As you will soon be aware if you aren’t already, I like making inspiration boards. I have not, in the past, been very good about citing my sources and I know I need to get better at it. That’s why I’m calling this one a round-up. My parents have recently been very generous with money and given us some. I will be frugal because we need to save everything we can, but here are some inspirations/pieces I intend to incorporate into the room.
The background color approximates the color I painted on the walls when we moved in. We were trying to get pregnant at the time, so I knew I wanted a color that could be gender and design neutral. I settled on this light, nautical blue. It’s a Walmart color (see our limited budget). We had already purchased this red chair from Ikea, which I thought would look nice with the blue and which no longer fit with our living room decor. All along I’ve pictured a sort-of Skandinavian color-scheme with lots of bright primary colors and patterns but the more I tried making an inspiration board based on that and the more great nursery tours I saw on Apartment Therapy’s children’s design blog Ohdeedoh and the more I looked through my House Beautiful July 2010 issue, the more I realized I wanted something more sophisticated. Actually, it was a picture in this magazine of a gray velvet cushion on a chair in someone’s foyer that inspired all of this today. I can’t find a picture of it online, but it’s just a small wooden chair with a well-worn looking velvet cushion that was photographed so well I wanted to plop right down in it. I began to figure out how I could get this whole ethos into my nursery. It so perfectly summed up the visions I’ve had the last couple of weeks – visions mostly started in motion by this nursery on Ohdeedoh. Although this one was pretty rocking as well.
I don’t know exactly what it is…it’s always hard to say what exactly you like about a well-designed room. I think it’s just that: you don’t have to point anything out. It all just feels perfect. I love the color scheme, the quirky furniture and the not-too-cutsie feel created by the zebra rug and the band poster. I can just hear the cool music Charlie’s parents are playing for her day in and day out. I think I also liked that it feels lived-in; comfortable. It’s a room you want to spend some time in rather than just being in to admire. I hope that’s what happens in the spaces in my house for other people. It’s what happens for me and I guess that’s really all that matters. So anyway…grey velvet became my first stopping point. I got a low, wide rocking chair for free from Craig’s list but the cushions and the arm pads are ugly and falling apart so I will replace them. I’m not sure yet if I’m going to paint the wood because it’s so dark, but I figured I could handle making a lovely, cushy, butt-friendly cushion covered in grey velvet for this rocker. An afternoon of searching and putting together followed. I will certainly show you the end result.
1. Can I just say that I’m continually impressed with Ikea’s fabric selection? Not only are they always fresh choices, but they manage to offer an exciting range of choices without being overwhelming. And it’s always affordable. Say what you will about a mass-marketed product…I love Ikea’s fabric. This one is the “Stockholm Blad” 100% cotton fabric in beige. This is possibly bedding or window covering fabric.
2. This one is the PS Tott linen in unbleached/white. It just comes in one big piece 118”x 35”. I envision this as a curtain to cover the closet.
3. This one is the Kajsastina in grey/white. 100% cotton. For me it’ll be bedding or most likely a window covering of some kind.
4. I found a picture of this paper flower installation on Once Wed. It was created for this wedding by Ashley at design studio Dolci Odille. This little enclave of designers/bloggers in Atlanta are doing cool things. Plus I just love letterpress. I keep up with Once Wed now pretty much to the exclusion of all other wedding blogs because…well…sometimes you just have to know when enough is enough. I would put something like this on the wall to frame the crib or over the door or closet. Or maybe one smaller one for each window.
5. This is one of several favorite prints of mine by artists on Etsy. There are just too many from which to choose. This is Birds in Helmets No. 4 on PoorDogFarm.etsy.com. It’s been sold, but I’m hoping there will be some kind of run of these prints. There’s probably another one for sale on this site right now for all I know.
6. This is the Hensvik chair we already own in the red fabric they no longer offer at Ikea. I think I may bleach the slipcover a bit to attain the faded look.
7. This is the knitted pouf from CB2 in grey. I’m in love. I may not be able to afford it, but I just love it.
8. This is the Estelle Ottoman from Urban Outfitters in peridot. For as much as I love green, I haven’t been able to add it in the right ways in our apartment yet (our room is green but I see it as an eyesore at the moment) and this is the PERFECT color for the nursery.
9. This fabric I would use for windows, bedding or most likely a throw pillow for one of the chairs. It’s a premier prints Chartreuse 100% cotton that I found on Fabric.com by searching under “green.”
10. This is the one “kid” fabric I found that I just love, love, love. I think it could add the exact right tone to the room so it’s not TOO grown-up. It’s another premier prints: Chartreuse elephants (what’s not to love about that?). They also have it in the reverse – which I might use in tandem with this one for bedding. We’ll see. They also have chartreuse giraffes, dandelions and chickens.
11. This is one of those fabrics I came across when looking for something completely different on Fabric.com and just had to include. It’s called “Tweet Tweet at the Park Grass” and it’s by Moda. Moda makes a bunch of very sweet prints like this with slightly different things in them and different background colors. You can find this medium weight 100% cotton fabric on Fabric.com as well. I will most likely try to incorporate this into bedding as a bumper or skirt.
12. Giraffe Plate by Olivesonastring.etsy.com. ‘Nuff said.
13. This priceless piece of art, called “Storming Off” by the ridiculously cutely named “Tummy Mountain” store on etsy is a must-have for any Henry and Jenn Shuffle firstborn, be he he or she she. Give that little round head a shock of red hair and you would have the PERFECT image of little Jennifer Suzanne ages 2-5.
14. Melissa Moss is one of my favorite artists on Etsy. I found her early on in my wanderings and have wanted to get a print of hers for myself or a friend ever since. So many of them are soooo sweet and evocative of the beauty (or what I imagine to be the beauty) of parenthood. This one is called “Part of Me.”
15. This is the reasonably priced and comfy looking rug from Urban Outfitters which we will most likely end up putting in our nursery along with the white hand-me-down rug I already own. I’m fine with this.
16. This is part of the trio of fabrics and things I will try to use to re-do the rocker. This first is a faux leather gator skin in vinyl for the leather arm patches I found on Fabric.com. If this is too dark, i’ll probably use what I have left of some great chartreuse toile that I used to recover another chair.
17. This is the antique grey velvet upholstery fabric that started it all. I love how it already looks worn. I’ll either make two cushions or just make one for my back out of this and use…
18. This cushion from Urban Outfitters, if it fits.
19. This is the rug from anthropologie that I would get if I could afford it. I just had to add it here because it looked so nice with everything else.
20. This is a dresser from some wedding blog. I saved this picture so long ago I can’t even remember. I just like the color of blue that it is and that it’s distressed. My plan is to get a combo dresser/changing table on craigslist on the cheap and then paint and distress it to match as best I can.
21. And…last but not least, this is the Jenny Lind crib I wanted from the moment I saw it and GOT a few weekends ago from craigslist for $50!!! I may or may not leave it white. We’ll see. Can’t wait to get everything cleaned up enough in there to put it together. I think the moment we get it put together I’ll be able to feel the baby kicking – it will be that real. We found a Jenny Lind high-chair at a second-hand store for $7. It’s the kind we had as kids and that I’ve been hoping for ever since.
I’m sure some things will change before it’s all said and done, but I like what I have here. I hope you do too!
Hold Fast 
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