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Decorating + Inspiration

Nursery Reveal from SheKnows

Written by Melissa Dunlap of SheKnows for Building Blocks.

I started mentally decorating my nursery the moment I learned I was pregnant. I regularly cruised Pinterest, ripped pictures out of magazines and collected paint chips and fabric swatches for inspiration.

So when I was invited to try the complimentary design services at Pottery Barn Kids, I was ecstatic—and intrigued.

I love decorating and following the latest design trends, but I’ve never worked with a designer to help with my own personal space. After interviewing celebrity designer Genevieve Gorder about what it’s like to work with a designer, I decided to give it a go and check out the design services at Pottery Barn Kids.

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The design consultation

My mom (AKA proud new grandma) came with me to the initial consultation at the Pottery Barn Kids store in Cincinnati. She chatted all things baby with General Manager Melissa Kucia while designers Mary Anne Converse and Katlyn Moore walked me around the store and asked which items caught my attention.

Armed with an iPad, they pulled up my Pinterest nursery board when discussing design ideas and I shared the custom inspiration fabric and artwork I wanted included in the space.

Other than the baby gear we were starting to accumulate and the accessories I wanted to incorporate, the room was a blank slate.

The before:

SheKnowsNursery-Before

Space planning

After our initial consultation, designers Mary Anne and Katlyn came to my house for a space planning appointment. They measured the entire room and layout including windows, doors, and even vents.

Using the Pottery Barn Kids Room Planner, they plugged in all the measurements, added the furniture choices I was considering and showed me the various layout options available.

I initially thought there was only space for a crib, changing table, a glider, and maybe a bookcase, but Mary Anne showed me there was room to include two bookcases, a bookrack, and a kid chair to create a reading nook. I had no idea all of that could fit in the room!

The designers created four layout options. Two in particular appealed to me since they both included the same furniture items and allowed me to have more layout options in the future (a girl loves to have options!).

Option 1:

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Option 2:

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As part of the design consultation I received an inspiration board that included the items we discussed so I could get a better feel for how the décor would look. They even went the extra mile to add a mockup of the custom artwork and crafts I was planning to include!

Nursery inspiration board:

SheKnowsNursery-InspirationBoard

Putting it all together

Furniture placement was a breeze since, thanks to the handy-dandy room planner, I knew exactly where each item went (my husband is thankful too since I didn’t make him haul heavy items around the room a gazillion times).

While I knew which artwork I wanted to hang and the general area it should go, I was hesitant to start nailing holes in our plaster walls without getting a second opinion. Luckily, Mary Anne and Katlyn were available to come over for a one last consultation where they helped finalize ideas for hanging the artwork.

The big reveal

Three months after our initial consultation, we have a beautiful space to welcome our daughter.

Take a look:

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It’s the perfect dose of calm and serene combined with bright pops of color, and our little girl will be able to enjoy it for years to come.

I highly recommend the design services to other expecting parents. Whether you’re looking for help creating a nursery from top to bottom or simply need assistance finding the right furniture layout so you can focus on decorative touches, the designers can help you create the nursery you’ve been dreaming about.

 

*Photography by KK & A Camera

Oh how beautiful your baby girl’s room is! The transformation is just amazing! I love the furniture pieces you selected, along with the rug and accessories. I had no idea that Pottery Barn Kids had design services! I order online all the time, as we do not have a Pottery Barn or Pottery Barn Kids in Springfield, MO. I would love it if they would!!

Enjoy your baby girl!!

Just beautiful and a perfect room for a little girl to grow up in! By the way. I would love to know the color on the walls. I think it would look great in my girls’ room. Thanks! 🙂

Hi Jamie, thanks for commenting! The color we used for the wall is Shoreline by Benjamin Moore: http://www.benjaminmoore.com/en-us/paint-color/shoreline.
It’s a lovely grey shade. The color read slightly purple on the walls before we had any furniture in it and I was a little nervous, but once everything was in the space it looks gorgeous in person. It’s very calming and soothing, yet it allows artwork colors to pop. It’s a great choice for a nursery!

Melissa

Hi Patty,

I actually made the “You are my sunshine” artwork using canvas, cardboard word chips, and a flag bunting I sewed. I was inspired by two fabulous crafts I saw on Pinterest: this one from Dangerously Domestic Jen http://pinterest.com/pin/246642517065008340/ (who was actually inspired by this one: http://pinterest.com/pin/246642517065008357/) and this one from ViewAlongtheWay.com http://pinterest.com/pin/246642517065109684/. I sort of combined the two techniques to give it my own spin.

My daughter loves to look at the bright colors when she’s on the changing table. It’s one of her favorite spots in the room.

Let me know if you give it a try!

Happy crafting,
Melissa

I love the look of the room – great job! You have a lucky little baby. Just one thing, I worry about the crib being right in front of the window with those window treatments. In all the research I did before I had m baby everything I read said to keep anything that they can pull on or choke themselves with away from the crib. I’m just surprised that professional room planners suggested the placement of the crib. Otherwise, it looks awesome 🙂

Hi Nelly, you are absolutely right about concerns with placing a crib in front of a window and this was something I discussed extensively with the designers when space planning. Since we used curtains that are thoroughly secured to the wall and there are no blinds with hanging cords, I was comfortable placing the crib in this location for the time being since she isn’t old enough to pull herself up. Once she gets more active I’ll move the crib to the other wall which is the other layout option shown above.

Hi Corrie, thank you for your sweet comment! Decorating a nursery can be so much fun! Do you have a Pinterest nursery inspiration board started yet? It can be so helpful to see what inspires you all in one place so when you are ready to start working on your room, you can pick and choose your favorite elements. Pottery Barn Kids has some great ideas: http://pinterest.com/potterybarnkids/ and I ALWAYS find amazing inspiration from Project Nursery: http://pinterest.com/projectnursery/. Do you have a go-to source for getting decorating inspiration?

I loved how great the pictures are and how everything turned out! I love how they showed you a room view too. Did they show you the view after you chose the plan or all together? …Also I would love to find out what program they used to do the mock up of the room and how it would end up looking. Do you happen to know? sometimes that comes in handy! Great design!

Cati

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