Gender Neutral Twin Nursery

by Nancy Free
(Bonney Lake, Washinton)

When I found out we were having a boy and girl I wanted to find a color scheme that is gender neutral and fun. So I contacted a friend of mine, Anne Steward, who is an interior decorator to help me with ideas. I am not a nursery rhyme person, so her idea of black and white with a bit of a whimsical feel was PERFECT for me. From there I found pieces I liked and referred to Anne for final decision making on fabrics. I painted with Ralph Lauren paint.

I purchased my cribs on Craigslist and painted one white and one black.

I purchased the dresser from Ikea and my husband painted it black and added the stripes. The glass drawer pulls are from Home Depot. My husband built and painted the corner bookshelf. The glider is from Best Chairs Storybook collection.

I made my crib skirts with my aunt and the same lady that drew my wall art made my crib bumpers. The fabrics came from housefabric.com. I couldn't afford the set I wanted, so I found similar fabrics and decided to make my own. We put black ties on the white crib bumper and white ties on the black crib bumper; unfortunately you can't see the left side of the room in the photo.

My balloon valance is from Budget Blinds, the chandelier is from Restoration Hardware child and baby, the rug is from Pottery Barn teen, the wall art was made for my baby shower as decorations by a friend and I thought they were perfect for my

nursery, so I purchased large frames and hung them on the walls. She can be contacted at janicegoodmand@skynetbb.com. The lamps were purchased from Three French Hens in Maple Valley Washington. The table by the chair was a nightstand purchased at Target and I painted it gloss black. The mirror I had purchased at Costco years ago and final found a place for it.

I used a basket that was given to me at my baby shower for the toys and books. I found great black and white baskets at Marshalls to put my burp rags and bibs in next to the glider and a matching one to put on the dresser which doubles as the changing table for diapers, wipes, etc. I used the bookshelf for the special items like their piggy banks and first photos. Also for a special collection of collector children's books that I received at our shower.

9It took a couple of months to put the room together.] We had SO much fun decorating it and shopping for the perfect pieces. The most difficult part was painting the dresser and book shelf. My favorite part was seeing the final result.

I love how relaxing it is and the palace feel it has to it. Most of all I love how the bold black and white prints I chose really encourage the babies to look around the room. I later learned that black and white are the only two colors that babies can see early on. I have found that to be true. They really stare at the various prints.

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