Location: Seattle, WA
Size of nursery: ~80sqft
Childrens' names:: Araiya 2 1/2, Tallis 1
This picture of Araiya and Tallis' shared room stopped us in our tracks. The color combination is brilliant - bright orange, brick red and sky blue. So we contacted parents Natalie and Matt for more. Check out more pics of this clean and modern nursery below the jump and hear what Natalie has to say...
The room began around the Orange Ducduc Alex crib when Araiya was a baby. Orange is such a great hue for kids as well as our favorite color, we love how it's so vibrant and happy. After Tallis was born and we moved into this house, we decided to have the girls share this room, which is connected to both the main hallway and the Master Bedroom.
We added the Argington Petra Toddler bed, Ikea Malm dresser topped with a changing pad, and found a vintage Eames Shell on Craigslist and outfitted it with a Modernica Rocker base. The exact orange of the crib was hard to match- it is a deep red-orange, so it took a while to find particular items to complete the room. We incorporated both an orange-peel and true red with the toy storage crates to add some color variety, which we found at Fred Myers on clearance for about $7 a piece.
Bedding is from Ikea, it was a full-size reversible duvet which I cut down and sewed into two crib-sized duvets. The blue accent wall (which I mixed from a few pints of aqua, grey and white found in the Oops! paint bin at Home Depot) adds another complementary color to the pallet as well as the graphic elements of the trees above the crib and birds above the toddler bed I painted on myself. Tallis means 'woodlands' and Araiya means 'of the wild valley' so the imagery plays off their names.
My overall style is clean, modern, and fairly stark. I like small hits of bold color and graphic elements. For this room, I wanted to create a space that was fun, youthful and bright without being overly juvenile or girly. Since it is fairly small and oddly laid out (perhaps in one rendition of previous owner remodels a walk-in closet for the Master), it needed to be functional as both a sleeping space and play space for two young kids. I like when things have a place to go away to and the room remains open and uncluttered, so the crates have been wonderfully easy when clean-up time rolls around. My philosophy on design is typically one of very constrained and purposeful objects which create fulfilling spaces. I am a minimalist when it comes to stuff, so choices from furniture down to toys are pretty carefully selected. I appreciate quality and integrity paired with aesthetic and functionality.
Resources: Pacifier online, Design Public, Tottini, Velocity Art&Design, Ikea, Craigslist, Etsy, Modernica, Storables, Izilla Toys (local Seattle) and Grandparents.
Personally, I feel like my house, including this room, is never quite 'done', and that is okay (if you notice, part of the room has no baseboards from when the carpet got ripped up to refinish the hardwoods and one of the doors has been mounted upside down so the handle is really high up). There is a lot of pressure to have a perfect and completed nursery. As an architect and designer, I want so badly to get to the finished product. But have come to see in the process how much you can learn about how you and your kids dynamically live and grow as their space evolves. I tend to be a rather slow collector, take a lot of contemplation in making up my mind to what I want and would rather things end up being right than hastily finished. I think it helps to prioritize what is more essential then build from there. This room started with the crib, and now almost 3 years later there are still a few items on my list (and the items on list haven't remained constant). Kids are constantly changing, so allowing a space and stuff which can adapt is key, as is thinking ahead and planning for what is to come. Also pairing down on stuff in general, kid's don't really need a ton of decor or toys or clothes and we have rotated which bins we bring out each day to maintain variety. You don't need the false pressure of attaining perfection and you don't need to get stuck having an overabundance of stuff.
Having said that, if I had the chance to do something differently, it would probably be to finish this room before baby#3 arrives in August and the girls get moved into a new space. But I still have time, right?
Thanks for sharing, Natalie!
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Beautiful. Very inspiring!
view Signe's profile
I dunno.
A tad too clean for my taste.
And are we the only family left without an Eames Rocker?
Those suckers sure are popular these days...
view adsaphila's profile
That's lovely, especially the crib area.
