INTERIOR DESIGN AND FURNITURE GUIDE

BABY FURNITURE IDEAS

I’m Leaving on a Jet Plane

June 16th, 2010

A travel themed nursery provides a wealth of inspiration that will turn mere space into a fun, whimsical and imaginative first bedroom for a baby boy. Especially with the focus on airplanes of all kinds, from prop to jet, you don’t have to stick to matched baby furniture – by mix-and-matching styles you can create of vintage look featuring older kinds of aircraft or go for a totally contemporary vibe by concentrating on jet planes. While other themes might last just until the toddler stage, a travel themed nursery might have a little more lasting power.

For a travel themed nursery blue is a great place to start because it symbolizes the sky or the ocean. While selecting blue as a color for a boy nursery is a traditional choice, it also is a soothing shade that will help create a calm and tranquil space for your little world traveler. Once the main wall color has been picked, decide what color you would like for the trim (windows, doors, baseboards). The final consideration regarding the walls after they have been painted is what to do with them. A wallpaper border with a trains/planes/automobiles motif is a simple way to add visual interest to a travel themed nursery without too much effort. A mural, while more labor intensive, is the ultimate fun way to add some “real” adventure to the space.

Airplane baby furniture such as a changing table, bookcase, toy chest or toy/blanket bench are popular ways to furnish a travel themed nursery. But for the budget-conscious another easy and convenient way to get the same look is to select a crib like the Orbelle Convertible Mini Portable Combo Crib N Bed  and apply small, airplane decals. You can also give the same treatment to other baby furniture pieces like the changing table and the dresser.

The Bebe Chic Around the World Baby Crib Bedding Set has a classic style that is fun, casual and very adaptable to any other décor style including country and traditional. The pattern is charming, allowing you to add other airplane or other travel themed elements that will work with crib bedding set’s color scheme, while the mix of solid colors with soft shaded plaids create visual interest.

Accessorizing is easy and only limited by your imagination! Hang model airplanes from the ceiling; add a novelty ceiling light fixture or table lamp to the room’s décor design; or use framed pictures of vintage or modern airplanes as wall art. A travel themed nursery that features planes, trains or automobiles (or all of the above) is a delightful nursery theme for a new baby boy. He won’t even need a passport!Choose instead a theme like world travel, which will allow you to add old world touches like framed maps, a globe or trunk-shaped toy chest.

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In the Jungle: a Jungle Themed Nursery for a Boy

June 11th, 2010

Jungle animals like lions, zebras, hippos and tiger are exotic and exciting, bringing with them a sense of delicious danger and adventure. It is also the place where monkeys swing from tangled vines and giraffes nibble on rainforest leaves. A jungle themed nursery for a baby boy is an ideal way for you to introduce your little one to bright colors and interesting shapes. While a jungle nursery creates excitement and an adventurous atmosphere, it also has a whimsical appeal that comes from life in a warm, tropical place that exists half a world away. A jungle nursery will provide an energizing and refreshing place for your new baby boy.

 When capturing the sights, sounds and flavors of a jungle environment, select colors (shown here from Benjamin Moore) that reflect the hues of jungle foliage, an African sunset or the pelts of the strange and wonderful creatures that live there. Once the nursery has been painted, you will have time to figure out if, what else you would like to do to the walls. With a jungle theme, the possibilities are endless; anything from a mural of a pride of lions to a wallpaper border of blue hippos.

When choosing a style of baby furniture for a jungle nursery, select one that has simple lines and relaxed profiles like contemporary, transitional or even country. The crib you choose will definitely be the focal point of the room. To make your nursery functional as well as esthetically appealing, the changing table and dresser should either match or complement the crib. The Sorelle City Lights 4 in 1 Commuter has such simple lines and an adaptable contemporary style that it is an excellent candidate for mixing and matching with other décor styles for a décor design that is unique.

The Maddie Boo Parker 3-piece Baby Crib Bedding Set is a perfect way to dress the crib for a jungle nursery. The crib bedding set has a predominately blue pattern with plenty of jungle animals. It also includes subtle stripes in a soothing complementary green. This delightful crib bedding set will create the perfect mood for a cozy nap or (hopefully) an uninterrupted night’s sleep.

