Name: Tessa
Age: 2 weeks
Location: Central Florida
If you've been following along with Ryan and Cole as they awaited their daughter's arrival (photo documenting Cole's growing belly weekly along the way) the past nine months you may know that Tessa is finally here. And, she's relocated to roomier digs. Ryan and Cole didn't let a lack of funds stand in the way of creating a lovely and comfortable space for her. As much as we like to ooh and aah over new designs and products here at Ohdeedoh, time and again we're reminded that what really makes a room beautiful are the personal touches. Get resourceful, get crafty, get friends and family to pitch in....
As gorgeous as Ryan's photography is, he's a darn good writer (which makes his blog, Pacing the Panic Room irresistible). So take it away Ryan....
The theme for our nursery was Hand Made and Hand-Me-Downs. Money has been tight to say the least, and there was a point when creating a space for the baby didn’t seem like it was going to be much of anything beyond a hand-me-down crib and matching dresser drawers that Cole had tucked away at her Dad’s house from when LB
[Cole's son the "Littlest Buddy"] was a baby. Instead of getting bummed and feeling bad because we couldn’t buy the best of the best for this baby on the way, we decided to take a more realistic approach to the room and celebrate where we are in this new marriage, new budding careers, and got off our asses and we set to work and enlisted help from our creative friends. The nursery became a great mix of old hand-me–downs, hand made details, and a mix of Cole’s and my old knick knacks from our childhood. When it all came together we realized that in the end - had we had plenty of money to go hog wild and buy anything, we would have filled this little room with all brand new stuff and not ended up with a room full of history and good memories.
So we sat down and talked it out and figured that since we had no idea if it was a boy or a girl we would just keep the room soft and warm, and stick with muted colors and earth tones, adding some bright accents for a little punch of personality. The wood floors were such a mix of colors from cherry, to pine, to dark walnut, so we tried to mix up the wood colors from the main space fillers, the crib, and drawers. The little dark wood crate turned side table next to the recliner (which was stolen from her brother) was a find in Cole’s father's garage-- an old wooden box that used to house Squirt sodas back in the day.
The little bamboo shelves at the entry were found on the side of the road, reassembled, and cleaned up. The boxes that the diapers (fuzzi bunz) are in are just old Clementine boxes that Cole covered in fabric. The old window that is seen hung on the wall and fitted with prints, was something that Cole’s mother bought for her when she was a little girl at an antique shop that she has been lugging around for years now. She finally took it and cleaned it up, painted and varnished the glass to create a clean canvas, and then fitted it with these old prints that she had found at a local coffee house here.
The rest of the artwork in the room like the print hanging over the crib, and the prints on the bamboo shelf, were courtesy of the super talented Anna Bond, a friend who I am excited to say is in the midst of opening up her very first custom stationary store here in Central FL. She will have all of these prints and more available soon. Keep an eye out for the opening of her store here or just follow her work as she blogs about projects often here.
The mobile over the crib was a joint effort. Cole had a friend send her these tiny crocheted turtles so she took some old wire and some wood and strung herself up a mobile for the baby. You can see more of these woodland yarn critters here.
Other contributions from friends came in the form of baby must-haves like comfy stuffed animals like the bright and bold, blue and red, big-eyed sea buddy in the basket of soft goods and a gorgeous baby blanket made by our friend Erin who keeps her Etsy shop “love granny” filled with custom hand made wearables and she honestly makes the best baby blankets in Brooklyn.
The book end was my Mother’s that she gave me because I had always loved it as a kid, (the other half of that book end is in our bedroom). The books are a mix of old books from our childhood and classic stories that we want to share with the kids.
The only thing we actually bought was the red lamp for a whopping $25 and the rest of the nursery came together from a mix of left over gift cards that were wedding presents that we had luckily never used. Knick Knacks from travels and old toys from our childhood filled in the rest of the holes and all of the sudden we had a complete room.
Thanks Ryan, Cole, LB and Tessa! As we all know the real adventures are just starting for your family and we look forward to keeping up with you guys.
