THE BABY NURSERY #5

The Before photographs of the baby’s room.

I am decorating the baby’s room in our house as we speak. This is the fifth room we have called a baby nursery. We’ve moved a few times over the last 10 years! This room is so pretty with a fireplace (inoperable, decorative), floor to ceiling bookshelves, beautifully restored woodwork, doors and two large bright windows. It gets a tremendous amount of light. The ceilings in this home are at least 10′ high.

Because we have lived in all sorts of style of homes over the last 10 years, we have furniture that fits all sizes of rooms. This giant (but cozy) yellow couch has been squished in every space, even the vintage row home in Chicago.  This room now will also be an option for guests to sleep in, because this large sofa has a great hideaway bed inside. I tried when we lived in Chicago to sell this sofa, but it keeps hanging around for every move, so I guess we will work with it for now.

Ten years ago, my 1st baby nursery was shabby chic meets vintage French style. I handmade all the linens for the crib and bassinet, the drapery and accessories. The fabric pattern was called “French Fox” and it was a whimsical, French toile with, you guessed it, a fox! It was in a color palette of cream, grey, pale blue and a touch of pink. So while my style have evolved somewhat, I still am not one to just start completely over.  I actually still love the print so much and plan to incorporate it into this space in some way. It will be like a piece of his big brothers’ baby rooms in here with him. I still use the antique white dresser for a changing table that I painted with my husband for our oldest. We did sell our white iron crib and opted for a simple, gray ikea crib this time around.

Here is what I am thinking to update and finish this room: wall paint in bright white or pale gray, make a slip cover for the giant sofa, (It might be too much to do but I am kind of over the massive yellow and am interested in a print or stripe. I also have made a fair amount of tailored slip covers over the years, so I think it’s just more of the same.), artwork for the room that I paint and some collectibles displayed on the shelf. I am also thinking of painting a pattern on paper for the backside of the shelves, as a sort of faux wallpaper.

Do the rooms in your house evolve? Have you re-decorated a baby nursery as you have had more children?  Any suggestions? I’ll be sure to update as I decorate and post final photos.