Lay Baby Lay - Nursery Inspiration & Delights!

One of you (and I can’t recall who, so if it’s you, please let me know and I’ll credit you!) once wrote on your blog that “black accents are like mascara for a room.”  Love that!  A bit of black and white can really add a bit of fresh polish to a space that needs some extra pop.  The extra bonus for a nursery is that babies love the contrast, and it will keep them entertained for quite awhile (just don’t put it in their line of vision from where they will be sleeping!).  I posted a few favorite black and white accents on BHG style spotters today – check it out for the sources!  (And don’t forget to enter the quilt giveaway!!)

Go here to check out today’s BHG Style Spotters post!

I have been working as much as I can to get the new little peanut’s room in order before her arrival, which is quickly approaching!  One item that has been on my to-do list since finding out we were expecting was to repaint the above piece of furniture.  I purchased it several years ago right after college at an antique shop because it was incredibly cheap, filled a hole in my apartment, and served a good purpose at the time.  I have never really truly loved it, but have held onto it for some reason, and one day while looking it over, I realized it actually had some nice lines hidden underneath the all over chartreuse camoflauge, and might polish up pretty nicely.  I really don’t enjoy painting furniture (or walls) so I procrastinated on this to-do, but finally it just had to happen.  I also wanted to add the gold detail to the edges, and wasn’t really looking forward to that little project because I thought it would be a challenge to get it just right.  Enter this little gem – I am crazy about this stuff now.  It comes in a little inexpensive tube, and you just rub it on with your finger or a cloth.  Super easy, and the finish is gorgeous.  It looks really nice and high end, and I can’t recommend it enough!  I didn’t have to use real gold leaf, or use painter’s tape to spray paint it, and you can’t ask for much more than that when 36 weeks pregnant and tackling a furniture DIY.  Super easy.  The gold trim plus the glossy black paint and new pulls (which I found at Anthropologie on super sale for $3 each) made for an inexpensive and very satisfying upgrade.

I am in the process of wrapping up details on Peanut #2′s nursery, so I thought I’d share what I started with for the design of her little room.  Some things have changed, but the dresser was the first thing I bought (I was super excited, because it was exactly what I had in my head and I found it on craigslist).  An entire room of wallpaper was out of budget, so we settled on one wall with pattern and painted the rest.  I’m glad we did, because I think it may have ended up a bit busy, and I’m really crazy over how the color turned out and I can’t wait to share!  The touches of pink were a later addition because the room was starting to look a little too sophisticated.  I’m really happy with that St. Barth’s fabric because it has just the right amount of playfulness.  Chip says it reminds him of Dr. Seuss.  We are getting so close to go time – only four weeks left – and I’m anxious to get all the details ironed out!  I sent the artwork to print yesterday, so I just have to paint one piece of furniture, finish up a few pillows, and oh, yeah, tackle that ottoman project.

(If you are wondering, Vivi slept in her big girl bed last night!  It went slightly better than I expected, but not as well as I had hoped.  It will be a transition!  She is overall very excited about it, but had a tough time letting us leave her last night.  And she decided to wake up at 5 a.m.  I hope we can quickly get back onto a good schedule, because bedtime is normally a very peaceful and quick process.  The good news is that I was completely dreading naptime, and she nodded off in her bed before I finished the second book . . . which has never happened ever before.  She wore herself – and her mama – completely out.  I’m hoping it will help her realize that it’s ok to sleep there!)

Here is a bit of inspiration for a girly room that isn’t too girly.  It’s sophisticated and has some feminine details, but the mix of modern touches keep it grounded. I can’t get enough of InaLuxe – might have to snag a piece for the new nursery!  I have used that glider a few times lately in style boards, but I finally saw it in person last week, and sat in it, and it’s just as lovely as you might imagine as well as incredibly comfortable.  The back comes up really high, too, which is a plus.  It’s challenging to find a glider that has a taller back, and that drove me crazy about the glider in Vivi’s room.  I would be so tired, and couldn’t lean my head back . . . I’m hoping we can get one that is a bit taller, but tailored, this time around.  I’m dreaming about the Empire Rocker . . .