I love (re)decorating. The sheer volume of throw pillows in our home, which I swap regularly with the seasons and my moods, confounds my husband. I waste far more time on design blogs than I do on Facebook (and that’s saying something). And let’s just say that it’s a good thing that the closest IKEA is a 90-minute drive from my house and leave it at that.
But it’s not just about the stuff. I’m inspired by good design, and I want every room in our home to be comfortable, fun and functional. This is certainly the approach I took when we converted a spare bedroom/my office into Benjamin’s nursery.
When I was pregnant, designing the nursery was one of the things I looked forward to most, and I was anxious to get started. Unfortunately, my superstitious nature prevented me from taking on anything until well into the second trimester, except for relocating my office downstairs and spending inordinate amounts of time online looking for ideas.
I’d thought that after we’d found out we were having a boy that the process would get a lot easier. In some ways, it did — for example, the pink-and-brown girl things I’d been swooning over were now out — but it didn’t make the hunt for stuff I loved for a nursery and that was really “me” any easier.
I am not a matchy-matchy, themed-bedroom kind of gal, and most of bedding sets and nursery ideas I saw for baby boys were just that. It may sound kind of silly, but I also didn’t want the nursery to look too babyish. I wanted the room to be cozy, fun, whimsical, and stylish, but also one that my son could grow in.
I knew I needed to decide on a color palette first, as I felt that would dictate the rest of the room. I got my inspiration from an unexpected source: a print I’d ordered from artist Jill Bliss, who’s an old friend of my family. I had full intentions of hanging the print in my new office, but when I saw the bright turquoises and nectarines in it, I knew those were the colors I wanted for the nursery. We painted the walls a cheerful, vivid turquoise, and I added touches of pale green and orange throughout.
All of our furniture — a deep espresso dresser and crib and an overstuffed green glider — came from Rock-A-Bye Baby in Annville, save a matching bookcase from IKEA. I decided to forgo a crib-bedding set altogether. For starters, I had trouble finding one that fit my taste and budget — plus most of them come with parts that you won’t end up using anyway. (The Consumer Product Safety Commission cautions against using crib bumpers, blankets and pillows in the crib for safety reasons.) I decided to buy several plain crib sheets at IKEA instead. They cost practically nothing, and the jersey cotton has stayed soft and held up to probably hundreds of washings.
I also decided against buying a changing table. Most changing tables can only ever be used as changing tables, so I opted for a regular dresser instead. We put a changing pad on top, and voila — something he can use long after he’s out of diapers. And a diaper pail? We don’t have one. We throw each one away in our garbage can in the garage, which saves space in the tiny room — and saves our noses.
The artwork for the nursery came from a few websites, which are some of my go-to online shopping spots:
• Etsy.com: You can find anything and everything, baby-related and otherwise, here, and it’s all made and sold by independent artists. I purchased the lime-green “La La Love You” print (an homage to my favorite band, The Pixies) from SparklePower and the “Little No. Garden Children’s Print” from ModernPop.
• BuyOlympia.com: Another site that sells work from independent artists. My inspiration for the colors of Benjamin’s room came from the “California Poppy” print from artist Jill Bliss. I also ordered the “Surrender” poster from one of my favorites, papercut artist Nikki McClure.
• Blik: Rather than hanging artwork above Benjamin’s crib, I chose Wee Gallery garden wall decals from Blik. They’re graphic and fun, and because they’re just basically stickers that you can move (and remove) at will without damaging the walls. Downside? Benjamin has also learned how to peel them off, so there aren’t many of the cute squirrels, birds, bugs and plants left. This website has tons of cool decals in every theme imaginable, from artsy swirls and stars to fun florals and farm animals. (There’s even plenty for grown-up rooms, too.)
In retrospect, one of the smartest things I did was to invite some of my mom friends over to give me input on the space. While I was pregnant, my college friend Jaci helped me arrange his dresser and closet, telling me which items I’d use most frequently and should keep at arm’s reach. As she told me, 3 a.m. when you’re sleep-deprived and have a wet, hungry baby on your hands is not the time to realize that the onesies shouldn’t be tucked away in the closet.
Let’s face it — the design of a nursery is more for the parents than the baby. It will be years until Benjamin cares even a smidge about how his room looks and what color the walls are. As long as there are toys and books and his favorite stuffed elephant is in there, he’s happy. The nursery is an expression of his dad and me (OK, mostly me) more than it is of him right now, but it’s also an expression of my hopes and dreams for the space — and for him. Sure, I wanted to like the space, but I wanted him to find it soothing, fun and cozy, too.
One of my favorite memories of the room was a moment that happened a few weeks before he was born. His room was all ready for him, and I just wanted him to come out already so that I could meet him. I sat down in the glider in his room, wrapped the orange throw around me, and pulled a book from the bookcase. I rocked back and forth, the book propped on my swollen belly, and read “Goodnight Moon” to my unborn son.
For almost two years, I have done this same thing nearly every single night in this room — Benjamin on my lap, the blanket around us, wishing goodnight to the moon, the stars, the air, and to all the noises everywhere. For me, that room symbolizes my feelings about him: pure love and total happiness.
Looking for more ideas and inspiration? Here are a few more of my favorite design websites:
• Ohdeedoh: From the Apartment Therapy “family” of websites, Ohdeedoh focuses solely on kids and their spaces. Readers send in photos from their own (mostly modern) children’s rooms for virtual tours, and the editors offer great resources for shopping, as well as craft and activity ideas.
• Design*Sponge: Hands down, one of the best design blogs around. D*S focuses more on the total home than just on kids’ rooms, but there’s a bevy of inspiration to be found. The site is photo-driven and impeccably curated.
• Pinterest: A fairly new discovery for me, Pinterest is a site where you can “pin” items that you love from other websites to create a virtual style pinboard. Pinterest has a strong social-media component, as well, so you can follow people and comment on, “like,” and “repin” images that others have posted.
• Design Mom: Described as “the intersection of design and motherhood,” Design Mom is the creation of the very stylish Gabrielle Blair, a graphic designer and mother of six (!) in Denver. Blair blogs about everything related to mamahood and design, from fun birthday-party themes to DIY clothing, accessories and items for the home.
• Making It Lovely: Artist and designer Nicole Balch’s blog was named one of the Top 50 Design Blogs for Moms by Babble.com (another excellent source for all things parenting). A mother of two, Balch gathers tons of great finds and shares them with her readers, from accessories to wallpaper and everything in between.
Stephanie Anderson Witmer is a professor in the Communication/Journalism Department at Shippensburg University, a freelance journalist, and the mom of a rambunctious toddler. She writes more about parenting, cooking and style at www.smittenblog.com.
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