Name: Evan, 3 months
Location: Highlands Ranch, CO
Laura's goal in putting together a nursery for her son Evan was to walk the line between baby-friendly and a room that will grow with him. She chose brown and blue as her color theme, but added touches of orange for visual interest and vibrancy. We were especially interested in her choice to place the crib near the center of the room and her explanation makes a lot of sense. Many readers will also be interested in her clever answer to "what to do with crib bumpers if you don't want them in your crib?"
What was your inspiration when you began creating this room for your son?
The inspiration for the room came in pieces over a few months. I wasn't exactly sure of the direction I was headed, but knew I didn't want a themed or excessively babyish room, but something that could evolve as my son grew older. I began the planning process by looking at online nursery pictures and visiting blogs and other sites for ideas. I figured crib bedding was a good first purchase, and after an exhaustive search for the perfect bedding failed, I recalled how much I liked the Dwell set I had originally seen a few years ago. That then served as the basis for the blue and brown color combination. My husband and I had done stripes in other rooms, so knew it would work here, and we opted to add a chair rail for more interest and dimension.
The rest of the design just fell into place after the painting was complete and the furniture added. But I generally think a good design continues to change over time, so I'm still adding to it. I often look around the room and think about how another touch of orange might work here or there, or how a different table lamp might be a better fit.
What challenges did you face along the way?
One challenge we encountered was getting use out of our entire bedding set. For safety reasons, we never planned on using the crib bumper, but hated to toss it aside since it was a large part of the bedding cost. We hadn't decided on a window treatment yet, so I came up with the idea to turn the bumper into a window valance. I simply folded it in half, put a few hand stitches in it to keep it flat, and fastened it to a curtain rod using the existing ties. It was a very easy solution and looks cute in the room.
Do you have a favorite item or feature in the room?
I love the light fixture! It's stylish and unique, but fun enough for a child's room. And the baby loves staring at it. I think it will grow nicely with him and work well with any future decor changes. I also adore the bright and whimsical Avalisa paintings. It's great that they are mix and match, so the grouping can easily be updated or changed later. The glider is also very comfortable for feedings and storytime, and is sized well for the small corner.
We rarely see cribs that aren't placed against the wall - what was your thinking behind its placement?
Honestly, the crib positioning was a bit of trial and error. With the other pieces of furniture to contend with and the closet on the large wall, there wasn't a remaining wall that was a great fit for the crib. Plus, I have never loved the look of furniture being exclusively lined up on walls; I think putting a piece in an unexpected place gives a room a dramatic flair. After trying out the crib in the center, I discovered I really liked the interesting angle it created in an otherwise boring, boxy room. And since it's the first thing you see when entering the room, it makes the baby the focal point.
Here are resource notes on many of the items in Evan's Nursery:
Thank you for sharing Evan's Nursery with us, Laura! We're confident he'll be happy there for a long time to come!
Great space. I love the bumper-curtain and the placement of the crib.
view JudiAU's profile
Oh lord! are those just very bad photographs or the place is gloomy, dull and depressing? I'm sorry I don't mean to be rude, but ... the only vibrancy I get is from Evan's onesie. This looks like a cave.
view Sol's profile
I don't find it gloomy at all. Perhaps there isn't much natural light shown in the photos, but that's the case in my home, too.
Blue and brown has become a trendy color combination and I think justly so because it ages so well with a child. I think this room has a lot of traditional elements (the colors, the crib), but the fun, quirky elements (the light fixture, the mobile, the artwork) liven it up and can be exchanged for other fun things as Evan gets older and develops different interests.
view CMcB's profile
Bumper curtain is a great idea!
The room does seem a little dark to me, but to be honest, it doesn't help that the slide show is on a black background. I think the room looks brighter on this page because the pics are on a light bg.
Evan's orange onesie is the perfect accessory!
view pyjammy's profile
Sol - how can you say you don't mean to be rude? That was incredibly rude. How easy it is to be dismissive when you are just online and not face to face.
I love this nursery and Evan is adorable! Great job.
view bp090499's profile
Looks great. I have the same bedding and am in the midst of decorating my baby nursery right now.
The valance idea is really fantastic.
Looking for a nice gray blue for our walls, which it looks like you have found. If you don't mind, what paint did you use for the top half?
view jcpoodle's profile
Sure, jcpoodle. I used all Benjamin Moore Aura paint and the blue is Metal Alloy, I believe. It was definitely tough to find the right blue that wasn't too dark or too "baby blue." I like the way the color turned out.
Enjoy the bedding! I really love it.
view schnappycat's profile
Thanks so much!
The bedding was a must have for me, and I am definitely working around its great color scheme.
I can't wait to get the room together; I hope it turns out as well as yours. Evan is a lucky boy!
view jcpoodle's profile
I love your nursery and all of your great ideas - like the light fixture and the alternative use of the bumpers. The chocolate stripes on the walls with blue accents turned out beautifully. I think it would also be pretty with pink accents on the walls for a girl. A wonderful, whimsical room to grow up in - plus, you can use so many of the pieces in other rooms of your house if you decide to redecorate when Evan gets older. Congratulations on a lovely room and the very handsome new addition to your family!
view cc's profile
I love Evans room. Thanks for sharing that.
I have been looking for the perfect blue color and I cannot find one. They are either too light, as I do not want baby blue, or way too dark blue/gray.
WHat company makes that blue color and what is the name of the paint?
Thanks so much,
Issye@aol.com
view Issye's profile
Hi,
Love the room, can you please let me know how you created the bumper curtain. It is so great..
Thanks
(nicoleriddle@yahoo.com)
view nicoleriddle's profile
Hi.
Would you please tell me the shades of brown you used? I really love the room.
Thanks!
view acab920's profile
Lovely room. The artwork is really nice. Evan's a cutie.
view urbangrace's profile
Thanks for sharing your room. I love the valance, very cool. I would have never thought of that.
At first the room does seem a little dark, but after I viewed the other pictures, I saw that its just the lighting at the time of pictures. The white trim, doors erc, the silver and orange accents, and the blue really do bring it up a notch and make the room.
If only people hadnt shoved classic pooh down my throat when I had my son, maybe I could have pulled something like this off.
The neat thing about this room to me, is the fact that the color scheme would work so well even if you mismatched the pieces of furniture, or switched the color scheme around with the big elements in the room. if you had the White crib featured on another recent tour, and white dresser you could have the blue bedding or orange, and switch around anything it would work too.
I really like the silverish numbers on the wall... is there a significance to the order and pick of the numbers? In any case, I love the room, and love the things in it. Beautiful kid too! congrats.
view Faynilla's profile