In addition to the basic nursery furniture needed to put your child to sleep and to change him, you will need a place to store those cute onesies and other articles of baby clothing, as well as the onslaught of toys and books the grandparents and family friends will bring when they come to visit. Storage such as a bookcase, a toy chest or an armoire will play an important role in a jungle themed nursery. Don’t forget to accessorize. By adding a jungle themed rug, table lamp, curtains or wall art, it will make your jungle nursery a special place for your little Tarzan to grow and dream.

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Yar! – Pirate themed Nursery for a Baby Boy

June 7th, 2010

For kids of all ages, there is something about pirates that sets the imagination on fire and makes us want to set sail for adventure. So it shouldn’t be any surprise that a pirate themed nursery is perfect for a baby boy’s first bedroom. Pirate mural nursery ideas are bountiful as are pirate themed fabrics and accessories. When designing a nursery with a pirate theme, think tall ships, treasure maps, eye-patched mischief makers and walking the plank!

Paint the walls a color (from Benjamin Moore) you would find from sailing the Seven Seas. Once you have chosen the main color for your pirate themed nursery, paint a tall ship mural or treasure map on one or two walls. Because it will be the natural focal point of the nursery, when opting for a mural, plan on putting the crib or the changing table against that wall. If a mural seems too labor-intensive, select instead a pirate themed wallpaper border. Borders, with a nautical motif like anchors or flags, around the entire room will give the painted walls a finished appearance while adding a festive mood to the nursery.

Let’s start with the Stork Craft Aspen Stages Oak Fixed Side Baby Crib; it has an adaptable design that fits a number of décor styles including country, transitional and even contemporary. The lines of the crib are relaxed and fluid. Since we will be bringing the pirate theme into room through other elements such as the area rug, the nursery curtains and select furniture pieces, dress the crib with the Caden Lane Classic Blue Noah Baby Crib Bedding Set.

The changing table and a dresser are the two other pieces of furniture you will need to make your nursery functional and complete. Since there’s something so attractive about swash buckling pirates, a pirate themed nursery has a lasting appealing. The Powell Furniture Shiver Me Timbers Youth Triple Dresser will provide plenty of storage in the nursery and for several years to come. Choosing furniture pieces like the dresser and matching nightstand that will grow with your child will be economical in the long run. Until he needs it by his twin bed, the Powell Furniture Shiver Me Timbers Youth Nightstand next to a glider or rocking chair will give you a convenient place to set down a bottle, book or toy.

From Long John Silver to Captain Hook, there are pirates a-plenty to provide inspiration for a pirate themed nursery for an infant boy.

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Aloha – Hawaiian Themed Boy Nursery

June 4th, 2010

A Hawaiian themed nursery for a baby boy is sure to celebrate surfing, surfboards, sailing and sea creatures. Hawaii, island living and the ocean are great sources of inspiration for a mural or other types of wall art. From mountain views to ocean scenes to tropical forests, you will be able to recreate all of the different flavors of this beautiful state for the new baby in your life.

You are sure to find a main wall color that is pleasing to you that will perfectly capture the spirit of Hawaii. For a Hawaiian themed nursery for a baby boy, start with the ocean; plant a palm tree or two; sprinkle around a little sand or finish off with a lot of sun. The whole point of the exercise is to use colors from Benjamin Moore) that will create a fun and vibrant atmosphere for your little surfer baby.

Because a Hawaiian themed nursery is supposed to be fun, bright and colorful and above all relaxed, choose a style of nursery furniture that will be casual yet looks good too. For a contemporary edge that will allow you some freedom to mix and match, (if nursery sets don’t appeal to you), choose the Natart Theo Crib-to-Twin Convertible Crib. The woven effect of the veneer bands gives this crib an organic look and feel that is perfect for an island themed nursery.

While the Maddie Boo Jaime 4-piece Baby Crib Bedding Set isn’t specifically themed bedding, the colors fit right in with an island themed nursery. There’s no mistaking the rich and vibrant shades of green and blue that reflect many different colors of the sea.

