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Monday, April 4, 2016

Our Daughter's Nursery

Our Daughter's Nursery_Meet Me in Philadelphia
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.
Our Daughter's Nursery_Meet Me in Philadelphia
(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!).
Our Daughter's Nursery_Meet Me in Philadelphia
Our Daughter's Nursery_Meet Me in Philadelphia
Our Daughter's Nursery_Meet Me in Philadelphia
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.
Our Daughter's Nursery_Meet Me in Philadelphia
Our Daughter's Nursery_Meet Me in Philadelphia
Our Daughter's Nursery_Meet Me in Philadelphia
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!
Our Daughter's Nursery_Meet Me in Philadelphia
Our Daughter's Nursery_Meet Me in Philadelphia
(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

15 comments:

  1. So sweet and classic. I LOVE the shade fabric! I love it when you blog. :)

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    1. Thank you, friend! So glad you are blogging still as well--and that your archive wasn't lost forever!

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  2. I love everything about this room. You have such a wonderful design eye Ashley. Astrid will love this room. It is so special!

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    1. Thank you so much, Karen. I'm by no means a professional but I know what I like! Thanks for reading!

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  3. This is beautiful? Can you comment on how comfortable the glider is? I'm in the market for a slipcovered glider (I'm expecting a baby this summer), and this looks like a great option. Thank you!!

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    1. First, congratulations on your bundle of joy! This glider is pretty good. I will recommend a pillow for behind your mid-back when nursing. Also: the slipcover is VERY prone to wrinkles, which frequently drives me nuts but I've pinned it in a few places to hold the fabric taut and that seems to work.

      Hope that helps! Good luck and congrats again!

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  4. Pretty and sweet -- you did a beautiful job!

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    1. Thank you so much, Julie! It was a labor of love (just like my baby). :)

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  5. Ashley, I love this color combo - green and red! The parlor textiles fabric is soooo pretty and I love how everything complements one another. This is a very sweet and precious room!!! Thank you for sharing!

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    1. Your so kind, Fran, thank you! Glad you like it--the Parlor Textiles fabric was even prettier than I thought it would be, which made me so, so happy.

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  6. The color combination is not one you see often. I wouldn't have thought to pair the soft green with red, but it really looks nice together. Great job!

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    1. Thank you so much! The combo came from the window fabric, but also from the animal alphabet cards, which are a bit more muted than the usual primary colors that are in nurseries. Thanks for reading!

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  7. Just love it, Ashley! I love your style, and even though nurseries are far in my rearview mirror, I can learn a lot from you about mixing color and styles. Well done!

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  8. Oh, Ashley! This is so, so pretty. A beautiful space for your beautiful baby girl. I love the parlour textiles roman shade and how it mixes with that perfect green paint hue. The ikat bed skirt is simply perfection. Love the red and green color combo. And, of course, the gorgeous pine dresser. You've got me hooked on pine!

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  9. Such a nice color combo; you didn't fall for "pink for girls," yay! I always check for a new entry as I love your easy, classic style and immaculate execution. That blanket is so cool! I'd want one for myself since plaid is such a classic pattern. I wonder how hard it would be to knit one in a king size. :-)

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I'd love to hear your thoughts!