Modern Color Baby Nursery

by Shawna Fosket
(Lincoln, NE, USA)

I was inspired by modern baby rooms with bright vibrant colors. We didn't find out what we were having so it needed to be gender neutral. I thought the bright colors were fun and playful but could work with either gender.

The idea was a compilation of several shows and magazines that I've viewed over the years. I love design and decorating so I pulled my favorites from what I've viewed over the years.

We used Home Depot Behr paint plus primer. 2 walls were basic white. The other two walls had 6 different colors of stripes, starting with California Poppy on top, Pineapple Soda next color down, Jamaican Sea next, Berry Jam, Limeade, Royal Peacock, and Orange Burst on bottom.

When doing the stripes, I had my husband help me tape. One held a laser level, while the other applied painter's tape for the line. The laser level was very handy. Once every other stripe was taped, we applied clear polyurethane over the tape and wall to create a clean line. Once the polyurethane dried, we painted the entire stripe.

When using the paint plus primer, it only took a couple of coats. Non-primer paint required more coats. After the paint was dry, we removed the tape and repeated steps for the remaining stripes.

Another thing that saved us time was buying enough small roller pads, brushes, and plastic trays for each color. That way we could pop them in the fridge in between coats and not have to wait for things to be washed and dried.

We bought a natural wood Storkcraft Chelsea 4 in 1 fixed sides crib from Walmart.com. I wanted a natural wood crib, but didn't find a lot of options for natural wood that had a modern feel and were in our price range. This Wal-mart crib was in our budget and the simple lines fit the modern style of the room.

We used an existing dresser. The changing table was also a Walmart.com purchase, Storkcraft Aspen natural wood. I found the rocking chair on-line at www.offyourrocker.ca I special ordered a Sleigh rocker with white microsuede cloth and natural wood.

It was hard to find a bedding set with bright colors so I made my own baby's quilt. I found a mattress pad and white sheets at Target.

We used faux wood blinds in white from Home Depot. The white really stands out on the striped colorful wall and it blocks out light when needed. We used a simple dome light and installed a dimmer switch so we can lower and brighten it as needed.

We bought a cream 5x8 rug from Home Depot. For wall decor, I made a picture frame of our dog when he was a puppy. I printed photos with a large white border (photos were 4x6, white border made them 8x10's), took them to OfficeMax to laminate the photos, and applied grommets at the tops and bottoms. I got 'S' hooks from Home Depot to join the photos and tacked them onto a wooden dowel (also purchased from Home Depot). We hung the photos with picture wire.

I purchased tennis racquets on a garage sale and hung them on another wall. Above the dresser we hung a mirror that we painted white. By the closet, we applied an Uppercase Living wall decal.

For accessories, we set out a photo frame and some stuffed animals (the giraffe was from Target, Carter's).

We purchased a hanging shelf for the closet to store toys and clothes. The dresser has lots of storage, we plan to store most of the toys and clothes in the dresser. The changing table also has lots of storage. We purchased a white canvas tote from Wal-mart to store lotions, baby powders, and creams. The crib also came with a bottom rolling drawer which houses blankets and play mats.

It took us about 3 months, but it was not continuous work. The stripes took a bit longer than a solid color wall, but it wasn't all that difficult. The laser level helped out greatly!

The baby's quilt that I made took the longest portion of time, but it turned out great and I'm proud to show it off so it was worth the effort.

My favorite part was seeing it all finally come together. I had envisioned it for so long, it was nice to see it come to fruition.

My husband and my sister helped paint. My husband helped me put the furniture together. My husband helped me move the furniture around and decide how to arrange items.

I love the striped walls and the colors. It really makes everything pop!! I love how my quilt turned out as well! It was my first attempt at sewing a quilt, so I was very proud when it was completed.










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