Parisian Nursery

by Lauren Castine
(Valrico, Florida, USA)

I wanted a Parisian nursery that was bright and fun, sassy and smart and most of all a nursery that could grow with my daughter! Pale pink rooms are pretty but I could tell that my daughter needed a room as spunky as she was when I was pregnant! I got the idea from a bedding set that I found at a Bombay Company clearance sale! It was the last one in the store! I immediately bought the bed set and a few extra duvet and sheet sets knowing that my mom and I could make curtains, a mobile and pillows to match (since these items were not available with the crib set)!

My husband, mom and I painted the intricate design on the walls by hand. We used aqua, green and pink paint from Lowes. Choosing the right colors took time, but they tied in perfectly with the bedding!

We taped off the sections and painted one color at a time. For the black loop effects, we created a pattern stencil and traced it around the room, then carefully hand painted the loops. My mom and I had a great time spending time together during these many hours of painting talking about what her first grand daugter would be like, who she would look like and how wonderful becoming a mother was going to be!

The crib and dresser are both from JC Penny - it was their furniture brand. I love JC Penny for their quality and affordability!

The bookshelf was purchased from Target, and my husband painted it black to match with the furniture.

Since you cannot see the bedding set in this picture I will describe it...

The sheets are two colors of pinks with green, aqua and black stripes. The crib bumper is pink and black harlequin pattern with embroidered poodles in each of the corners. And the crib skirt is a cascade of pink ruffles!

My mom and I are craft addicts at heart and knew that we would be making most of the accessories ourselves. My mom sewed the curtains and made the curtain headboard out of the extra sheet set that I also purchased when I bought my bedding. She also sewed a coordinating pad for the rocking chair (the crib quilt hangs over the back of the rocking chair at all times for comfort and interest to the room).

For the Crib mobile, a friend gave me the base and music portion to the crib mobile that she no longer needed. I ordered little pink stuffed poodles from an online catalog and my mom sewed the mobile canopy to coordinate with the crib bedding. She finished it off with pink, green and aqua ribbon! We also printed out a sticker of a poodle from my baby shower invitation (yes, I had a themed shower to go with the room) and stuck it on the circular music box attached to the mobile.

The knobs on the black dresser were hand painted to match with the crib bedding....pinks, greens and aqua in 2 of the patterns of the bedding (stripes and harlequin).

Since the sliding closet doors were the focal point of the room when you entered through the door, I knew I

needed to create a point of visual interest. I asked my graphic designer friend to create loop de loops from the crib quilt and also a Parisian saying for above the closet doors. We decided on "Oh La La"...

the loops and the words were cut from vinyl in black and pink and definitely added the interest I was looking for.

Above the crib, my mom and I created handmade letters that spelled out my daughters name, K-E-N-D-A-L-L. The letters were painted black and embellished with scrapbook paper and ribbon. I debated purchasing pre-made letters but decided that making the would be more fun!

I also embellished a lamp that I purchased from Target since I couldn't find one that matched perfectly. I added pink trim and painted the base the same color pink, I liked that the lamp shade was green to match the paint on the walls.

We purchased a pink woven rug from an online company, and to finish off the room I chose a Parisian inspired chandelier from Lowes. We also decorated the niche above my daughter's crib with plush poodles and a large black replica of the Eiffel Tower!

Oh...and I almost forgot that on the front of her bedroom door I had a special sign created that says " Kendall's Boutique". It is hand painted with an Eiffel Tower and the same stripes as the crib bedding. I wanted every element of the room to have the same feel!

The very last item that I added to the room was a framed picture of a special poem written by my mom and mother-in-law that they read at my Parisian inspired baby shower. The poem was very meaningful to me, and the artwork under the poem was the same as the handmade artwork on my shower invite...

a funny cartoon drawing of me, pregnant, wearing a pink dress walking poodles by the Eiffel Tower of course!



The baby goodies and toys are stored in pink and green bins creatively labeled with vinyl lettering that say "Dollies", "Dress Up". "ABC" and "XYZ". The vinyl lettering was specially designed by a graphic artist friend of mine for the room.

The room didn't take long at all! Once I start on a project I have to complete it...especially this one since I was so excited to see the final outcome! My favorite part was finding/making all of the coordinating accessories!

The room was a group effort! My husband laid all of the hardwood floors himself, he also painted most of the room (and assembled the furniture too)! My mom and I finished the detailed painting and added all of the finishing touches!

I love that the room is full of personality...just like my daughter! I knew when I was pregnant that she needed a "sassy" room that could grow with her, and that's exactly what we created for her!

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If you're considering a parisian nursery theme for your little one, check out the great Paris Posh Theme Section I found at ababy.com - you get 10% discount if you buy any three or more items from the same theme and they have oodles of poodles!

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