Earlier this year, I was commissioned by a high school friend to curate and install a design for her new baby's nursery. She emphasized comfort and peace, for mommy and baby, being the most crucial vibe for this space. The client provided a comfortable 4-month timeline for the completion of this nursery that just needed some cosmetic vibes. With my initial client questionnaire, a feel for mommy's style, and feeling out the energy of the room I had enough information to ultimately transfer this nursery from, "That would be cute." to, "This room is everything!".
the Blank Canvas (Existing Room)
Once the questionnaire phase is complete, the existing space survey begins. Most Philadelphia row homes have that middle room that is 200 sq. ft. (more or less), oddly shaped, and ends up being an extra closet, office, or baby's/youngest kid's room. Where is the lie? The blank canvas I surveyed for this project is that room. The room has one 120-degree wall connection and has a bump out where the closet is, so although the room is small there is the opportunity for some great moments to happen. For example, between that 120-degree wall connection and the closet bump out, it creates a cute reading nook.
The room (and the house) was completely renovated before my client purchased it which means the paint, flooring, and lighting being new had to be considered. Considering my client's budget and sustainably designing this space, I wanted to plan for money and materials that were absolutely needed to make this design bloom. That meant planning to selectively embellish walls and the ceiling while planning around the main room color.
I also planned around furniture that was previously purchased. One of my client's family members gifted her a cute nursery furniture set including the crib, rocking chair, and dresser. We coordinated what color would work best in the space and then it was ordered. Working around these existing elements set this vibe in the right direction.
the Process
The cliff notes are Research, Research, and Research because I absolutely need a reason behind everything in my curations. I took the keywords comfort and peace from my client's questionnaire and notes from the existing conditions of the room and began to formulate a plan. Here is a quick and cute peek into my planning process:
Nursery Design: This was my first nursery curation and although I have a sturdy grasp on my designing skills researching tips does not hurt. Through this research, I was able to dig deeper into the psychological effects that design elements have on babies and their space such as color. I took special note of what the baby sets its eyes on and how it affects its cognitive growth.
Color Theory: After researching how colors affect the specific function of the space, I started to craft the color story for the space. As I was crafting the story, I continued to research the color's psychological effects and meanings. I planned for the color story to include the colors green for comfort & peace, purple a royal eye-catcher in nature, grey for its cognitive development, and white for a fresh design.
Design Direction: This is the stage where the vibe (theme) is set and design features are identified. The project was named A Royal Botanical Vibe Nursery as a result. I planned for the ceiling to be painted green as a comforting element for the baby. When the baby is laying on its back looking at the ceiling it's soothed by this soft green color. I chose a bold, green, & botanical wallpaper on the crib wall because in my research I found that babies' eyes can only identify large, contrasting patterns. Purple elements in the room were planned to be eye-catching and special with the baby's name and light flowy curtains being in purple. Additionally, wood tones were planned to further enhance the botanical feel of the nursery design. Aside from the specific colors of choices, the adaptability of the space was considered. Babies grow and their rooms should with them. Choosing things like wallpaper and wall decor to be easily removable makes them easy to change.
Where to Shop: After setting the general design direction, I developed my shopping plan. I just compiled a list of vendors that were appropriate for my client's budget, the project's aesthetics, and sustainable qualities. For the paint, it was important to select vendors that offered non-toxic paint for the nursery. Babies are hand-to-mouth specialists and we need to protect them! As far as vendors, Target, West Elm, and Pottery Barn to name a few all made the cut having the right aesthetics for the right price.
Concept Boards & Final Presentations: All of that research and detail compiling led me to craft materials to present to my pregnant momma client. I started with concept furniture boards to give a general feel of the design direction showing her existing furniture with new design elements from my selected vendors. I took the client's notes from that presentation and then developed that into a final presentation showing a complete room mock-up with measurements and product lists.
(presentation examples)
My process is solid ok! After these steps, my client was more than comfortable and ready to get this space popping.
the Ordering & Install
Order and installation can be tricky but because of the comfortable timeline the client provided things went like a cool breeze.
Ordering and installing a design with my brand gives my clients plenty of perks such as discounted products and organized project management. We were able to order most of her products through vendors my brand has partnerships with at a cute discounted price. If that doesn't spark peace, I don't know what does. Her timeline also allowed for more savings. I normally advise my clients to order products shortly after they received and approved their price lists, but for this project, we were able to catch deeper sales on holidays that fell within her lengthy timeline.
While ordering products, I planned the delivery and installation of products so that my client was not inundated with boxes. We ordered products in order of installation and planned to get them installed shortly after delivery. This involved the ceiling being painted first, the wallpaper being installed second (see video below), and then all decor being ordered and installed last.
Target Botanical Wallpaper Installation Video (Follow the brand on Pinterest!- https://pin.it/2zZn0ZN)
The last additions and changes are inevitable. As the project progresses and the, "I saw this in the store and grabbed it!" text starts flying adjustments to the original plan need to be made. In this project, the adjustments were made on-site to switch around some wall decor because of some client finds. I welcomed the addition of extra wall butterflies and wooden flower beads because how could I not!? They were so cute!
(last minute additions: extra butterflies & wooden bead flowers)
the Special Touch
For every project that I touch, I love to curate something special as a signature on the project. For this special botanical vibe, I tied in the theme and accent color and handmade two art pieces to go above the crib. A G and a J were crafted out of faux purple flowers with gold painted vines on an Ikea frame (an IKEA hack I created) with a transparent background. This allowed for that purple to pop but showed the green vines behind it furthering the design concept of purple being special in nature. Catch the video below!
Special Touch Project Video (Follow the brand on Pinterest!- https://pin.it/7b7ZXWm)
the Finale
A Royal Botanical Vibe Nursery it is. I told my client that I wanted her space to feel like a deep breath and when I personally caught that breath at its completion, I was at least at peace. What really matters is how my client felt though. As I was cleaning the last remnants of the installation my client rocked in her new rocking chair, in her new space. In what seemed like a state of comfort and peace she said, "This is really cute. I wouldn't have thought of half of this".
A happy client (and baby) was the goal from the start and I'm glad the vibe was caught. The project was completed on time, on budget, and on the theme and my work was done!
Check out the images and video from the completed nursery project!
Final Project Video (Follow the brand on Pinterest!- https://pin.it/2WK6Mjb)
Leave a comment on this botanical vibe and let us know what you think!
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