Pretty floors, beautiful baby, boring room.
view kkdm's profile
I don't think so! (I mean, yes, beautiful baby and pretty floors.) I think there are some neat surprises in the creative details here, and I enjoy the artwork and vintage items.
view mere1975's profile
What a nice nursery! There are some things I like a lot and some things a bit less, but like with all things it's a question of personal taste. What I love most is that it's not a "ready made", matchy-matchy impersonal, perfect room but that it is made of many different pieces that you liked, and that all objects have a story to tell your daughter when she grows up.
Baby Tessa is super cute and I loooove the little mobile! :-)
view swisscheese's profile
I like it. Simple and not trendy.
view Megan in AZ's profile
I love that this is made of hand-me-downs! It looks simple and it works. I am trying to put together a nursery on a non-existent budget and this gives me a lot of hope!
view Hollie's profile
This is an absolutely gorgeous room! You can tell that so much love went into putting this little space together that the room seems to be busting at the seams! Yes, you could have gone out and blown a budget on matching yellow blankets, toys and wallcolor but when Tessa is able to make her own choices she may decide that split-pea soup green is more her style! My favorite things from when I was little, that still decorate my home today aren't the big stuffed animals or fancy "lead-free" toys. The things I love are the metal airplane from my grandfather, the little pewter lamb from my father, the baby blanket that was my sisters before mine and handpainted by an old family friend.
This is a room that you can sit in with Tessa and tell her stories about how all of the things have come to be there. Absolutely beautiful, flawless and a room that every parent should try to have for their kids! ....instead of picking a page in pottery barn and saying, "I want that."
LOVE IT!
view Shutterbug678's profile
I love this. Can you tell me what paint color you used?
view Lesley's profile
Haha I can only imagine the baby rooms from the commenters who see this room as being dull. Everything brand new. Head-to-toe gender-specific decorating.. I can get the picture.
Props to some parents who get it. A tranquil, yet creative space layered with memories and family history. There are so many nuances to this room that I truly appreciate. What a beautiful nursery :)
view tankasaurus's profile
I really like this room. I'll be honest: I don't have kids and am not currently expecting, so maybe my perspective is a bit different than most readers, but I like that the room is well-equipped for a baby but feels like a regular room in a house. Many of the (admittedly limited) nurseries I've seen are very "decorated" for a child, and I like that this is a room for the family that happens to handle a baby really well. I suppose this is much like my preference for offices that look like they belong in a house, rather than cubicle-type furniture in the middle of a home.
view Marisa T's profile
I love this room. I have to agree with the above comment that it really looks like a regular room in a house, but it's still lovely and sweet. It's really beautiful and not-cookie cutter which makes it that much more special and perfect.
view marenkg's profile
love it, it has so much character and personality. could you tell me where you got the wall mounted shelf with 3 compartments and the 2 small white bins? i'm looking for some storage and only have room for it on the wall. thanks!
view mishsum's profile
no way boring, i love this nursery! it is extremely creative and i love that each way you turn you find something unexpected, also that there is history in the decor. a lucky little girl, for sure, will enjoy this space. great job cole & ryan!
also love the photography work, esp the rounded shot of the entire room.
view twolilweedsmama's profile
mishsum - that's shelf item is from ikea, part of the trofast storage system.
view molly h's profile
Love it! Cozy, comfortable, practical, and nice personal touches. Love the window wall-hanging and the bookend (!!).
view heather @ dollarstorecrafts.com's profile
Super cute baby! Cute room too!
view PNWGal's profile
I love it!
Honestly, I cringe every time I see another one of these overstyled, matchy-matchy, cookie cutter nurseries that are obviously only meant to impress design freaks.
This one is real, full of charakter and love.
