
easy, right? Depending on whether the stork drops off a little Jane or John,
simply dump is much cute princess or baseball junk in a small room, make it as
obnoxious as possible and live with it for the next 3+ years.
Well I’m here to tell you, Mommy or Daddy, that it doesn’t
have to end like this! Let me break it down for you: A baby room doesn’t have
to be some expectation or cookie cutter version of what Grandma wants it to be.
Designing for babies is perhaps your only chance to design a pure fantasy room.
This room will serve as your new addition’s portal to another world, full of
personality and fun. That being said, there are ways to incorporate baby’s room
as a part of the parent-pad in a chic and sophisticated way.
Let’s start with some inspiration rooms I’ve found for you. Notice the muted color schemes and the graphic nature of each space. By incorporating a large graphic or pattern along one (and I mean ONE) wall, you get all that bang for your buck in one sitting. Also, in little Aiden’s case, an amazing light fixture serves as the feature of his muted room. What do I mean by muted? Here’s the deal: Color selection is really imperative when it comes to baby rooms. The days of Pepto pink and Smurf blue are over. You want to make sure that the colors selected are toned down, so baby can find his or her new out-of-womb digs relaxing and comfortable. Infusing more saturated tones of greens and yellows is fine, but keep it to a minimum as these hues have proven to be irritating and unsettling to our little ones.
Speaking of that ONE wall, perhaps the most chic and trendy
way to put your bundle of joy above the rest is to apply a large scale pattern,
print or graphic to the space. Let your imagination run wild here, with
chevrons (tres chic), polka dots, tribals or even large-scale prints of old
fairy tale illustrations. A wall treatment like this is super easy and
instantly sets the tone for the room.
For your Jane:
For this little Princess, we’re putting her up in the
perfect princess tower. Start off with some classically lined furniture like
this crib and changing table from Pottery Barn Kids. These pieces give off a
traditionally girly feeling. Keeping them white makes things light and airy,
and compliments the overall Color palette of lavender, White and cream. Another
piece of important furniture is the comfy chair for mom or dad. This is another
piece that can stand on its own and really make a statement. In this case, I’ve
selected a Horchow piece with beautiful feminine arms and a contemporary scroll
pattern in shades of cream and ivory. These pieces are all set against a lilac
chevron wall pattern and a large art piece from an antique Grimm’s fairy tale
book. The piece I’ve chosen is a beautifully chic portrait of Sleeping Beauty,
a perfect fit for your little Sleeping Beauty (see what I did there?). Top it
all off with a fabulous light fixture made of glass flower blossoms, like this
one from Eurofase, and she’ll be dripping in sophistication before she can even
say “feed me”.
For your John:
This space ranger is going to be the envy of all of his
friends, as soon as they learn to understand what’s going on. Muted tones of
teal and grass provided a fun alternative to powder blue. Colors like these
give a fun punch to a boy’s room along with a large wall graphic of the rings
of Saturn. Along with the wall graphic, add a fun UFO-meets-ice cream print,
like this one from Love, Ashley Designs.
The crib and changing table, both from Kalon Studios, are a mixture of natural
wood tones and a hint of lime green. These piece also have some mid-century
modern lines that give a space-age feel. Add in a fluid armchair, like this one
from Horchow, to class it up a bit. This is all going to look amazing underneath the neato, spacey light fixture which emits light shapes like stars and suns. What a perfect alternative to a traditional mobile, right? I got your back.
All in all it's not too hard to prep your soon to be kid for design greatness. Don't forget to think outside of the box when it comes to the whimsically chic world of Bay room design, and make sure to check out part 2 of my Special Delivery design study next week, where we get an exclusive walk through or a recent nursery project from New York based Interior Designer, Lindsay Bishop Macrae!
Homeboy.
To check out more fun prints from Love, Ashley Designs, check out the Etsy Shop here: (http://www.etsy.com/shop/LoveAshleyDesigns).
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