Recently, I was asked to help turn an upstairs guest bedroom in a stately center hall colonial, into a whimsical and chic nursery space for a new baby girl! The homeowner and expectant mother had a few things figured out early on; she did not want cotton candy pink paint on the walls; and the tones of pink that would accent the room had to be muted, like more sophisticated blush tones. Lastly, she envisioned the wall behind the crib to be enveloped in a large-pattern floral wallpaper, almost as if the artist had painted the floral motif using watercolors. Since the wallpaper would take center stage and be the focal point of the room, we set out to find the perfect floral pattern of soft, muted colors. The gorgeous (and removable) handcrafted paper was found on Etsy from a shop in Poland and was cut to size for the exact specifications of the wall. The remaining three walls were painted in a beautiful, soft Benjamin Moore off-white with an ever-so-slight pink undertone, Sand Dollar OC-71.
The self-adhesive backing on the wallpaper made it much easier to hang than using a traditional wallpaper glue. The challenges, as with hanging any type of wallpaper or mural, is lining up the pattern from piece to piece and ensuring a smooth surface free of air bubbles.
Furniture was selected in an antique white finish, purchased from buybuy baby, a Bed Bath & Beyond company.
Crib skirt is from Pottery Barn Kids in a very pale pink eyelet material. We added a pop of whimsy by using a gold polka dot crib sheet from Target.
Pale pink accent pillow with gold beading is from HomeGoods. Pink eyelet blanket is also from Pottery Barn Kids.
Velveteen gray rocker, also from buybuy baby, was repurposed from her son’s nursery. It’s the perfect complement to the off-white furniture and neutral walls.
Brushed gold-trimmed wall art hangs above the changing table with an inspirational message for baby girl.
Since the furniture has very straight, squared-off lines, we opted to go with a round rug in the center of the room to offset the furniture and complete the look by pulling it all together. This vintage-inspired round rug in rose and off-white from Safavieh is the perfect complement to the antique white furniture.
