Sophia’s White, Bright & Magically Modern Bedroom
Name: Sofia Braeutigam
Location: Williamsburg — Brooklyn, New York
Size: 150 square feet
Years lived in: 1 — rented
It’s not often I have the desire to move into a 2-year-old’s bedroom, but this space with sky high ceilings in New York is first on my list. It’s not often that renter-white walls make a space feel homey and comfortable, let alone like a great place for a child, but the bright spots of color, hip artwork and mix of retro and modern toys alike make it a great space. Want to hear how it came together?
When I reached out to Dad, Simon, after stumbling upon this beautiful nursery/bedroom I learned that it was a temporary space. In fact, he and his wife Sondra have recently moved and bid this bedroom farewell. I was so impressed with how they pulled together this space and made it feel fresh and warm with renter’s restrictions that I asked him to share a bit about their plans:
“We moved into this rental apartment when our daughter was just over a year old. Prior to being in this space, we had owned a classic prewar railroad (shotgun) type 1br apartment in the neighborhood that was quickly outgrown. Her room in the old apartment was a breakfast nook off the kitchen with neither a window nor a door. We wanted to give her a room that was light and spacious and 100% for herself. For years we wanted to buy a house in the neighborhood but when our apartment sold faster than we could find a house, we signed a 1yr lease for this 2br while staying on the hunt for a space of our own.”
Apartment Therapy Survey:
What was your inspiration for the room?
Making it a wide open fun space with all of her toys and books being always accessible.
What is your favorite element in the room?
For us, the favorite element of her room are the blankets next to her bed. That’s where we sit at bedtime telling each other stories and talking about our favorite parts of the day. Our bedtime routine consists of Sofia picking out three books and one of us reading them to her while she lies in bed and we sit on the blankets. The best moments of our lives are spent sitting on those blankets talking with a 2 year old teenager.
One of her favorite elements of the room is the bunny boy painting. It’s her favorite piece we own and she asked to have it in her room.
What is your biggest challenge?
Knowing that we would only be in the apartment for 1 year, with extremely limited options to alter the space and still making it feel like a home for her. We couldn’t paint the space but have used a tremendous amount of blue painters tape in the last 12 months making highways, hopscotch boxes and airport landing strips on the hardwood floor.
What do your friends say about the room?
Sofia and her friends never waste any time turning the room into party central. She cranks her stereo in there and the rug turns into a dancefloor, the toys start flying off the shelves and the art supplies get raided – all without the help of adults.
Many of our friends have said that they like the room not being gender specific. Our collection of vintage fisher price toys is a hit with kids and adults alike.
What was your biggest indulgence?
Everything in the room but the Ikea bookcases was either bought at sample sales or used via craigslist. While the Oeuf Crib/Toddler bed was the biggest ticket item, we searched the web for weeks and were finally able to find one on close-out.
There are a number of sidewalk book vendors between the subway stop and the apartment. Our biggest indulgence has been bringing a “new” book home for bedtime multiple times a week.
What advice would you give to someone designing a nursery or children’s room for the first time?
Start with neutral, simple pieces. Then let the space evolve with your child. It ends up being a more authentic representation of his or her personality.
For quick clean-ups, it helps to have bins that you and your child can just throw toys and Teddy bears into.
What is your dream source to shop?
Always looking at inspiration from Dwellstudio, Anthropology, Marimekko, 3Potato4 and Etsy. Love nothing more than a good country fleamarket.
Resources of Note:
Bookshelves: 2 Expedit from Ikea
Boxes in Bookshelves: Itso at Target
Bed: Oeuf Classic Crib convertible to Toddler Bed
Kitchen: Kid Kraft Kitchen
Bedding, blankets, toys, Rug:Dwellstudio
Artwork: Faile
Table and chairs: Offi
Biology Wall-charts: German Ebay
Photos: Adam Lerner
Birth Announcement: PJ Chmiel
Gummy Bear lamp: Lumibear
Thanks, Simon, Sondra and Sophia!
(Images: Adam Lerner)
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