apartment therapy changing the world, one room at a time

I can sympathize with wanting to cover the mirror while pumping. Is it possible to hang a set of matching curtains – one to cover the mirror, and one to cover the area below the sink, both of which could be pulled open or closed depending on the need? That could certainly soften the area, as well as hide the storage under the sink. Also, would a nice machine washable rug, or rugs, help? Cold tile floor with the “click-click� of business shoes is very hard on the ears at the best of times.

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I think the curtains idea is a great one. And I think that a rug would make a huge difference. And a slipcover for the chair? A paint job for the little table next to it? Some more artwork would also be great. Even if it's just pictures clipped from magazines, neatened up, and inexpensively framed. I wonder if some kind of tapestry could look nice on the wall? Just trying to think of anything to minimize the amount of visible tile.

Bless you and your husband for taking this on! It's a wonderful, worthwhile project.

Whoops! Sorry about that single digit non-response.

Instead of the posters, I would recommend a window film (other patterns are available, here's and example:
http://www.homedepot.com/webapp/wcs/stores/servlet/ProductDisplay?storeId=10051&langId=-1&catalogId=10053&productId=100062721 )

Ditto a washable rug (or just a cheap one).

Get a neutral curtain for under the sink. Measure first! Maybe a brown cloth shower curtian? To do it quick and cheap, get a roll of sticky back velcro from the hardware store and affix the curtain to the backside of the counter ledge. Use Stitch Witchery to hem?

Tablecloth (cream) over the table by the chair. Put the magazine basket that's under the sink on that table.

Get a new corkboard or paint the existing one (regular old craft paint should do fine).

First off, I just have to say how cool and wonderful it is that your company has this space just for pumping moms! I'm sure it must be a very progressive company.
I agree with the rug suggestions. Also, a throw blanket might be a great help for the chair, I know slip covers can be expensive.
Could you put a big magnetic or cork board and cover it with fabric or a border to make it more decorative for the baby photos? I think that's so cool to have the baby photos up there, and I understand you had to find a way to hang them on the tile. Maybe this would be a more decorative alternative.

I'd look for ways to put as much fabric as possible into this room. The curtain ideas mentioned above are great, and I like the idea of a tablecloth on the table next to the chair. Is there a way to use curtains to cover the walls, especially the ones around the chair? Perhaps you can suspend a dowel rod from the ceiling and hang curtains from it (just weight the bottoms of the curtains or use velcro to stick the bottom hem to the wall so you don't have curtains flapping everywhere). Failing that, could you put up some fabric-covered bulletin boards to display the baby pictures? And rugs for sure! Bath mats are cheap and can be placed in strategic spots.

Would your company let you use tile paint to paint the orangey-beige accent tiles a more beautiful color?

I think a curtain hung from a dowel or tension rod across the wall opposite the mirror would work well and really soften the place. putting it across from the mirror will reflect the effect and make it more effective around the whole space while still only covering one wall (cheaper).

I wouldn't cover the whole mirror with posters or film, how about just a "backsplash" that covers just the bottom 12" or however much is needed to prevent unwanted viewing. The film would work, or you could use tissuepaper/liquid starch to create a stained glass effect. plus it washes off easily.

I would also angle the furniture. it looks sad pressed into that corner. i don't think the chair fabric is that bad, but the table def. needs help. if there is electric outlets a dimmer lamp recycled from another part of the office could do a lot for the atmosphere and would fit in the space created by angling the chair/table. it would also make it more soothing than the harsh florescents that are usually in office washrooms.

First thing I'd do is to get some fabric to hide the under-sink area, and perhaps make a tablecloth for the chair side table, too. Velcro strips to attach would make it easy. Rugs? A small lamp?

That tile is awful. :( Sorry.

This kind of reminds me of when we decorated massage rooms in old offices. In our case, and perhaps yours, we weren't allowed to do anything more permanent than wall paint.

We used lots of fabric on the walls, using IKEA fabrics and using velcro to attach them at the top. Easy peasy! Bought some cheap lamps for diffused light so we wouldn't have to use the harsh ceiling lights.

In our Mother's room, we always had a CD player with a clock. There was an Enya type CD on deck (people could contribute their favorites) which helped mask any outdoor noise and the clock was nice to keep track of how long we had.

An easily readable clock to keep track of the time.

Maybe replace the table by the chair. Something with drawers to keep the extra supplies in, like alcohol wipes to clean the machine, extra milk storage bags, etc.

Great idea to have pics of the kiddos! Maybe some french memo boards (http://jdorganizer.blogspot.com/2008/12/bulletin-board-alternative-french.html) would be a cute way to display them?

For the mirror, make decorative window film like these http://www.windowfilmworld.com/window_film.htm

Maybe a wall rack or tall narrow bookcase for reading material either where the pictures are now or on the other side of the table.

I think using a few of the same baskets or containers under the sink would look nice (large enough to hide cleaning bottles; extra hand sanitizers, & hand soap; etc)

*maybe window decorative film, not make

:)

Nobody's comfortable when it's cold, so a small space heater might be really useful here.

DARCY: Please send "after" pictures. This could become a valuable resource for other offices who are looking to be more mom-friendly.

i think you should get very large foamcore boards from an art store, cover in coordinating fabrics to put on the walls. this gives you bulletin boards, color, sound reduction (echo) and some warmth for dirt cheap (>$25).

a very long cheap console table, very simple style for resting equipment or maybe even a cubby unit. and definitely cotton area rugs = more sound reduction, softness and easy to clean. ikea makes great ones. those $2.99 striped ones are easy to wash. evey spaghetti sauce comes right out.

I'm curious about those posters that are already in there. I've seen them around a few places. Sorry I don't have any more good suggestions, but I'm wondering who the artist is?

is it worth sending an email around your company/office asking for people to chip in a dew dollars to the project or donate a second hand item thet you may need i.e a microwave

i can't help but think that it is a really important project & people may like to contribute

plus when you have zero budget any help would be great, right!?

I'd also like to know who created the breastfeeding posters!

definitely angle the chair, and maybe include a basket to hold the reading material and the blanket - the texture and color of a basket will help warm up the space. I like the idea of a curtain hanging down the wall(s) beside/behind the chair, and a little rug.

By law a company has to provide a dedicated space for nursing mothers (especially if they do not have a private space of their own to pump). Look it up at La Leche League.