A Nursery For Us All!

The time has come for me to make my big announcement. I will be having a baby girl this Fall. Yippee!

While having a baby is exciting, there is only so much you can do that bonds you to your baby before they arrive.
As a result, I've chosen to focus all my maternal (or burgeoning maternal) excitement into making the coolest room possible for my little Yum Yum.

My vision for her room is to make it stylish and unexpected, but not too mature or bizarre. Make it fun and youthful but not too sweet and cliche.

I want it to be a room that we can all enjoy hanging out in but not have that ornate and over the top '1st baby' feeling.
Unfortunately, I'm sure she won't care a bit about how I hard I struggled over the perfect paint color or how I scoured the Alameda swap meet to find that perfect dresser. However, I believe that since this is the first real introduction to my baby, I want her room to convey her parents (by 'parents' I mean me) personality and style.

So far I've spent countless hours scouring the internet for ideas but I have found the best inspiration in Susanna Salk's book, "For Room for Children: Stylish Spaces for Sleep and Play, (Rizzoli, April 2010). This book is full of inspirational ideas for nurseries through teen bedrooms. I love the modern farmhouse look nursery not necessarily for the 'farmhouse' but because it shows how a room can be young and charming while feeling cool and not too babyish. This room can easily be transformed into a kids or young adults room as a child grows.

Another fun idea that I am in love with came from this image from the Pottery Barn Kids website, http://www.potterybarnkids.com/room/rom/romnur/romnurpsl/.

How great are the cluster of poofs and Chinese lanterns gathered together on the ceiling? This is a very inexpensive way to give a room dimension as well as personality. You can find these fun lanterns at Party City.

My final recommendation is to always have some furniture that fit the little people. (By 'little people' I mean your kids.) If there is one thing I have learned after having my stores for 9 years is that kids love chairs and tables in their size. Some of my favorite pieces are made by Jennifer Delonge. Check out her website http://www.jenniferdelonge.com/shop to find a wonderful collection of chairs, sofas, tables and other accouterments for your child.

So let's be honest here, yes it is all about me (my husband couldn't care less and at this point all my baby does is kick me and give me gas) and the opportunity to create a wonderful and unique environment for my delicious little girl.

And yes, I will be the one spending the bulk of my time in the room (sorry hubby, I know you will be the one sleeping through the night.) So, I'm going to make this nursery a fun place for both of us to spend lots of quality time together. Why shouldn't all that bonding occur in a room we both love!