Our Daughter's Nursery

Where did the last month go? Hopefully you were spared the late winter cold that ravaged our house and prevented me from doing almost anything except laundry and the occasional spring project planning--that is when my hands weren't cuddling a sick little baby!

Speaking of baby, the time has come to finally reveal Astrid's nursery. It's a room that makes me happy and I hope that, when she's able to articulate it, it does the same for our daughter.

When we discovered we were expecting, I got to work brainstorming a nursery that combined new purchases and existing furniture for our little one. I've long been a fan of purchasing pieces that could serve several purposes, moving from room to room and proving to be worthy investments. This room was no exception to that principle: the antique pine dresser, a bamboo etagere, a delicate footstool and a mid-century modern Saarinen tulip side table all found their way into Astrid's room from other spaces elsewhere in our home.

(don't worry: all stuffed animals are taken out of the crib when our girl is sleeping!)

Astrid's room itself has a naturally cozy feel thanks to its dormer window and slanted walls. I wanted the walls to envelop her during sleep and play, so I opted for Benjamin Moore's "Levingston Green" (Adam loved this choice as well). It played off my choice fabric for the window shades, Parlor Textiles' "Confetti Floral Stripe" in red. After splurging a bit on the fabric, I saved money by sewing the roman shades with my mom during an early-fall visit. The red and spring green color combo felt fresh and clean.

A simple crib skirt, made from Robert Allen's "Plaid Ikat," paired nicely with the Parlor Textiles print as well as a beautiful handmade gingham-print knit blanket that my mom made for the baby (pattern from this book, if you want to make one yourself!).

Books have always been an important part of my life as well as my husband's life, so we were sure to carve out a corner of the room for reading as well as nursing.

Children's books are so vibrant and interesting like little pieces of artwork and, because of this, I didn't want to hide them in a bookcase. Instead, I transformed a vintage carved wooden pelmet (originally used for a window) into a book ledge that prominently displays each.

Opposite the book ledge is a matte green metal leaf mobile from a talented artist on Etsy, Comometalworks. Astrid's just started noticing the mobile and I love how it captures her ever-fleeting attention.

Finally, in the dormer window niche, Adam precisely and carefully hung 26 vintage-inspired animal alphabet cards from Martha Stewart's craft line with easy-to-find bulldog clips. Funny story about these cards: I bought these way back in 2008 while Mom and I were awaiting the news that my niece had been born. I squirreled them away ever since!

(all photos via Meet Me in Philadelphia)

I'd love to hear your thoughts! Astrid's room is a blend of new and old, pattern and solids, present and future.

If you're curious, some sources for items in Astrid's nursery are:
Wall color: "Levington Green" by Benjamin Moore
Trim color: "White Dove" by Benjamin Moore
Rug: Jute Natural Area Rug from Wayfair
Shade fabric: "Confetti Floral Stripe" in red from Parlor Textiles
Crib skirt fabric:
Crib: Union 3-to-1 convertible crib in white
Antique pine dresser: Craigslist
Linen slipcovered glider: Crescent glider in linen from Overstock
Metal floral mobile: Jungalow mobile in green from Comometalworks on Etsy
White Saarinen tulip side table: Design within Reach
Tote bags (used to hold blankets and as a diaper bag): Boat and Tote bag from LL Bean
Coat rack: vintage French hat rack from Etsy
Wall plaque (above crib): Bestmade Co.
Bunny lamp (on pine dresser): Heico rabbit lamp from Fawn Shoppe

Our Master Bedroom in Progress

Hello again, friends. In the last week, our little family of three trekked to Maine with my mom to celebrate the impending arrival of my cousin's baby girl while spending time with my extended family there. That said, I lost track of the time and simultaneously lost momentum on my house tour update here!

Today, though, I'm back to offer a glimpse into our "in-progress" master bedroom. As incomplete as it is, I'm happy with the direction it has taken since this post from 2013.

Our Dining Room Revealed

Today is one I've looked forward to: showing off our dining room! In the midst of nesting, this room received a tremendous amount of attention, energy and effort, and I couldn't be happier with it.

Our Living Room, Revisited

The last post before my blogging hiatus focused exclusively on our living room and, in the ten months since that write-up, the primary pieces remained while I've continued to refine the room with a few final additions. Let me show you around.

Evolution

Wow, it's been a long time, hasn't it?

Since I last posted, life has changed substantially around here and, amazingly, all for the best. I've learned a lot about myself through the crucible of significant life experiences that happened last year, namely career upheaval and--most importantly--pregnancy and the arrival of our new baby girl.

I felt like I lived an entire lifetime last year. Just as our circumstances changed, so did our home.

Our Living Room...Mostly Complete

Hello! It has been so long since I last opened blogger to start a post. I contemplated packing it up and riding quietly into the blogging sunset; but just like a magnet, something about blogging has pulled me back in and won't let me go, at least not yet.

Frankly, I missed our interactions! I really, truly did. If I could invite each and everyone of you over to my house, we'd probably sit in the living room and spend the day gabbing away about our favorite fabrics, what auctions we've been to lately and our best thrifting discovery of all time. The best rooms are the ones that spark these kinds of engrossing conversations, and that's just what I set out to do in our living room

In the past year (yes, year...we've been working on it for the past 12 months), I've tried to cultivate a warm, cozy, curated room that welcomes to any visitor and demonstrates a little bit about Adam and I. I'm happy to report that we're 99% of the way towards that goal, save for finalized curtains in the room's large bay window.

This space has undergone lots of changes--both big and small. Carpentry, painting, upholstery, new furniture...you get the idea. I love this room. I always feel a little uneasy sharing such personal rooms but I hope it's the kind of room that seems inviting to you, even across the computer screen.

Without further ado...here's our "mostly complete" living room!

(all images via Meet Me in Philadelphia)

In case you wanted to walk down memory lane, here are some of the projects that brought this living room to life:

Living Room Carpentry

The Tufted Sofa Before

Reupholstered Chairs and Sofa

Coffee Table Before and After

Thank you all for sticking with me during my frequent blogging breaks (and following me on Instagram in the interim)--I hope we can pick up where we've left off. I've saved up so many projects to share here on the blog, and I'm looking forward to catching up with each of you!

Pre-holiday Spruce-Up: The Vintage Blue Tile Bathroom

This week marks the official start of the holiday season (though, according to malls and big box stores, it's perfectly appropriate to start celebrating and shopping in September!). As such, I had the itch to get a jumpstart prepping for holiday guests; the first place I wanted to start: our vintage blue bathroom. 

I shared the photo above on Instagram one morning last week, as I could hardly wait to show off this work-with-what-you've-got spruce-up, which required little more than incorporating items I already had into an otherwise-ignored space. In the spirit of Thanksgiving gratitude and contentment, I challenged myself to work within the limits of what I had rather than undertaking a full (and completely unnecessary) renovation and, in doing so, I proved to myself that the smallest changes could turn one of my least favorite spaces into one of my favorites.