Last fall I started designing a nursery for my sister’s newest house. Her baby arrived early (January 1st!) and over the past month, Chris and I have been on location and finished just in time for her to move out of her crib and into her crib and brand new nursery. Today I am so excited to be sharing Gigi’s nursery. She’s still so tiny, but it’s amazing how she feels in this nursery she room. It’s Gigi’s room. (And I think she likes it!)
(Where did we start! *shock!*)
When I was planning this nursery with Andi, I actually drew inspiration from the baby shower invitations I created last December. They had a creamy yellow background with purple birds on it. “I really like these colors,” Andi told me. “These colors are what I want for Gigi.” I knew I wanted to work with that complementary color scheme with warm yellow cream and purple.
I also got inspiration from the size of the room. It’s a small room. In fact, Andi and her husband have discussed expanding the room into a closet several times, so that may happen in the future. But nurseries don’t have to be big! They are actually such wonderful little ones, in so many ways.
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Background
I knew I wanted the room to be calm and serene, but also interesting. And my favorite way to do that in a small space is with wallpaper. So that’s where I started.
North & Finch Blossoms Wallpaper | Shadowbox Frame
At first I was looking for a purple wallpaper, but I quickly realized that I wanted it to be warmer. That’s why I decided to use a creamy yellow for the wallpaper and bring in purple with the color. Once I found the background, it all sort of came together.
Many times we can try to put a lot of things in a small space like furniture or art. With matching wallpaper on all the walls, it adds interest without all the stuff. And it doesn’t look empty or unfinished! But it’s surprisingly very peaceful because you’re just surrounded by a beautiful pattern, not a bunch of extras.
Floor lamp
The Trim
Above is the room in early February before we started anything. The first thing we did was install a box that made the room feel 10x more charming and 5x bigger, sort of. Since the baseboards are a little shorter, we didn’t go too thick on the crown or wall paneling. So we chose some pretty minimal decorative pieces. The crown is a simple 3″ tall trim that matches the plinth.
We hung the chair rail 36″ off the ground and not so chunky that it overwhelmed the box frame below it, which was just a simple multipurpose wall decoration.
Round Mirror | Dresser and Topper | Scalloped Lined Baskets
The Paint
I was really inspired by going to the Princess Diana show in Las Vegas last month. The colors the curators chose for the walls were so clean without detracting from them. In the past, I think we (myself included) went for a very muddy version of paint in our homes. But I think we will see cleaner colors in the design. This inspired me to choose red for the toilet. I think the blue paint color in the bonus room is pure blue — not super toned down. I felt really inspired to not be shy about the color I chose. It doesn’t have to be lively to be clean.
After looking at a few swatches on the wall, I ended up painting the room Ash Violet in Sherwin-Williams paint. I didn’t want the paint color to feel too neutral than the purple, as I think it could have been dull in the neutral next to the neutral wallpaper color.
Purple is really sweet lavender, but it has gray tones so it’s very calm at night. And then under the bright sun it’s a little more lively. It’s refreshing.
The Curtains
The curtains were something I struggled with even last week. They were a lesson to me about trusting my vision. I didn’t want the curtains to steal the thunder. At first I chose purple curtains, but I thought, “Ugh, that might be too demanding.” And then I chose white curtains, but will that allow the lovely roman shades to shine?
Velvet curtains | Brass curtain | Sailboat | Pillow | Side table | Lamp | Blanket | Books
I ended up choosing these blush beige curtains. When I brought them into the house, I thought, “This doesn’t go with anything. Why did I choose this color?” It wasn’t until we hung the prints that had this beige color that the curtains made so much sense. They’re almost tone-on-tone with the background, so I can let other things shine. And they were so affordable.
Art
I would say Andi’s style is very vintage traditional. She loves art, so I knew I wanted to add something to the walls without overwhelming the entire room. Their home has a very “put together” feel everywhere you look. And that’s something we wanted to bring into this room as well.
The prints were a real statement in the room. Whenever you have the opportunity to create a gallery wall, try the 9 frame gallery. It’s my favorite number for the gallery wall. The symmetrical gallery wall is so stunning; and the power of the 3s is really impressive.
Distressed Gold Frame | Bed | Mattress | Crib skirt
I kept Carleigh Courey’s beautiful calendar from last year and used it for the prints on the gallery wall. (Here’s how I did it.) I think the colors match the wallpaper really well. Floral on floral can’t go wrong. You can do this with any pretty calendar!
Doorknobs
When I asked Andi what her favorite part was (before I hung up my cell phone), we turned off the knobs on the closet. She said, “These feel so special to me.”
Replacing the doorknob was so easy. We didn’t replace the door hinges, which is something you can do for a bonus point. But don’t feel like “I can’t replace the doorknobs because then I’ll have to replace the hinges.” It gets people stuck and they won’t do anything. So if you want to replace your door handles, do it! You can always replace the hinges later if you really want to.
Golden doorknobs | Mobile
The Mobile
As soon as we hung up the bird mobile, the room shrank. But there was a bit of trial and error in placement. We tried it over the changing table. We tried it over the crib. Neither felt quite right. And then as soon as we put it over the chair, it felt like it was exactly what the corner needed. Something shiny. The cell phone emits light that comes through the window. Also, when you’re feeding your baby, sometimes you need something to keep them awake a little longer. It gives the baby something to look at. I just love the idea of a mobile over a glider — it just blew my mind!
Brass Bird Mobile | Light Fixture | CLJ x Loloi Oatmeal/Lavender rug
Overall, this room was such a fun project and so special for me to share with my sister Andi. What a dream to see the heirloom crib we designed with Pottery Barn in the room! It was the best compliment when Andi texted me after the space was finished saying, “I feel so peaceful. It is the most beautiful shrine.” I can’t wait to see baby Gigi grow up here – but not too fast!
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Background
Light Fixture
CLJ x Loloi Oatmeal/Lavender rug
A bed made of turned wood
Nativity skirt
Crib Sheet
Botanical Calendar Art Prints
Vintage brass frames
Shadowbox Frame
Dresser & Topper
Round golden mirror
Serrated Line Baskets (Set of 3)
Floor lamp
Gold Doorknobs
Swivel chair for a sailboat
Cream Blanket
Velvet Liza pillow
Brass Bird Mobile
Beige velvet curtains
Brass curtain
Scalloped Blackout Shade
Round wooden side table
Desk lamp
Company Information Company Name Rifle Paper Co. Classic Books products and services