We're checking back in with Becky + Andrew this week. The crib and glider have been ordered. The room has been cleared out.
Becky + Andrew say:
When I was learning about pregnancy in my fourth-grade health class, I recall the teacher discussing "the nesting instinct." At a certain time before a baby is born, mothers (and fathers through couvade), are filled with an overwhelming desire to clean their houses and prepare for a new arrival. Like hell...
(See all previous Becky + Andrew posts here)
Make no mistake, we can't wait for the Wee-Tot to be born, but we've been postponing the task of cleaning the junk room for weeks. We finally did so on Memorial Day weekend. It took 10 bags of garbage and two round-trips to our storage unit, but we at last can see the floor (although, as you will see from the pictures, we're still not done!).
But now that we've removed the assorted desk lamps, we realize our sole source of lighting -- aside from the window in the afternoon -- is a set of three lights directly above the book cases. Any suggestions to make the room brighter, preferably not requiring a call to the electrician?
AT: Readers, please share your tips with Becky + Andrew. (Yes, we confirmed that is a Nascar decal on the trash can).
Is there room to place a long narrow mirror on top of the bookcases to reflect some light back out into the room?
You could also place a mirror on the wall perpendicular to the window. Full length mirrors are fun in nurseries b/c the crawling baby will interact with him/her self.
Our nursery had no direct lighting either so I mounted a bedside reading lamp on the wall off to the side of the changing table. (You need good lighting to change icky diapers!) I bought a simple one from IKEA that didn't require direct wiring.
All in all, though, it's OK to have a nursery that's a bit dark...the baby will spend alot more time sleeping in there than playing.
view avimom's profile
I second the opinion about having a dark nursery. It doesn't have to always be dark, but I highly recommend either a dimmer switch on an overhead light or a good nightlight. When you're up at 3am, it's so nice to have that light on as low as possible to help you and the baby get back to sleep faster. And, there are so many times that you do a quick check-in while the baby's sleeping - you don't want to have to turn on a really bright light that might risk waking the baby up!
Good luck!
view mo's profile
Here is what we did in our daughter's nursery, and are going to do in both kid's rooms again, here in Europe: We ran rope lighting (which you can buy in hardware stores and lighting stores), all along the 4 walls, at about 16" from the ceiling. We hid it with some trim (I can only describe it as a "w" without the rise in the middle), which we painted out. This was to great a glow of light reflected towards the upper wall and ceiling, and so that there was no glare or glimpse of the rope lighting itself. It was very gentle and lovely lighting, and we got a lot of compliments on it. The rope lighting does not get wired; rather, there is a connecter that plugs it into the wall like a lamp. We ran it down the wall in electrical housing which we painted out in order to make it unobtrusive.
Hope you were able to follow my description -
Good luck!
view mschatelaine's profile
oops! great= create
view mschatelaine's profile
p.s. For my daughter's room this time around, I am thinking of hanging some of Tord Boontje's puddles above the rope lighting in order to reflect some more light around the room.
view mschatelaine's profile
For our son's 'area' we went with mini lanterns strung with low wattage white christmas lights. It gave him something to gaze at in lieu of a mobile. They also provide a nice soft light- for that cozy/nest feel.
view Jet'set's profile
You could add a trio of round paper lanterns in various colors and sizes over the changing table or close to the rocker so you can see while you are reading books to Wee-tot or nursing. The lanterns would also add a splash of color to the room. I saw some fun lanterns at Urban Outfitters on sale for $5.00 and the lighting cord that you plug into an electrical socket for $10.00. The Pottery Barn also carries lanterns and sometimes you can find them at your local Oriental market.
view cc's profile
I was also going to suggest a paper lantern. When my little brother was a baby, my mom hung a big one in his room, put in a low watt bulb, and it was called "the moon". It was great as a light for bedtime stories, and not bright enough to be jarring if one needed to turn it on in the night.
view emilymch's profile
Thanks everyone for all the great suggestions!!! - Becky and Andrew
view becky d's profile