Sweet and Sophisticated Nursery

by Dave
(Cleveland, OH)

We knew we wanted something sophisticated and classic with a modern twist. So we found our inspiration in...a Kleenex box! Once we learned we were having a boy, the color palette was easy. The base latte color was one we found in our favorite baby store in Fairlawn, Ohio. But again, inspiration for the stripes and tones came from a Kleenex box. From there, everything else fell into place.

We used Sherwin Williams paint. They knew us by name at our local store. We used three colors in addition to the white trim: Sand Dune, Honest Blue and Hinting Blue.

As you can see, we have stripes galore. we started by painting the entire room from the chair rail line down with the lighter shade of blue. It was tedious, but my wife then measured and taped the entire bottom half of the room. I followed behind with the darker blue paint, creating the subtle tone stripes. Using green frog tape allowed for perfect and crisp stripes. Polka dots were included in the room but only in the fabrics.

The crib is a Stanley and was purchased from Bebe Suite. The custom bedding was purchased from Baby Tyme Furniture. We loved the polka dots and the colors were perfect. We saved money on both by purchasing floor models.

Other than the crib, the only furniture we purchased was the chair. It's a Best Chair in brown and latte polka dot and was purchased from Baby Tyme Furniture. A beautiful armoire (not pictured) was saved by the grandparents on dad's side and professionally repainted to match the crib.

The nursery features a separate changing room where a re-purposed dining room buffet table can be found. A queen bed was already in the room and a bedside table was painted to match the rest of the furniture. Linens on the bed match the polka dot valances. Andrew's artistic grandmother painted this tree on the wall. The theme was taken from one of Andrew's outfits.

Only one valance came with the bedding so the other window treatments were hand made by grandma on mom's side who is an artist/art teacher. It was great to have her on hand! She also made a very cool piece of artwork with a wood frame and sheet metal backing and magnet sports and truck pieces (not in picture). The pale yellow lithograph of an elephant once hung in dad's nursery. The wood letters over the crib are from Bergs Baby & Teen. The wall shelf is from Lowe's and the mobile, chandelier and shades are from Pottery Barn Kids.

We fortunately have lots of closet space and built ins in the nursery, in addition to baskets under the changing table for storage.

We've said over and over that "it was a labor of love." Honestly, it was a LOT of work...but fun too. The chair rail and the painting was the hardest part, especially re-purposing the changing table. The before and after photos of that room are amazing.

It was a family affair. From brothers helping with the mitre saw, fathers installing chandeliers, aunts and parents providing heirlooms and some financial support...everyone contributed. But the parents-to-be certainly did the bulk of the work.

The room achieved the exact look we were going for. We couldn't be more satisfied. We love how calming the room is and find ourselves sitting for hours, holding our beautiful baby boy and enjoying our time together in the nursery.

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