nursery design Archives - The Curated House

Project Nursery Update | Art Grouping #1

With the bones of the room just the way I want them, it’s time to get on to the one of my favourite parts: the art! I have so enjoyed curating the art groupings for this nursery. I wanted the art to mark the space with a sense of joy and delight, not to mention a healthy dose of whimsy. This is the grouping that now sits over the change table. Here’s what it looked like all laid out on the change table itself before we installed it:

And here’s how we installed it, along with a bit of the story behind each piece!

The central piece is by far the most storied. It just happens to be Graham’s favourite bear from when he was a little boy. This bear was/is undoubtedly besties with the Velveteen Rabbit, because his formerly velvet paws were rubbed raw by Graham’s sweet little baby hands. Seriously, just picture that for a moment. Cue heart melting. I swoon at the sight of his roughly stitched patches, matted fur and cock-eyed smile, especially knowing that he comforted my man when he was just a little man! This bear has seen some really good lovin’ in his time.

I commissioned my furniture maker to craft the beautiful natural walnut shadow box for Graham’s bear to nestle into, and I love the way it turned out. Because the solid wood shadow box is heavy, we put two anchors into the wall and drilled screws right through the back of it, hiding the mechanics with a simple board that I covered in a piece of blue and cream abstract modern linen from Kelly Wearstler for Kravet. I love the modern backdrop it creates for Graham’s vintage snuggler. A sweet little nest for this very “real” bear to call home.

Once the central piece was installed, we moved on to installing the two whimsical wood prints from Big Bear’s Den that I picked up at this year’s Christmas One of A Kind Show. I once again had my furniture maker craft the frames for these two little lovelies {which he then generously gave me as a Christmas gift! People are so kind!}. I’m thrilled with the result and love the way the walnut frames create a sense of warmth and connect with the wood on the change table/dresser. He made the frames to be installed with a wood block cleat on which to hang, and I love how stable this makes them. {See Graham installing the wood blocks above.}

The piece on the right says “wisdom begins with wonder,” and I don’t know about you, but I could use more awe and wonder in my daily life. I also think babies – and kids in general – are an invitation to be present and utterly mesmerized by simple beauty, observers of the oft-missed wonders in the world around us. It’s a good little mantra for life, really!

From there it all came together rather perfectly with a few final pieces, as you can see below:

TOP RIGHT: A dollar store DIY of mine, simply mounting two feathers in a shadow box frame on a remnant piece of oyster coloured shagreen wallpaper. {Total cost: $1.50}

BOTTOM RIGHT: The most charmingly debonaire faux taxidermy rabbit from Felt Factory, which I also picked up at this year’s One Of A Kind Show. I simply couldn’t leave that booth without bringing one of her sweet woodland creatures home with me! It was love at first sight.

BOTTOM LEFT: A gorgeous piece by printmaker Emma Nishimura from Art Interiors, floated on top of a heavy piece of watercolour paper in a simple but lovely black shadowbox frame. I’ve secretly been coveting this piece for a long time and LOVE how it connects with the birds in flight on the drapery panels. I also love the sophistication and refinement of this delicate print.

TOP LEFT: These bocce balls are also from Art Interiors. I’ve actually owned this piece by artist Erin Vincent for a few years now. It used to sit on a bookcase in another room in the house, and I have to take this opportunity to once again make a case for the value of buying smalls. {I know, I’m a broken record!} But really, you can rearrange smalls endlessly, reinventing the look and feel of a room simply by moving around the art. I love the sense of play this little piece infuses into the overall look of this grouping, and the fresh pop of colour is quite welcome.

Overall the grouping is rather soft and gentle. A little bit sophisticated, a lotta bit whimsical, and it totally makes me smile. With each addition to the room I have the growing sense that I’m really going to enjoy spending time in here. It’s a good feeling.

I promise to show you more photos of this grouping above the finished change table below. I’m thrilled with the beautiful change table topper that Graham made for me. It’s simple, good looking and super functional. As if he hadn’t already, Graham has quite firmly planted himself at the top of the super-husband list for life around here by making it. I am seriously so grateful for all of his talent and hard work!

And of course, there’s also the art grouping on the panelled wall that sits above the crib to show you…and the crib itself…and the rug and the chair and the ottoman…and the baby. Oh yes, that small matter of meeting the petit oeuf for whom all of this has been created! I’d say he’s the biggest reveal yet, wouldn’t you? All in good time {she says calmly while secretly thinking “soon, I hope!”}.

xo
s.

By Sarah Walker The Curated House|January 10th, 2014|2 Comments

Oh Baby! | Inspiration Goes A-Wandering with Melody Hansen

I love drawing upon the artistic vision of friends from differing disciplines to glean creative inspiration. Collaboration is more exciting and satisfying to me than just about anything, and I have so enjoyed the opportunities I’ve had to work with graphic designer Melody Hansen. Our first introduction was made through a mutual friend back when I was searching for someone to help me build this very blog, and our friendship has extended far beyond that project as we quickly found ourselves to be kindred spirits.

