Marlowe’s Southern California Roots

Name: Marlowe Clementine
Location: Echo Park; Los Angeles, California
Room Size: 17.5 ft x 9 ft

Last time we visited the home of Amy Pigliacampo and her husband Corey Szopinksi, they had been living there a mere 2 months. Now three years later, with their daughter on the way, Amy has completely redesigned their spare bedroom. Marlowe Clementine is due in March, soon to be welcomed home to one of the most creative and original nurseries I’ve ever seen. This would be expected, when your Mom is a fashion stylist.

The entire inspiration of their home was rooted in Southern California living—from the heat of the desert to the art centric community of Echo Park. Every detail in their home was thoughtfully organized and planned. Amy has been planning for some time how she wanted to execute the nursery, and has been collecting little things here and there since they moved in.

What was your inspiration for the room?

Turns out, ideas for this room had been floating around in my head for years…we really didn’t need to buy a lot of new things. I used a lot of pieces and accessories that we already had and incorporated new items like the dresser and crib. I wanted the room to feel like it belonged in our house but with a brighter color palette. The boucherouite rug inspired the deep aqua, orange, pink, black and white palette. Like the rest of our home, I wanted to have mostly modern pieces accessorized with lots of color, pattern and vintage.

What is your favorite element in the room?

The rainbow dreamcatcher. Corey bought it for me in Big Sur right before we starting officially trying to get pregnant and I always planned on incorporating it into the nursery.

Before starting, what did you know you wanted to include, for sure?

I knew that typography would be a major theme for the room, boy or girl. Corey’s background is in graphic design and I’ve always been in love with old signage and lettering. In my head, our TYPE print from Hatch Show Print was always going to be part of the room, as well as my record player. I loved listening and singing to records as a kid and I hope that Marlowe enjoys that too! I’m currently searching for a vintage Sound of Music soundtrack. I had always planned on having a vintage metal first initial in the room, so as soon as we decided on her name, I commissioned a custom “M”— now one of my favorite elements.

What was your proudest DIY?

The driftwood mobile. I spent hours online trying to find a mobile that I loved and finally realized I just needed to make it. The driftwood was all collected from the Oregon and Washington coast this summer during a roadtrip with my husband. I wrapped the branches, he drilled the holes and it worked out perfectly!

What was your biggest indulgence?

Our biggest splurge was the alphabet dresser from Pottery Barn kids. Once again, I spent hours online trying to find something that made sense as a changing table. I bought it before I knew I was pregnant with Marlowe. When we moved West five years ago, we took a detour through Nashville so that we could tour Hatch Show Print and pick up a lot of prints for our home. The dresser reminded me of the wood blocks that they use to create the prints. Again, typography is something that we both love and we really wanted it to be a prominent theme in Marlowe’s room. To balance out the cost of the dresser, we found the Ikea crib we liked on Craigslist for half the price!

Any advice for other people starting this process?

I would suggest looking beyond the “baby” category. Find things that you like that feel true to you and then look for ways to inject color and playfulness. Think about the lifespan of what you’re buying and spend money on the items that will be usable longer than a few months or a year. Look at pieces that you already have and find ways to incorporate them into the nursery.

If money was no object, what would your dream source be?

• www.2modern.com
• design public
• HD Buttercup
• www.oeufnyc.com

• ABC Dresser & Locker Bins: Pottery Barn kids
• Boucherouite rug: Ebay
• Futon: CB2
• Crib, Shelving and Cloth Bins: Ikea
• Fringe Garland: Paper Fox LA
• Crib Sheets: The Buttercup Boutique (etsy)
• Crewel Floor Cushions: Modelli Creations
• Pouf: Nate Berkus for Target
• Pillows: CB2, Alyson Fox for West Elm, Ikea, F21, Urban Outfitters
• Wool Blankets, Teddys & Hooded Towels: Pendleton
• Felt Camera: Woolbuddies
• “Eames” Rocker: Amazon
• Custom “M”: Junk Art Gypsyz(etsy)
• Wool Wall Hanging: The Wov (etsy)
• LA and California Girl Print: Sugar Paper LA
• TYPE Print: Hatch Show Print

Thanks, Amy and Corey Szopinski!

(Photography: Bethany Nauert)

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