The latest edition of Mood Board Monday (organized by the lovely Sarah of Pewter+Sage) focused on decorating from the ground up by centering a design around one of two fabulous, go-anywhere rugs. I remember reading an interview with Thom Filicia a few months ago wherein he suggested designing a room around a rug as its colors and patterns are great springboards for selecting paints and fabrics.
In any case, I chose the Andalusia rug (above) from West Elm in the rich chocolate brown. While this rug would truly work in just about any room in your house, I decided to do something a bit different and use it in a nursery room design. One of my favorite color combinations is a rich chocolate brown and purple. It's young and energetic, but doesn't feel overly sweet or kiddie. In fact, the combination can be downright sensual when the purple is as deeply saturated as the brown.
So how do you translate this grown-up space into a nursery? I'd start by using less chocolate brown, confining it to furniture and fabrics instead of using it as the dominate wall color. But don't get rid of it altogether: the dark brown here is essential as it will make the room feel more grown-up and ground all that lavender and white. I'd also follow Amanda's lead and keep a lot of white in the room though as the crisp white furniture and bedding keeps the room from feeling oppressively dark and is a great contrast to the brown.
I'd start by selecting a cool and calm lilac for the walls, with enough gray in it that it doesn't veer into mauve {shudders}. Serena & Lily's low-VOC paint in Lilac ($45/gallon) is a great option. As with grown-up bedrooms, the focal point of a child's room should be the bed (or crib) and I love the bold statement this sleigh crib makes. I'd put it in the center of the room, allowing it to be viewed from all angles. For bedding, I adore Serena & Lily's posey collection, with its crisp lilac and white pinstripe and chocolate brown piping. I also love how the floral pillow has a slight ethnic feel -- and tons of other bright colors (like the hot pink, yellow or turquoise) to pull out if you decide to incorporate another accent color. To bring in more color and pattern, I'd have simple curtain panels made out of China Seas' Wildflowers II (I'd go with the brown and white colorway for the curtains with the purple and white colorway as trim and maybe an extra throw pillow or two).
To play up the Moorish pattern on the rug, I'd use a Moroccan key table, painted glossy white to match the sleekly modern ZGallerie dresser. For lighting, I'd keep it feminine but not frilly. I absolutely adore Barbara Barry's scallop pendant -- sure, it's expensive, but it's a "forever" kind of fixture; no risk of growing out of this light! The curvaceous lilac table lamp from ZGallerie is also a lot of fun and I love its lucite base. Since every new parent needs a comfortable place to sit (and sleep), I selected the Presidio glider from Serena & Lily, complete with coordinating lilac trim on the white slip cover. Most gliders are honestly pretty hideous, but I love the narrower arms and sleeker frame of this model.
From an outsider's perspective, it seems like children's book illustrators don't get as much respect in the art world as they deserve. Not only do they capture the forever-chased after imagination of childhood, they're also responsible for some of the most iconic images in our memories. There are few books that have developed my creativity the way some of my very first books did -- think about The Very Hungry Caterpillar, Where the Sidewalk Ends, Where the Wild Things Are and The Little Prince (a great list is available here)
