Nursery for Baby Boy

This post is dedicated to my baby Bradley, who just turned one.  He really is a joy.  Life just got really busy after I was surprised with my pregnancy, and now I'm getting back on track.  Great things to come... but a lot of work to get there.  I hope I can stay on track to make it happen!

Now on to his nursery!  This was one of the most exciting part of being pregnant. I came across a vintage photo and used it as my inspiration.  I wish I had the photo!!  It was of dozens of hot air balloons soaring over Manhattan.  I worked on a concept early on, thinking I would purchase everything toward the end of my pregnancy... Bad idea!  I had to search for new pieces due to things being sold out or discontinued.  Three main things I wanted:  grey crib, grey + blue color theme, striped ceiling, and hot air balloons.  

The original concept board.  I was trying to decide between striped ceiling or walls.  I'm really glad I chose the striped ceiling.  I love that it's a little different.

Grey crib and vintage chair I bought years ago, reupholstered and cleaned up.  This photo was taken while his "nice" bedding was being washed.  I'll post a new photo in the near future.

Striped ceiling and hot air balloons.

Dresser.

Some frames I made and his little bookshelf.

I had a lot of fun putting together my little buddy's nursery together over the year.  I didn't have it completely finished until a few months ago, but it was definitely worth the wait.  I'm the type of person that will wait until I find the exact piece I want.  Furniture pieces especially are not things you would change out often, so for me, I would rather be patient and find exactly what I have in mind.  

Elle Decor - Favorite Rooms of 2011

I know it's well into 2012, but I was clicking through Elle Decor's Favorite Rooms of 2011, and found a few I loved...

Keri Russell's kitchen/ breakfast area in her Brooklyn home.

Lynn Nesbit's library.

Claiborne Swanson Frank's study.

Courtney Cox's living room.

All very different from each other... 

(Images via elledecor.com)

Decorative Accents - Glass Vases

April showers bring May flowers!  It's been pretty rainy in New York, but I've got my rain boots, and I'm looking forward to the May flowers.  I already see little sprouts of green as I walk around the city, and I can't wait!  To freshen up your place, how about a collection of glass vases with some beautiful flowers?

Horchow - Morph Vase

Pottery Barn - Bosphorus Bowls

Etsy - Vintage Milk Bottles.  A whole collection of these would look great.

I would personally love to get my hands on some vintage milk bottles.  Line them up on my window sill with some beautiful tulips and dahlias.

DIY - Bookcase Transformation

Not having the massive budget like my previous job's clients (I was an interior designer at a high end design firm), sometimes I need to decide which pieces are important, and find cost effective alternatives for the others.  I do like going to flea markets for vintage finds, but I'm also on craigslist.com quite a bit sifting through all the postings to find specific pieces.  When I needed a bookcase pronto, I did not want to go out and buy something expensive because it would be used:  1. more for immediate storage of books that were in boxes, and 2. something that would just blend in.  I found this bookcase on craigslist.com with free delivery (which is huge in Manhattan), very inexpensive, but when it was delivered, it looked completely different from the picture.  See below:

Before.  To say I was disappointed was an understatement, I was annoyed that the picture they posted looked nothing like the actual goods delivered.  The delivery guy had nothing to do with the seller, and he wanted extra payment to take it back, so I just decided to make it work.  

After.  I went out and bought a staple gun, ripped out the backing, bought a mock croc glossy black paper from Kate's Paperie, and applied the paper to the backing, and nailed it back to the bookshelf.  I think the result looks simple and great!  

I'm not the biggest fan of the scalloped top, but hey, if I ever have a baby girl, it'll make a great shelving unit for her bedroom!

(Images via Daily Decorum)

Anthropologie Retail Stores

Have you ever shopped at Anthropologie?  Yes their clothing and accessories are great, but there's nothing quite like their retail store design.  I walked into the Rockefeller Center location and I was blown away, it was beautiful!  The stone flooring, the row of chandeliers near the main cash wrap, the window displays, the furniture and fixtures, the colors, the textures... I can go on.  I took a quick picture of this little room with my cellphone:

It was a little room off to the side on the main floor, it looks like it could be someone's very well put together living room, but the room itself was used as art.  The creative minds that conjure up each area are masterful... I wonder what their homes look like...