We don't have an Eames either, adsaphila. I thought about it, but honestly wanted something more comfy for the nursery and opted for the Monte Luca recliner instead. I don't regret it at all!
view schnappycat's profile
Stark for sure. Definitely not my style but the color combo is excellent.
view meamom's profile
very nice, love the color combo. definitely too stark for me, personally, but i admire it.
view pyjammy's profile
i think the nursery is absolutely beautiful! i don't feel it's stark--it's cleaned up and leaves plenty of room for two people to not feel cramped (i think the overhead view shows proportion better). i'll definitely be taking some cues from your design when planning my sister's nursery...good job!
view peanutzarch's profile
This room has great potential and a great combination of colors. The pluses: I love the minimal design of the birds and the trees against the crib-gorgeous. Minuses, as Natalie says, this room feels unfinished. I think maybe there's a better balance to strike between keeping things tidy and put away and putting ALL the stuffed animals and All the books away. As a kid, I think it would bum me out to always have to go into the closet to get my toys or read. I would rotate things and pare it down to 5-10 items in the room itself. Right now the minimal is coming off as uninviting and without personality, not modern aesthetic. What about at least painting the rest of the room that beautiful blue? With all the furniture against the walls, it just looks a little sad.
view edava72's profile
love the colors, but it feels really cold and stark for a kid's room, especially a baby's room.
view saltyc's profile
Too stark and sterile for me as well. I dislike bare walls with a passion -- and there's so much WHITE in this room. I'm being honest. I feel children, especially in the 3-6 range should be allowed to decorate a personal space and have a space to mess with.
view stickyricemama's profile
Oops, I deleted this. I don't like the abstract trees at all; they look dead and covered in snow. Not a single leaf or bird or sign of life.
view stickyricemama's profile
i love this room- very inspirational. makes me want to de-clutter and simplify. thanks for sharing.
view lakemom's profile
This is really lovely but i'd add a mobile over the crib and a shelf above the changing table. It's not to my taste but it's well done and happier than stark. I suspect the toys are normally strewn about and its only with every single thing put away that it comes off as harsh.
I like orange but my tastes run more floraly-femme and i'd be running amok w/forest murals and drapes.
Agian, beautiful.
view DahliaCactus's profile
I nearly bought the same IKEA bedspread to use in my son's nursery!
view eloquacious's profile
I LUUUUUV the first picture. I'd add happy pictures to these branches though...
But the rest - I agree - looks unfinished...
view Masik's profile
i actually LOVE this! i don't think it's "too" stark at all. the starker, the cleaner, which is always good with a baby and a toddler!
view selena's profile
I think that the addition of a rug would soften it up so much, and take away that "stark" feeling. It's quite beautiful, and a rug would also make it cozy for the kids to play....
view oteach1's profile
I personally think this room is beautiful. I am a minimalist at heart but with 3 children, it's hard to put into practice. I think the ONLY thing I would do different it to put some meaningful art on the walls. The walls do seem a little bare. I LOVE all the orange accents in the room. What is Fred Meyers anyway? Love those crates under the crib but I'm doubting I could get them in North Carolina (I've never heard of Fred Meyers).
view kellytoad's profile
I love this room. I bet with a pic of the kiddos playing a lot of people wouldn't see it as "stark." With all the overly themed rooms out there this is a breath of fresh air. Besides, make the room too fun and they wont want to go get some real fresh air. :)
view Lizzykewl's profile
Love it love it love it. Love it.
view Sol's profile
I love the floor! And despite what others may say, I see nothing wrong with the popularity of the Eames rocker. I just wish I had one!
view JohnnySlimane's profile
I like the colors, but too stark and empty. It's missing a lot of elements. It seems unfinished and cold. It's not inviting. Even with the wood floors it still seems cold. I love minimalism but this doesn't work for me.
view AlexPDL's profile
Gorgeous and just the right amount of stimulation achieved with the colours of the bedding. Those children are going to have pleasant dreams every single night.
view La loca's profile
My honest impression at first was that it felt a bit like a prison cell or a place where kids are sent to be punished. I like clean and clear, but the walls need something to warm them up.
view Orchid64's profile