Name: Milo, 1 month old
Location: Chapel Hill, NC
The owl trend is still going strong and we love how Vivian has used them in her new son Milo's room. They inspire the color palette of brown and orange, tie together a broader nature theme and were easy to find from both independent artists and larger companies. Milo's room is sophisticated, but still fun; boyish while still breaking away from more traditional "boy" themes and colors; and flexible enough to change with a growing boy.
What was your overall inspiration or goal for Milo's room?
We wanted a room that was serene, nature-themed, and tied in with the rest of our home. We love wood Danish modern furniture and use a lot of brown, orange and white in our house. We didn't want our son's room to be a total departure from the rest of the home.
Is there any special significance for the owl-theme? There's no significance to the owl theme. We were on vacation in Chicago and visited the Wicker Park neighborhood when I was pregnant. We went to the Renegade Handmade store and found several owl prints and owl stuffed animals (an owl is part of their logo). That's where it all began. We just purchased owl items we liked and it started to come together.
What challenges did you come across while putting the room together? I didn't think I'd be able to find owl-themed bedding, but sure enough, a web search led me to Litto Kids. Once I found this orange-and-brown-owl bedding, I knew the whole room could come together.
What are your favorite elements or items in Milo's room? I love the owl decal! I found it on Etsy by a designer named Holly Brooke Jones. Not only was it the perfect design to go behind the crib, we could also customize the color of the leaves. So, it was nice to add more orange to the room with the orange leaves. I also like the Shinzi Katoh print and tray (that says "thanks for your existence"). I think we purchased them at Penelope's in Wicker Park.
We love rooms that have a specific color scheme (yours being mainly brown, orange and green), but did you ever feel limited by that? Did you run across a product or piece of furniture you loved that was too far outside your color scheme? We were conscious to stick with the color scheme, but it was pretty easy. I can't say there was anything we wanted, but didn't get because it didn't match. Having a theme and set colors actually made it easy because everything looks cohesive even though we purchased items from several different stores and websites.
Do you have any great resources you’d like to share? We purchased the prints and the mobile at several stores in Chicago's Wicker Park neighborhood including Renegade Handmade and Grow Kids. We placed them in already matted frames from Target. The furniture is from Babies R Us. My mom and sister bought many of the toys from websites like Fawn & Forest and used them as centerpieces at my babyshower, which was such a great idea. As soon as the furniture came in, we already had toys to decorate the dresser and cubby holes.
What advice do you have for parents starting to put a baby or child’s room together or who are looking to make changes to an existing space?
Work with the style that you love, even if it doesn't scream "baby's room." Family and friends questioned our decision to paint the room brown, thinking we should go with the traditional blue since we were having a boy. But, in the end, we still used the colors and style we like while making it whinsical enough for a baby with the owl theme.
Is there anything else you'd like to add?
Scour the internet. For the baby's bathroom, the shower curtain we liked was out of stock on the Ikea website. My husband searched ebay and we were able to find the same shower curtain new and unopened there.
© 2009 Apartment Therapy
Wow! Love the unconventional use of orange for a boy's room. It has a subtle 70s vibe to it. Carol Brady would be proud. Owl remeber this nursery for years to come.
view owllover's profile
What a fantastic room! It is definitely one of the best I've seen on Ohdeedoh and I want almost everything in there.
view ZMama's profile
The room is great. Can you tell me specifically where you found the shinzi katoh poster? I am a fan and that poster would also look great in my son's room...thanks and congrats on the impressive nursery.
view Ronan'smom's profile
Ronan's mom, I found it here:
http://www.shoppenelopes.com/Product/Shinzi Katoh forest poster
view ZMama's profile
Oops, I copied and pasted, but the link turned out wonky. If you go to shoppenelopes.com, it's there.
view ZMama's profile
OMG...Thank you for the link to that poster. That is officially what I needed for the finishing touch on my son's nursery.
view Michele McIntire's profile
Thank you so much for sharing that info!
view Ronan'smom's profile
Lovely! I have an orange owl mobile in my son's room that I just love. If I had to do it over again, I think I would add more owl touches. I love it!
view schnappycat's profile
I love the dresser... would you be able to tell me more about the item... where it was purchased and what brand/model it is? I have been looking for an espresso/brown dresser for my daughter's nursery and haven't quite found the right one yet! Thanks!
view domestic girl's profile
Cute room! And go Heels!
view LaneC's profile
Love it!
view kickette's profile
I'm planning on buying the same rocker/ottoman, but haven't been able to sit on it in a store - is it as comfy as it looks? Thanks!
view LM's profile
The dark brown really makes it seem cozy. Owls are a toddler favorite so it's a good choice. My daughter's name is Vivian and we have long been thinking Milo for a boy.
view serelile's profile
We have the same decal (with the same placement over the crib) from etsy in my baby girl's room. We chose brown and pink. I love it!!
view taford's profile
I was going to ask about the chair, like LM. I have spent a few minutes on it in the store, but curious about how you like it in "real life."
Serene and modern, indeed!
:)
view mere1975's profile
Hi Domestic Girl.
We purchased the dresser at Babies R Us. It's part of the Stamford collection by Amy Coe as are the crib and the changing table. It came already assembled, which was nice!
view VivianM's profile
The chair and ottoman are comfy. The chair is a bit more narrow than some of the other rockers, but it works for me. The ottoman top lifts off so you can store blankets.
On the downside, it doesn't rock as easily as a normal rocking chair would (I don't know how that compares gliders). Also, because we have it on carpet, it tends to slide back after I get up, so every now and then I have to pull it out from the wall before I start a feeding.
view VivianM's profile
Great job on the nursery! I love the colors....could you tell me what paint color you used on the walls?
view zeeshan's profile
Beautiful room and beautiful name for your boy...my 3 month old is Milo too:)
view upstategirl's profile
This all looks so amazing! It's truly the perfect room for the expectant couple who wants to be surprised by their baby's sex. It's the kind of room that will also age really well with the child. Well done!
view hush's profile
I made owl curtains for my daughter's room. It's amazing what obscure fabrics materials you can find at Fabricland!
view meech's profile
Zeeshan,
Sorry to take so long to reply. The paint color was a Valspar color from Lowe's. I think it was either Au Lait or Fawn.
view VivianM's profile
Beautiful room!! and I absolutely love the rocker! can you please tell me where you got it?
view nilize's profile
Nice room. I was browsing and saw a vintage brown and orange Mama Owl clock on Etsy today (id# 26609891, Simply GLenda's shop) and thought of Milo's Room...or any other brown and orange owl nurseries out there!
view mollycasey's profile
where is the rocker from?
view daiz's profile