Name: Kim and Baby Haley
Location: Southwest Virginia
You may remember Kim's room, from the charming clothes rack featured here last spring. A lot has changed in the nursery since then. What we love about this room are the traditional elements that are contrasted with the bright wall color and lovely handmade items throughout. The color of the wall (Valspar's Passion Pink) is definitely an unexpected pairing, next to the crocheted and vintage items.
When asked about her design style/philosophy, Kim replied:
"We got very lucky with the furniture, everything aside from her desk was something we already owned or something that was handed down and needed a fresh coat of paint, so there was not much belly-aching over that aspect of her room. Aside from that, all I knew was that I wanted something warm, cheery, and stimulating and a room that could grow-up with her... the perfect place to lay her head down after a day of collecting bumps and bruises. A room that captured youth in a bottle: sunshine, love, plenty of imagination and happy, cradling colors."
There are so many striking items in Haley's room, but the one item we had to know ALL about was her granny square throw. Was it an heirloom? Was it Baby Kim's?Of it, Kim tells us it was an Etsy find and she knew it, "....was a sure fit as soon as I saw its pillows that look much like the letter H."
Besides the afghan, Kim has been blessed by the Etsy gods. On Etsy she's also found the quilt on the floor, the polka dot bag, patchwork diaper bag, the three stockings at the end of the crib and the dolls in the wicker basket.
And like all of our favorite tours, many of the items in Haley's room were handmade or repurposed. Kim refurbished the clothes drying rack into a quilt rack/closet, she gussied up the bookcase -- which was hers from college -- by painting it white and adding Heather Bailey Freshcut fabric.
Kim also made the cork board on Haley's dresser as well as sew the bed skirt and embellished and hung the letters hanging on the wall. "It is so much cheaper to do it that way rather than buying the prefab letters from Pottery Barn or Anthropologie," she adds.
Finally, we asked Kim for any advice on how to approach the nursery design process. This is what she had to say:
"Chose and invest in items that are timeless and that you really love -- those that can be used again when you have another child, that can grow up with your child, and/or can be passed down to your grandchildren. I think there's nothing more special than sleeping under a blanket that your great granny had slept under or being able to say 'My mommy made this for me.' Add personal touches where you can and don't be afraid of color. Take ordinary pieces and make them pop with a funky coat of acrylic paint (i.e., Haley's pastel pink bench and her lime green mirror.) Do not be afraid to mix and match wood tones. Too much white can look sterile and too much wood can make things seem too dark. Kids are vibrant and full of good ideas and energy... make them a space that is inspiring and fun and captures their essence. At the end of the day, if it's a room you would've liked to dream in as a kid, you did it right!"
Thank you for sharing and for the great advice, Kim.
© 2009 Apartment Therapy
It's adorable! Where did you find the curtains?
view wonka95's profile
I love the curtains and the shelf of trixie belden books. I had my mom's copies when I was growing up and I have no idea what happened to them!
view lcg's profile
The curtains are from Ikea. Such a great pattern, too!
view Alex's profile
This is killing me. My sewing machine is broken but after looking at these beautiful pictures, all I want to do is sew something. Anything.
Absolutely gorgeous.
view pennycarnival's profile
love the wall color and the art to the left of the crib...where is that from?
view Enamorada's profile
The artwork was actually a clearance find at Anthropologie and according to Kim:
"The artwork was purchased from Anthropologie during one of their sales. It was pricey, but I had to have it for its bold punches of color and the fact that it took me off to another land. It's tag informed us that hand pieced and stitched by Armenian woman and that no two were exactly alike. I always want my daughter to remember that all different types of people make up this world and that there is beauty everywhere and I hope this picture symbolizes that for her. Plus, no room is complete without one outstanding piece of artwork."
view Alex's profile
What a beautiful room! And so creative and resourceful!
Can you tell me where you got the lamp base (I think) in the slide show with the little Jack and Jill figures? I used to have a light switchplate that coordinated with it as a kid and am amazed to see it; would love to get something similar for my little one. Thanks.
view sjh100's profile
Thank you for all the nice comments, and thank you for poppin' in for me Alex :]
sjh100- the lamp fixture was purchased at my local country store- "if granny had it, we got it"... haha... but i know that if you type in vintage children's lamps on ebay you can find them.... you must also check out the vintage children's mobiles if a lamp isn`t available :)
view Kim Rakes's profile
I really love the kinda vintage type charm of this room! I am having a boy but I think I totally would have had to steal that paint color and quilt if my baby was gonna be a girl :) So cute.
view debbied4l's profile
Love this room! It's "real." The hand-crafted items make me think of my grandmother.
view gourdsaregorgeous's profile
LOVE seeing the "Trixie Belden" books! I so preferred them over everyone else's favorite "Nancy Drew." Great room.
view scootergirl's profile
love the room decor. where did you get the clothes line to hang her dresses? i'm looking for something similar, seems like it would be easy to find but no luck so far.
view skylee's profile
We just had it laying around. I have seen the same thing online @ Linens n' things (go to the old post @ the top of this article where haley's drying rack is featured and I believe they have a direct link in it) and then in store @ wal-mart. I`m sure places like bed, bath and beyond and even k-mart and target carry the same thing! Search: Clothes Drying Rack on Google too if all those places turn up empty. Good Luck :)
view Kim Rakes's profile