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Name/Age: Roan, 8 months
Location: Brooklyn, New York
Family: Roan, Mom Heather, Dad Andy and "two ne'er do well cats"
Room Size: 80 square feet
Division:Baby
Tip for Living Small with Kids: As with everything else this year, we're still learning! But for the most part, living small with the babe seems easier than living large might. We don't need baby monitors or a downstairs changing zone; we aren't experiencing the bloat of stuff that follows many kiddos into the world; we're usually only a few steps away from one another when someone needs a third hand. Of course there are some exceptions, and we had to come up with solutions for everything from, say, storing sterilized bottles in a New York kitchen (inside Clik Clak canisters on the open shelf of our island) to relocating and downsizing my office (an always-tidy desk in our living room and a lot of scanned, digitized files).
Give Roan and her parents a THUMBS UP if you think this room belongs in the finals!
Thumbs Up Voting is only activated for 48 Hours — so don't delay!
What was one of the biggest challenges you faced in putting together this room? When we moved into this apartment five years ago, its former life as a knitting factory wasn't, well, very former. It kind of stared you right in the face. At one time the space that became our daughter Roan's was the factory's secure, windowless cash room, and so its defunct door (behind the quilt ladder) was vault-grade; it also featured an oh-so-charming rolling steel gate leading into the living room. (We got that guy down and out on our very first day.) What eventually turned into the bulletin board was a barred window that used to open to the hall, and the electricity didn't work.
Slowly, the major issues were dealt with (can't say enough good things about a conduit bending tool or upholstered homasote for bulletin boards). But when we found out I was pregnant, a whole new set of challenges arose. The peeling lead paint running, literally, from floor to 14-foot ceiling, for instance. Or the extension cord that connected the room's electricity to the rest of our apartment. After resolving these kinds of problems, we ebay'd a salvaged pocket door (irregularly sized, naturally) and found the barn door hardware to hang it along the wall at richardswilcox.com. Although I sometimes still wish it had natural light, we did end up with a warm, cozy room.
Give Roan and her parents a THUMBS UP if you think this room belongs in the finals!
Thumbs Up Voting is only activated for 48 Hours — so don't delay!
I heart that rocking hair. any info about it? Great job with the room. I love the low cost mobile with the parasols.
view violetmeadows's profile
Love the rocking chair!
view C4therine's profile
Looks fantastic! Very original and non-cookie cutter!
view EMS1974's profile
This is gorgeous! Great use of space -- and color!! What a lucky baby :)
view Olivia79's profile
I think it' s perfect...wouldn't change a thing. You've done a great job with that space.
view sara Stubbert's profile
What crib is that?
view veganmomma's profile
By far - this is my most favorite small space! I love everything about it.
view citymaus's profile
Really pretty colors.
view tennis7114's profile
This is definitely my favorite nursery in the competition. The lighting is great. I also love the mobile, the horseshoe, the flowers, the cool little changing area, the stuffed animals, and the hedgehog pull toy.
I like that it has style without being overly twee and match-y. Plus, I've always liked that industrial look of converted factories. I hope you win!
view fridawolf's profile
Thanks so much everyone!
The rocker, which my parents gave us, came from ebay. I lost a few nearly identical ones before this, though, so they're definitely out there for the finding. (I checked, but there's no mark or label on it.)
The crib (from Andy's folks) was made by A Natural Home. Their website has a list of dealers. In New York, you can find their furniture at ABC, though it tends to be a bit pricier there.
view hlsamples's profile
I love love love the rocking chair!!!
view chellebelle880's profile
Ohhhhh, I really love this nursery. I love the the mix of old and new and the beautiful danish modern chair
view jessroo's profile
Beautiful!
view Bremen's profile
The space you began with has so much lovely character, and the furniture blends with it very nicely. It is a great blend of industrial and mid-century modern.
view spanishfish's profile
Love the baby quilt in the crib and the mobile!
view growingmama's profile
heather, wow! roan's nursery is quite beautiful. rocking chair is fab, crib is simple yet elegant, colors are fantastic. awesome job!
view kellykirk's profile
What stuck me first was the lovely yellow glow those lights give out. It was only in reading your comment I realized the room had no natural light. With such harsh walls and no sun this could easily have been somewhat dungeon-like but instead it is truly wonderful. The architecture is instead an asset to the room, as it should be. The decoration is delightful and engaging and those antlers! Where oh where did you procure those antlers?
view Asha.'s profile
This is my fave!
view microbro's profile
I love this space! So inviting. I really wanted that rocking chair for our nursery... it was the coolest one out there, but alas, I didn't buy it for myself. It's designed by Frank Reenskaug, for Brahmin.
view zooeymae's profile
this is a great use of the space...industrial without being institutional. Warm and bright. cute.
view ashleynorth//thewanderous's profile