CHICKY NURSERY 101

Ah, the fun of planning a nursery bedroom for a child I have yet to meet or know the age of. Lately, I have been skimming the net and stores to see if I would find anything I really liked out there in the “commercially made” world of retail but alas, I dislike all that I’ve seen. Ok – so maybe the word “dislike” is a bit harsh, but none of them feel right. I know, I know – why be so picky? My response, why not? Why not indulge in this moment – there are so few times in life to do so and I really want it to be special. After viewing all of the available pre-themed styles, I have decided not to follow any of them. Big surprise eh! The creative designer within is just unable to surcome to buying “Winnie the Poo” or “Dora the Explorer”. I just can’t!

So, that being said, after much procrastination, I finally have it…a vision that is! I have selected my colours and made some purchases so there’s no going back now. Here it is - my attempt at a classically original, high end looking, low cost spending, colourful and funky sleeping quarter for our little dragonfly…simply titled, BIRDIES!

I want it to fell like we are walking through a garden; a warm sun, pretty flowers and lots of colourful birds in all corners! Here’s the concept:

What I got so far:

• The paint is a custom mixed in a soft light grey, purchased from BMR.

• The accent colours are a creamy white, various blues, a vibrant yellow and black.

• The wall decal was purchased from a store called DeSerres. This pattern is called ‘Birds on Wires’. It’s black in colour -like a silhouette, is non-toxic and easily removable. I’m going to place this horizontally along the bed wall.

• I’ve never been one for rocking chairs, so I picked up this cheap, neutral chair at Ikea. It’s called the ‘Ektorp Tullsta Armchair’ and comes with a light taupe washable slipcover with cream coloured piping. It’s small, but cozy.

• The little round blue rug is also from Ikea. It is very rich in colour and ties in nice with the Embroidery on the bedcover. This was a great “under $20” buy.

• I bought a white floating shelf which is leaning up against the far wall. I will be installing this but I want to wait until all my major furniture items are in the room (like a crib, if we need) so I can place it according to height, etc.

• Two cute little bird prints. Now I just have to find frames for them.

• My Nana, now passed, had given me a beautiful antique single bed about 6 years back or so. It is a beautiful piece that I have kept in storage until now. Since we have no idea what age our little one will be, I’m going to set the room up with a space for a crib and this bed.

• My crafty carpenter father had made me a lovely pine hope chest when I was younger. It is still in mint condition, and I have decided to recycle it, reusing it as a toy box at the end of the bed.

• I found some great yellow sofa material for sale at Ikea in the ‘as is’ section, so my plan is to buy some dense foam and cover it with a slipcover which will be placed on top of the toy box for comfy seating. I’m also going to make a cover for the body pillow at the head of bed and if I have leftovers, I’ll make some matching pillow shams.

• The plush giraffe on the chair and the little bunny on the bed is super soft and were purchased from a store that I can’t for the life of me remember the name of. It was one of those “had no purpose, but had to purchase” purchases. I know what your thinking – how does a giraffe fit into my ‘Garden of Birds’ theme. Well frankly, it doesn’t. There was absolutely no logic in buying this item and although it looks completely out of place, it was just too cute to resist! Here's what the room looks like so far:

What I want to do next:

• An antique looking crystal chandelier – similar to the picture shown to the left. I love how girly and regal it looks, and it will provide a nice soft glow throughout.

• Bedside Table

• Lamp

• Maybe a small bookcase, if there’s room

• More artwork for walls