(petit tresor)Spending time with my nextdoor neighbours brand new boo boo one can't help but feel clucky. No I'm not going to go there myself lol but I do hope to design a French/vintage with a touch of glam inspired nursery someday. My neighbours didn't find out what they were having therefore planned their nursery around a very basic neutral background. When I say basic, I mean beige! But a lovely beige at that :) I think they made a wise choice. Their furniture is a very dark, almost ebony timber. Their overall colour scheme looks similar to J'Lo's nursery above :) When I ask friends who are pregnant what colour they are painting their pending babies room alot of them can't wait to experiment with lots of colour. Friends who don't know the sex of their baby often want mint green or lemon and others who know of the sex go straight for the bright pinks and blues.
I personally prefer a nursery to be predominantly white. A newborn baby is the most pure form of human therefore I believe should be adorned in white. I absolutely love to see a newborn baby dressed up in a white nightie or all-in-one suit. To me, it epitomizes their youth.
(chic shak)
When I say I like nursery's in white I don't mean ALL white like the image above. Yikes! They've just come from heaven to earth they now need to experience pops of colour ;)
(taverne-agency)
When first bringing a baby home most of us like to have a smaller bed next to ours for easy access during the night feeding phase lol. Really, babies are only able to sleep in these types of beds for about 4 to 5 months maximum therefore I think it's a waste to take up too much space out of your room with large cradles or bassinets with canopys and valances and such. I really love these sweet moses baskets. Easy maintenance, cosy, unintrusive, multifunctional and with a little monogrammed bedding I think they look fit for royalty.
(Petit Tresor)If I were to decorate a nursery for a little girl I'd begin by painting the walls either antique white or a very pale beige.
Without going crazy with bright colours and patterns, which we all know as they say you should never do as it stimulates their mind when they are supposed to be resting, I believe there are more subtle ways of incorporating interest for the baby but at a much calmer level.
(Ohdeedoh)I LOVE the image above. Who needs an annoying mobile hanging over the cot/crib when you could have a beautiful sparkly chandelier hanging from the ceiling or sconces on the walls. Imagine the pretty soft colours that would dance around the room when the sun bounces off the crystals.
When it comes to a cot/crib I absolutely love iron. Timber slim slat cots are lovely also but I just love the delicacy of iron cots. Again to me, children, as they get older, tend to acquire more chunky furniture, predominantely timber, so I like the thought of a petit delicate baby sleeping in a petit delicate bed. Alot of iron cots have an heirloom stigma attached to them and rightly so. They are that something extra special you wouldn't want to just throw away after your baby has outgrown it, more like pass it down the family tree.
(celebrity babies)I absolutely love Toile patterns for the soft furnishings, especially if it depicts children, animals or nursery rhymes.
If you don't have built in wardrobes a beautiful armoire would be a perfect choice and the caning on this one is a welcomed texture.
Ok there is no avoiding some of the chunky, practical furniture every babies room needs. When you have a limited space i don't believe you should crowd the room with a changing station and a chest of draws. I love the draws/change table combination. It makes sense to make two functions out of one piece. What is it with me and monogrammes lately? I can't get enough! I'm already planning on trying to encorporate some monogrammed cushions into one of my clients formal living room and now thinking about nursery's I think it's paramount you display SOMETHING with your beautiful new babies initial/s. Really welcome your cherub to their new home by personalizing the space.
You know me and my love for painted furniture....I couldn't resist including this lovely piece as another option. It's very detailed but not tacky or overdone and if you were to keep detail painted pieces to just one again it will offer the baby interest and wont be overstated.
I love ornate furniture in a nursery, offering depth and texture with that important touch of whimsy.
This would be a sweet nightstand and perfect to neatly display all the beautiful heirloom gifts you recieve from family and friends. Actually I'm looking for piece similar for my own daughters room. Unfortunately the tufted bench I was using next to her bed has proven to be a bit of a pain and not the functional piece I'd hoped. It's now at the end of my bed where I suppose it was original made for.
Another darling option for a nightstand.
This Louis style chaise is probably highly impractical but can I just say what a gorgeous piece of furniture it is? :)
If space permits i'd be more inclined to use a gorgeous tufted glider like the one above in a beautiful vintage floral or toile fabric or combination of both. I wouldn't bother with the ottoman unless client requests.
Moving onto accents, if I wasn't using any other detail painted pieces in the room I'd love a little table and chairs set just like this, anxiously awaiting the first of many tea parties.
(house to home)
Another small but lovely detail to add to any baby girl or boys room is to display your favourite of their clothes ie: their christening gowns. I love the look of shelving with little pegs hung above the change table and beautiful baby outfits hanging in a row.
Look at that gorgeous bunny lamp?! What an enchanting element.
(french weave)
You know I would also try my hardest to get an aubusson rug in there ;)
Finally, what vintage inspired nursery would be complete without some of the beautiful artwork of Mz
Besse Pease Gutman in slightly ornate white frames.
These are my three favourites!
Ok this post was a little more detailed than I first expected so I'm all babied out now and snapped back to reality lol.
I'm quite certain my next baby will be a yappy handbag dog lol
WOW this month has been insane! I'm finally finished work, shopping and apart from Xmas day I've pretty much got all the friends and relo's festivities out of the way so now I'm well and truly ready to relax and enjoy the summer! After the boxing day sales (naturally) we are all going up to the lake house for 2 weeks of sun and fun. I can't wait!
This year has been an absolute BLAST! Discovering blogland has been one of the best things I've ever done. I have loved every single minute of it. Meeting each of you and delving into your inspiring and adventurous lives has been the ultimate honour and pleasure. I simply can't wait to see what the new year brings.
(try to ignore the big ugly navy sofa in the corner, it's going next year! lol)
(my attempt at a quiche hehe)
(again, candle should have been lit!)
(some beautiful pastel baubles, my friend Brook gave me last year)
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