My final decision..and a little fun

I have been an absent blogger, but unfortunately there is a lot involved in a design that simply isn't interesting. Going back and forth over paint colors, rethinking fabric sample selections, logistical considerations, measurements, etc. I have been pouring over these fabrics for a few weeks now and have finally found a combination that I am extremely satisfied with. As a designer, I have access to many fabric companies that sell only to the trade. However, the majority of the fabrics are outside of the budget I would like to adhere to. As such, I have been working exclusively out of my local Jo-Ann Fabrics store. I knew I wanted the overall scheme to be very bright and fun, not pastel like traditional nursery fabrics trend toward. As such, I went through many samples trying to find the perfect combination. I also want to take the comfort of the beautiful little lady that will be napping, perfectly quietly I am certain :-), within the confines of her crib. I have decided to back the bumper and underside of the spread with a soft chenille-like fabric in a creamy white and pink. Although this will not have any impact on the visual appeal of the room, it is considerations like this that make a design homey, as opposed to something that simply photographs well.
During this time I happened to stumble on an accessory idea that I think is amazing. It will not only be eye catching and interesting to look at, but will be a vessel for the imagination of our little one. It is a "Woodland Terrarium" and instructions can be found at this link. www.marthastewart.com/goodthings/woodland-terrarium In the instructions it is meant to be a living growing terrarium filled with live plants. I am making it my mission to create one that is made from high quality fake plantings, and a few small whimsical things thrown in for fun. I have been collecting the contents this week and am having a blast. It will be a like a snippet of our enchanted forest, the perfect home for our resident fairy. Whether you make it with live or fake plants the overall effect is captivating.
I will be posting pictures of both the final fabric scheme and the fairyland terrarium soon. My next big mission is to tackle storage and organization so stay tuned!

Ideas

I thought I would post some of the ideas that I am processing for the nursery right now. If it seems a little scattered thats because it is. I am trying to relay the process that I go through and well this is definately part of it. I have made some fabric choices, paint choices, and actually purchased a few accessories already. The accessories were so cute and were on clearance at Jo-Ann Fabrics, they were the last ones left and I just HAD to have them. I mean you would do the same, just look at the picture!!
Now that we know it is a girl, I have chosen to add a little pink into the mix with the crib spread, sheets, and maybe a throw pillow for the recliner. All of these are inexpensive and can be changed out very easily to accommodate the next little bundle of joy. My inspiration really came from the elephant fabric below. It encompasses all the forest idea in a modern interpretation and has the color pallet that I am working with. The trees, elephants, pinks, yellows greens, and blues are perfect. Although, elephants don't really live in the forest do they? Oh well, I think the nursery police will let this one slide.
There are two windows in the space and although I usually prefer to make a statement with curtains in bold fabrics I am choosing to stay fairly clean with this room. The tree that I am placing in the corner is definitely going to be the main focal point of the room and I don't want large scale patterned curtains drawing the eye away. However, I have found a way to incorporate the theme of the room into the curtain design as well. I am having a bubble valance made out of a creamy white linen. I am hoping that this will be reminiscent of clouds. I will be placing them all the way to the ceiling and finishing the windows with dark wooden blinds. For functional reasons, the blinds need to block out light at all hours of the day so the baby can nap. A white valance might increase the sense of sky but will do nothing to darken the room.
The crib is the other main focus, and will be the one space where I will be using a lot of new fabrics. The elephant fabric will be used for the spread, the green and brown polka dots will be the bumpers, and the rest I am still working out. I like the other fabrics that I am posting but they just don't feel perfect quite yet. I may use them to feminize the big blue recliner with a pillow or two but I don't think I will be using them for the crib skirt.
So here is where I am at. I can see the whole room in my head and believe me it is AMAZING, it is just finding what I want in a store that is causing me problems. I have a lot of shopping to do and figuring out this whole tree idea is going to take some seriously planning. To be honest, I want it to be a real tree or at least look like a real tree, preferably birch. I don't want a cheesy cardboard tree or a small scale but uber expensive fake tree from a craft store. The logistics of that of course become difficult in that, do I drive a tree to KY? Do I take my chances and find a tree in KY? And so it goes...

It's A GIRL!!!

So the news is finally in, after 20 weeks of wondering the ultrasound proved what I always knew to be right ;-) that we are in fact designing this nursery for a little princess!! As visions of pink, crystals, and pouf danced through my brain I was brought back to earth after talking shop with my friend. Her and her hubby have decided that they want to keep the nursery "gender neutral" for future little munchkins. So after only a few tears on my part I began to deliberate ideas. Yellow and green immediately come to mind when one thinks of a non-gender specific nursery and so I thought that as a color theme would work. I came up with a fabulous concept for a feature wall that would incorporate boxes of color but was really bored with the idea. I wanted a theme to work from, something that really wows a visitor to the room. So that is how "the Enchanted Forest" came into being. For this little sweetheart I am basing the room on fairies, flowers, and princesses that live in trees. However, if the parents have a little boy next, the room can easily morph into a more Peter Pan tree house appropriateness.
The paint colors for the room will stay neutral and maybe even a little generic for a forest theme. Green on the walls and blue on the ceiling. I am gonna hold out for no clouds though, I feel like clouds on the ceiling are a bit overdone. However, the showstopper of the room will be the tree that is going to appear to be growing out of the corner of the space. I plan to place the rocking chair beneath this and adorn the tree with little white lights to serve as both nightlight and pseudo-mobile when mommy is rocking the little one.
So this is the overall idea. As I take my plan into action I will be narrowing down some fabric choices for the crib and curtains. Coming up with some more ideas to incorporate the theme into the room and also thinking functionality. Did I mention I have never been to the house or even seen pictures of the room yet?! This project is definitely unconventional but so very exciting!

Crazy?!

I am starting out on a new adventure. My best friend is having her second baby and has just moved into their first home. I am going to be designing a nursery for her from top to bottom. The challenge is that she lives in Kentucky while I reside in New Jersey. So this will be the journey that I am chronicling here. From vision to creation you will share in the elation and struggle of designing a nursery that needs to be fabulous for my website photos, functional for my friend, and affordable for my budget, all while being over 500 miles away!! I will be doing all of the designing remotely then making one big trip out to finish the room. I will be doing the install myself, from paint to construction. Thanks for tuning in and joining me!