Dwell Studio Hippo Baby Nursery

by Jennifer
(Pensacola, FL)

Q:

I have recently started to decorate my son's nursery (due in Aug. 2011) and I am stumped. I decorated my daughters room in Dwell Studio Tulips and had no trouble. I chose Dwell Studio Hippos for my son's room and suddenly can't seem to think straight.

The walls are beige... they could stay that way or not... the color does match the tan hippos in the bedding, and we have tan carpet and white base boards/doors.

I have an oak crib/changer and dresser (not my favorites, but, they were purchased as a present for me, so I am happy with them).

I need sheet ideas, changing table cover ideas... a mobile...

The artwork on the wall makes me have an anxiety attack,

Blankets, curtains, a mirror, toys, a lamp...down to the piggy bank.

I have no idea how to make this look modern and boyish without making it look tacky or using too much green.

I will attach the pictures that I have, please help!

Thanks for any advice.
Jennifer


A:

Hi Jennifer

Thanks for your question - I have a few ideas, let's see if I can help.

First of all let's talk about nursery colors. Because your furniture is oak you are going to end up with a really bland nursery design if you stick with the tan color walls. I would add some chocolate brown to spruce things up a bit, but not on every wall because this may make your nursery too dark.

My suggestion would be to paint your main nursery wall chocolate brown and place your crib against it. Leave the wall around your window beige and add chocolate colored drapes. Then paint one of the other two walls chocolate brown and place your oak changing table against it and leave the other beige.

So - so far you have a chocolate brown wall with an oak crib against it, a chocolate brown nursery wall with an oak changing table against it, a beige wall with chocolate curtains and another beige wall. So you have lots of contrast and things are looking much less dull.

Next let's address nursery wall art. I have some very simple but effective ideas for you. You can pick and choose what you would like to do.

1. Paint a safari silhouette mural on the wall above the crib using the same beige color that is on your other two nursery walls. Here are two examples both of which include a hippo:

{Safari Animal Nursery}


{Sleepy Safari Nursery}


2. Add small hippos all over the walls in a polka dot type pattern. Use beige hippos on the chocolate walls and vice versa. There are several ways in which you could achieve this:

• Make a stencil of the hippos on the bedding out of an acetate sheet. Just use a black pen to trace the hippo shape from the crib bedding on to the acetate and then cut out the inside using a sharp craft knife. Use this stencil to paint your hippos.


• Alternatively, use your stencil to trace onto poster board, felt or decorative patterned papers, cut the hippos out and stick them to the wall.

3. Add your hippos around the room in a procession something like this:


{Safari Nursery Idea}

4. Add a few large to medium sized hippos to one or more walls. Again use beige on chocolate or vice versa with paint, felt, poster board or decorative papers.

5. Create hippo cut outs from decorative papers and frame them in shadow boxes.

Those are just a few ideas to get you started. I'm sure you'll think of much more once you get going.

So far we have a baby nursery with lots of contrast and interesting wall art and no green!

Now let's get to the nursery decorating details...

To continue the main nursery color scheme of tan and chocolate brown I would also add a chocolate nursery glider and a tan and chocolate nursery rug at this point. I would go with something mostly tan with a chocolate pattern to prevent your nursery color scheme from becoming too dark.

Now it's time to add in pops of green and yellow to tie your Dwell Studio Hippos crib bedding into the design.

I would add the Dwell Studio Hippos crib skirt and Dwell Studio Hippos changing table cover.

Then I would try my hand at making this beautiful handmade nursery mobile. Use the exact same method but replace the circles with hippo cut outs in yellow, green, tan and chocolate.

Now all that remains is to add some accent yellow or green (whichever you prefer) with curtain tie backs, glider cushions, storage baskets, a waste paper bin, a lamp etc.

If you are crafty it might be nice to make a green cushion cover with a yellow hippo sewn on it and a yellow cushion cover with a green hippo sewn on it to tie everything together. Put these on your nursery glider.

I hope that helps you.

Best wishes
Helen