Before & After: Committing to Color to Transform a Kids Room

We independently select these products—if you buy from one of our links, we may earn a commission. All prices were accurate at the time of publishing.
Post Image
(Image credit: Nest Studio)

Project by: Jessica Davis of Nest Studio
Location: South Orange, New Jersey

Jessica wanted to give her daughter’s room a new look, something age-appropriate but not overly precious or childish. A large room with good light, the possibilities were endless, but she settled on a rich color for the walls and timeless furniture that her daughter can grow with.

(Image credit: Nest Studio)

From Jessica: The room is spacious and bright and on the second floor of the house, so there was potential to turn it into something special. We installed shelves in a small nook, created by a chimney bump out and the wall. The use of space is now functional and the perfect way to display little collections. I ended up purchasing a rug from an Etsy seller in Turkey. The colors are subtle and the dancing ladies on the rug are festive. After installing the shelves and getting the rug nailed down, we went ahead and finalized our paint color (Benjamin Moore Dartsmouth Green) and took the plunge.

The faceted mirror is from Zuo Modern and the lamp is Barbara Cosgrove. And we reupholstered the loveseat in a durable Crypton chenille and a rust colored linen piping, which completely complements the rug. And I installed my faceted brass knobs (F-02-SB) on a mirrored nightstand that I found on Craigslist. I think it really ups the ante of the look.

(Image credit: Nest Studio)


Lucy now has a big girl bed from Land of Nod! I had the shades custom made in a shibori fabric from Spoonflower shop Price Designs. The designer, Stacy was kind enough to scale up the fabric so that it felt a little less busy and then I added rust colored tape trim and a cream tassel trim from Etsy.

And one of my close friends Erika Huddleston is an artist and did the piece next to the loveseat. It brings out all the colors in the room and sits against the wall color so nicely.

(Image credit: Nest Studio)

Resource list:

For more photos and other fantastic projects, head on over to Nest Studio.

Thanks, Jessica and the Nest Studio team!

• Are you a designer/architect/decorator interested in sharing a residential project with Apartment Therapy readers? Contact the editors through our

Professional Project Submission Form