So beautiful :o)
You rock on guys!
view Sister Morphine's profile
I think it looks great. I'm two months away from having my baby and by no means have anything even close to as cozy as this room.
view cal's profile
BORING?!?! That person is NUTSS-O. The absolutely best part about this nursery is that it is actually a REAL one, full of love and memories and history that will be enjoyed not just looked at. I love it and i can feel all of that seeping out of those lovely pictures. Even if i saw the pictures alone, I would have known that this was a family effort. Great work guys!
view akgreengirl's profile
I agree, not at all boring! So thoughtful, simple, and just very tranquil. Well done!
view upstategirl's profile
love it! i like that it's not matchy-matchy and it will be easy to convert this room as little tessa grows.
this gives me inspiration for the nursery i am currently trying to plan out...we're not finding out gender either! :)
view cbraden7's profile
I agree with Marisa T. This room is far from boring -- it's a warm, welcoming and beautifully assembled space that everyone in the family can feel at home in. After all, everyone in the family will be hanging out with little Tessa. Thank God it's not one of those rabid pink exercises in infantophilia peddled by Pottery Barn et. al.
view rosenatti's profile
Oh, and Tessa is OMG TEH CUTE.
view rosenatti's profile
I love this post. Everything in my daughter's room is handed down or used off craigslist. I love walking around the room and feeling the love of the people who helped me create it. I love thinking of her sleeping in the bed where other loved babies have slept. When someone asked it we had a color scheme, I laughed. In the end, Gigi (my mother) kinda came up with a color scheme of green, pink, and yellow. But that did not stop me from hanging the Elephant God in Purple and Gold that someone brought O back from India. This room looks like it was created to include a new being into an existing life. It is very welcoming. Congratulations to the family.
view ncdonna's profile
Exactly what tankasaurus said! Tessa is one lucky girl to have a room filled with "all the love in the universe"!
view sddullanty's profile
There is something wrong with kkdm. This room is not at all boring but beautiful!! It feels so warm and loving and peaceful...the perfect place for your little one to rest. I love all the little knick knacks and art work too! You guys did great!!!
view Anna Joy's profile
ooh, i really love the miniature stuffed animal in that little white vase. what a cute touch. overall very lovely and cozy!
view christinalikesbirds's profile
Pacing the Panic Room is the one blog I HAVE to read every day since I found it through AT. I love this room. That first comment is so, so wrong.
view estydesign's profile
I love the spirit and thrift that went into this room! I love that the items are so meaningful to the owners...I only can't help thinking about how much of it is going to have to be put away when the baby gets more active, but why not have fun in the meanwhile if that's your thing?
It's good to see a non-modern nursery on this site...I can only look at so many wall decals from etsy in one lifetime! :)
view TheLittlestChicken's profile
The room rocks! You can tell they put lots of love and thought into it. Comment number one was so mean-spirited :0(
Panic Room is the best! I'm an addicted follower...wonderful writer, beautiful photographer, dedicated hubby and dad. What's not to love?
view bayareababyblog's profile
I've been following the "Pacing the Panic Room" blog and was so happy to see the post here. I think focusing on handmade and hand-me-downs is so important with babies, who go through everything so quickly, and in the current economic climate!
view papermenagerie's profile
I love this. This is warm and beautiful and well designed. What's more important is that baby will feel all the love and hard work Mom, Dad, friends and family put into making this space just right. The crochet turtle mobile is wonderful and fun. The big schmushy chair is delish! I'd love to be a baby in this warm and delightful room!!! Congratulations!
view stt64's profile
I agree with the majority here, a lovely cosy warm room with vintage touches - I'm sure Tessa loves it - I do!
view smbumblebee's profile
Ryan - room looks great. Am interested in the bed and the inner workings (how the mattress is supported). I want to build a variation for my new grandchild coming in February. Would appreciate you letting me know if there are plans available for this bed. Thanks.
view mallette49's profile
Great job! Love the bright colour and the whimsical finds. It has a lovely feel for someone young.
view OliviaBranch's profile
I would like to know about the black&white wall sconce light. Where did you get it? I am designing a teenagers room in B&W and it would be a great addition.
Thanks.
view charmgirl's profile