As if I didn’t already know that to be true, Melody has proven it in spades with her thoughtful and eclectic mood board for today’s installation of Oh Baby! I’m totally in love…

Animal Print // Pillow // Ceiling lamp // Vintage map // Wooden toys // Curtains // Crib // Babar print // Chair // Hot air balloon mobile // Dresser // Vintage suitcases // Rug // Floor lamp //

Melody has managed to capture so much of my two loves of travel and the art of the mix in the subtle details of her lovely mood board. From the hot air balloon mobile to the vintage world map and the Babar art print {traveling the world by whale} to the traditional rug and antique suitcases for a side table, the mix of “colonial adventurer” and “modern curator” is just delightful – totally on point to the adventure that awaits us with this little nugget!

For those of you who are searching for a graphic designer who is adept at understanding your vision and is an absolute joy to work with, you really must reach out to Melody. Thank you, my friend, for your thoughtfulness and for taking the time to put together such charming, wanderlust-filled feast of inspiration for us today! Oh the places we’ll go…

By Sarah Walker The Curated House|August 29th, 2013|1 Comment

Oh Baby! | Inspiration, RH style

I must admit that I have never been one for “buying it all in one place,” whatever “it” happens to be. I love a space that feels like it has been curated over time {thus the name of this blog}. But I have been so surprised and delighted with the new RH Baby & Child collection that I thought I would experiment a bit and design a mood board using exclusively RH Baby & Child furnishings.

Before I share that with you, though, you have to take a good look at these images from the stunning RH Baby & Child Gallery in Corte Madera, California. No doubt these photographs will give you some idea as to why I felt that playing with an all-in-one solution might just work.

Pretty much totally gorgeous, right? And these images really are just a taste of the full collection.

There were about a dozen or more directions I could have gone with this mood board design, but I decided to start with what will be the most important piece of furniture in the space for me. No, not the crib…any guesses? Well, since I need to keep writing this post before you can answer, I will tell you. It’s the chair. This mama knows from experience that many, many an hour will be spent gently rocking in this room, and so the chair will be my throne of comfort and peace, so to speak. Translation? It needs to be seriously, unquestionably comfortable. I have yet to do the “tushie test,” but I’d say this RH Baby & Child chair is already written in ink on my wish list.

Here’s what I l – o – v – e about it:

* It’s a modern classic – a wingback with clean lines and no stuffiness in it’s simplicity, and yet a gentle formality that feels very welcoming.

* It is slipcovered. Even better, you can choose to have it slipcovered in the Perennials Textured Linen Weave {as above in Sand} which is an indoor/outdoor fabric. Translation: if the babe spits up or the diaper fails as an adequate containment unit for a Bangkok blow-out, this chair can be cleaned. Easily. And the indoor/outdoor fabric will be more likely to repel moisture and stains. When you take “pretty,” add comfortable, and up the ante with practical and functional, I’m totally in!

* You have the option of ordering the seat cushion as down filled. When I think about the many bleary-eyed nights ahead that will be spent sitting up and feeding the little bean, the idea of a down pillow for my tush sounds about right.

* This chair is interesting enough that it can transition into another room of the house quite easily, making it a sensible investment.

* It swivels and glides. So when I drop {or, more than likely, when the little cherub throws} that board book just a bit behind me while we are reading, I won’t totally put my back out when I turn around to get it! I’ll just gently swivel the chair and voilà! As we were.

So working from the chair out {my version of “from the ground up” for this nursery} here is the RH Baby & Child inspired room I’ve pulled together.

Chair // Kidney Pillow // Floor lamp // Ottoman // Dresser/Change table // Rug // Oversized Felt Elephant // Crib // Wall Art // Drapery Panels // Ceiling fixture //

I chose to go with a very soothing and gender neutral colour palette when I pulled this together, and have since found out that we are having…. {drum roll please} ….a BOY!!! I truly feel that this nursery could work just as well for a girl with a few touches of blush and lace and loveliness thrown in for good measure, but that said, I find it interesting that this design plan does work particularly well for a boy. Perhaps my instincts were already pointing me in that direction before we knew for sure? It’s fun to think so.

I have to point out the details on one more piece of furniture from this design plan that I really do love, and that is the crib. Not only does it look beautiful in its original state, but it converts into a very classic and – dare I say handsome – toddler day bed for when the comes.

I do so love it when form and function meet like this! In an age of waste, I am increasingly passionate about seeing furniture pieces designed to be adaptable such that they get a lot more life lived in them before they get passed on. Well done, RH. Well done.

There you have it! My take on a gender-neutral, totally RH Baby & Child nursery design. It will be fund to see where inspiration take us as I hear from more friends on their take on the dream nursery. What pieces from this collection do you love the most?

xo
s.

By Sarah Walker The Curated House|August 21st, 2013|3 Comments