One Room Challenge Spring 2018-Final Reveal
REBECCA McALPIN Photography
VESTIGE HOME Stylist
Today's the day my friends!
I'm thrilled to reveal the nursery that I've been working on these past six weeks. For those who don't know me, I'm Nicole Cole, a full-time Interior Designer and Stylist living in Philadelphia. This is my second time participating in the One Room Challenge as a guest participant and I'm so excited for the *almost* instant gratification that having a six-week design challenge brings.
If you're just tuning in, you can see the progress of the space here:
Over the last six weeks this space went from an office/guest room/catchall room to a nursery for this family's newest family member set to arrive next month. The new mom to be (Jessica) asked for a peaceful space. So I went with a lot of soft and almost ethereal (like a newborn babe) palette with some warm woods and charcoals thrown in to keep it grounded. The house has a colonial feel architecturally, so I took that as a starting point for the colors and paint treatment and then incorporated some modern, clean lined touches because a little bit of tension in a room makes for good design.
Let's just revisit where this room started, shall we?
Can you believe how much bigger this room looks? This is almost the exact same framing in the before and after. It's so bright and fresh! Even with more furniture pieces in it than before! Goodness I love design (ahem, ok, I'm done geeking out for a minute).
Since the space is long and narrow, we ended up going with two layered rugs as a standard size wouldn't fill the space enough and we didn't want to go with something custom. A soft wool woven ivory one laid the base while the geometric jute blend adds interest and pulled together so many of the other colors from the room. Farrow and Ball's gorgeous paint colors set the stage for the walls. I chose Farrow & Ball No. 22 Light Blue for the lower portion and for the upper portion of the wall I chose Farrow & Ball No. 266 Mizzle.
Most of the work we completed on the room was more on the decorating side of things....paint, furniture, accessories...but one construction project we took on was the built in daybed. I went into more detail on the construction process during the Week Five post and now she's all dressed up and ready for some serious lounging. Even before baby Oliver arrives I think mom and dad are gonna wanna curl up here for afternoon naps and book reading (I know I want to).
Sources: Wall Lamp, ABC artwork, sheets
This built in daybed adds more functionality to the space in between the closets than the previous freestanding one. We added a huge drawer for storing extra bedding below as well as a bookshelf and little cubbies for secret stashes. A heathered grey fitted sheet covers the twin mattress and is easy to just throw in the wash if needed.
The The ABC artwork from Jenny's Print Shop was an inexpensive and easy way to add artwork to the wall, and the wall lamp is perfect for late night reading (and comes with a dimmer!) I added a low maintenance snake plant that gives some height to the space and a brass elephant because no matter how hard you try, animals of numerous sorts just seem to make their way into a nursery....the little fox print was something Jessica had picked up prior to the project and I love how the orange tones play with the blues and purples in the room.
We couldn't resist adding one more little nook on the mattress side of the bed....I can't help but think this will be filled with plastic race cars or maybe a bug collection someday...
Sources: Rocker, Pouf, Floor Lamp
A comfy rocker is a must for late night soothing or a comfy spot to nurse. This one has great lines for tucking right back into the corner. The pouf from Article brings in more of that grounding charcoal color and can transfer to other areas on the house as well. It's perfect for putting up tired feet at the end of the day and will be nice and soft when Oliver starts toddling around. The lamp adds a modern feel and also doesn't feel exclusively "baby", it has a foot operated switch which is great for when mom and dad's arms are full with babe. The bookshelf was a piece that Jessica's dad made for her in one of her first apartments in Philadelphia and fits perfectly under the window. We painted it a warm charcoal grey (Sherwin Williams "Black Fox") and it will serve as the perfect spot for a glass of water, some baskets for other smalls to keep close at hand as well as toy and book storage.
The room wouldn't be complete without a few vintage/antique touches. The mirror has been in my stash since I found it down in Jacksonville, Florida about a year ago...it pulls some of the dark wood tones from the changing table and is especially pretty with a little bit of the de-silvering from age.
Sources: crib, ceiling light
This simple Ikea crib is perfect for adding a minimalist vibe to this space. A beautiful green throw knitted by Jessica's long time friend, Nicole (hi Nicole!) works perfectly with the room's color palette. The ceiling light is a simple, understated drum shade and draws you eye up to the ceiling which we painted the same color as the upper portion of the walls.
I had seen a delicate looking mobile with ships on Pinterest but all the sources I looked for on Etsy felt too heavy to me. So I decided to make my own version as a gift to these new parents-to-be. I partnered with Stephanie from Share Studios to use her beautiful handmade paper for the sails because I love the way the light shines through it, plus, she's an incredible artist and I love supporting other creatives when I can. The boat hulls are carved from Catalpa wood I had laying around the workshop. I hope this trio of ships gently "sailing" above Oliver inspire him to pursue adventure and curiosity.
Sources: Felted wool lion head, shelf, vase
This vintage French dresser was THE PERFECT size for a changing table. We made a wood frame to hold the changing pad. It can easily be removed when Oliver outgrows it and transitions to a dresser with display space on top. The three drawers provide tons of storage for all the baby accoutrements. A shelf above give some good display space for decor items. The lion head is a beautiful wool felted handmade piece from Groh Artifact. I'm smitten with all their pieces and would love a collection for my own home! The lion symbolize courage, bravery, and leadership, all great inspirations for a little one coming into this world. The wall basket is a thrift store find and keeps wipes and burpy cloths close at hand.
Well, that's it for this round of the ORC, thank you so much for all your kind words and support along the way! Thank you to Linda of Calling It Home for putting on this inspiring event and for House Beautiful and the Home Love Network for supporting us along the way as well! And be sure to see the final reveals of the other incredible guest participant rooms here as well as the featured designers here.
