Daphne’s Glamorous Nursery

Name: Daphne (1 month)
Location: Charleston, SC
Size: 10′ x 13′

Many nurseries start off as home offices that are then bequeathed to the newest family member upon their arrival. This was the case with Deirdre’s office which she used for three years before finding out she was expecting. Luckily, the paint color worked well for the nursery she had in mind.

How did your office become Daphne’s nursery?
The nursery, which is the smallest room in our house, started out as my home office. To fix it up, I had crown molding installed, found the chandelier and painted the room for myself. But as I was choosing the paint colors, I remember thinking it was possible that I was decorating the room a future baby might inhabit. It turns out I was.

After I did some initial improvements to my office, I found out I was pregnant, and started making the transition from workspace to nursery. I was sad to lose that room, but it was also perfect for a baby because of its size and color.

I didn’t want to do anything too traditionally girly, but play off the black, white and turquoise with some fun, bright colors. The Missoni for Target collection came out just about the time I was buying our crib and I thought the colors of the crib bedding looked wonderful in there, especially with the black crib. Babies love staring at black and white and Daphne, our one month old daughter, will just lie in her bassinet and stare up at the striped shades for hours.

What was the inspiration for the room?
Since it started off as my office, the inspiration was a Hollywood Regency style boudoir – hence the gold chandelier, big gold gourd lamp, the mirrored dresser, the gilt bench and the ornate, antique black and gold mirror. As it evolved into a nursery, I added the more fun and less serious elements like the mobile and the IKEA SMILA HJÄRTA wall lamp.

What is the favorite element in the room?
I love the bassinet. It is Pottery Barn with a custom, white linen skirt. I had the linen skirt made in Charleston and it came out beautifully with the simple, black ribbon trim just above the base. It really keeps the room looking clean and chic and is one of the first things you notice when you come in the door.

Before starting, what did we know we wanted to include, for sure?
I knew I wanted to include the roman shades, chandelier, antique mirror, the dresser and the little gold bench. And I was hoping that I was having a girl, it all may have been a little bit ornate for a boy’s nursery.

What was the proudest DIY?
The chandelier. I found it at a tag sale for $20 covered in dust and painted with green and white chipping paint. I spray painted it gold and found the black pleated shades for it at Candelabra. The shades were more expensive than the chandelier!

What was the biggest indulgence?
Probably the antique mirror with the gold, ribbon-like design framing it and the custom linen bassinet skirt.

Any advice for other people starting this process?
Don’t be afraid of color, incorporate at least one or two antiques and have fun! I loved working on this room – it really brought me back to childhood and I was able to select pieces and use colors in a riskier way then I normally do. It is a challenging creating a room that is both stimulating to a baby but also soothing and peaceful.

If money was no object, what would our dream source be?
I would have loved either a Dorthy Draper gold and black Espana dresser in there or the Uptown Changer. I also would have done the Vetro Acryllic crib by nursery works.

Source List

Paint
• Walls: Robin’s Nest by Benjamin Moore
• Crown Molding: Super White by Benjamin Moore

Furniture
• White Cube Shelves: EXPEDIT by IKEA
• Wardrobe: Purchased at an estate sale
• Rug: overstock.com
• Crib: DaVinci Jenny Lind in Ebony
• Crib Bedding: Missoni for Target
• Chair: Elizabeth Newman Interior Design
• Zebra Organic Storage Bin: 3sprouts
• Dresser: Wayfair
• Regency Bench: Ebay
• Striped Hooks: Anthropologie

Artwork:
• Velveteen Rabbit print from Blackwell’s bookshop in Oxford UK
• Horton Hears a Who print from R. Michelson Northhampton, MASS
• Vintage Barnum & Bailey poster from 1979
• Vintage jewelry Advert

Decorations
• Paper Mache Zebra Head: Dwell Studio
• Hot Air Ballon Mobile: Bellacor
• Heart Lamp: IKEA
• Piggy Bank: Target
• Gourd Lamp: Tuesday Morning
• Antique Mirror
• Roman Shades: custom made with IKEA SOFIA fabric

Thanks Deirdre! For more on Daphne’s room and Deirdre’s other projects, check out The Chic Bump and Candy Shop Vintage.

(Images via Teeny Monster)

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