A Hawaiian themed nursery will be a classic blend tropical motifs and island living activities like luaus, sailing and hunting for sea treasures along the beach. But most of all, a Hawaiian themed nursery has a relaxed, fun vibe that would be a great way to welcome baby to her new home.

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Island Themed Nursery for a Baby Boy

May 25th, 2010

Designing and planning an island themed nursery for your baby boy can be a lot of fun. Ideal for a bright nursery, tropical birds and flowers are great inspirations for color schemes for walls, fabrics, accessories and nursery crib bedding. Or you can create the excitement of surfing the waves with ocean scenes, surfer prints and posters or a surf board or two. The whole idea behind an island themed nursery is to make the atmosphere feel like a tropical vacation.

This color palette from Benjamin Moore is chosen to reflect the many moods of the sea. Shades are deliberately muted to allow color to be brought into the room through accessories, window treatments and area rugs. Any one of these colors can be used as the main color palette for the walls. Add a palm tree mural or a wallpaper border of dragonflies to give your boy nursery that unique touch to make his first room an extra special place.

The Cotton Tale Paradise 4-Piece Baby Crib Bedding Set combines jungle animals with palm trees and dragonflies for an island themed nursery that will have a playful atmosphere.

Opting for country style baby nursery furniture will give the room a warm and inviting charm to match the tropical island themed nursery. Because island living is famously relaxed and casual go for natural or light to medium wood finishes. The warm wood finish of the DaVinci Parker 4 in 1 Convertible Wood Baby Crib will complement the colors of the walls and the crib bedding. Its relaxed and flowing lines are perfect for island living.

The right accessories chosen with living in paradise in mind, will give your island themed nursery a stylish, finished look. Accessorizing is also the ideal opportunity to add layers of plush tropical texture to the décor. Put a collection of shells on a bookshelf; hang pictures of sea creatures on the walls; place a colorful parrot shaded table lamp on a dresser or a side table beside the glider. And because of its tropical nature, don’t forget to include organic elements like woven baskets, a wicker hamper or bamboo picture frames.

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Around the World in 80 Days – Travel Themed Nursery

May 21st, 2010

 A travel themed nursery embodies curiosity and adventure, a wonderful way to introduce your baby to the world. The great thing about this theme is that you can tailor it for a girl nursery, a boy nursery or a gender neutral nursery, just by selecting traditional or non-gender specific colors. You can focus on means of travel such as planes, trains, ships and automobiles. Or you can feature the countries you might see in 80 days traveling by steamship and train (as hypothesized by the Jules Verne novel). You can go in the opposite direction and give your little one a nursery that is out of this world with spaceships and rockets. You could also take inspiration from the series “Where’s Waldo.” Vintage or modern travel, there are so many options to choose from.

For this particular travel themed nursery design, we’ll start with blue – not for boy but for sky and sea, two things that play a big role in traveling around the world (even if it’s not in 80 days). Blues such as turquoise, aquamarine, sky and maritime are becoming more common choices for girl nurseries as well. This color palette from Benjamin Moore is a selection of “main” wall colors. For accent colors, use greens and yellows. Or if you have it already, take your accent colors from the themed bedding you’ve chosen for the crib.

For a boy travel themed nursery choose darker colored baby furniture; for a girl nursery with a travel theme, select white or natural; for a gender neutral travel themed nursery choose light to medium wood finishes. The Status Furniture Brookfield Baby Room Furniture Set would look just at home in a girl nursery as it would in a boy nursery. It also has the added bonus of including the basic pieces of baby furniture – the crib, changing table and chest of drawers – that you will need.

Dress the crib in a themed bedding set like the Bebe Chic Around the World Baby Crib Bedding Set. The colors are perfect for a gender neutral nursery. Continue accessorizing the nursery with framed maps, vintage suitcases or black and white prints of the Eiffel Tower, Big Ben or a Venetian palace. For those special touches that will make your baby’s first room unique, use suitcase labels as wall art or make a mobile out of small globes of different colors.

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Ride ‘em Cowboy – Designing a Cowboy Themed Nursery

May 14th, 2010

A cowboy themed nursery has a rustic charm and an attractive versatility that could have an enduring appeal until high school…well at least he reaches middle school. It’s an ideal theme for a boy nursery because it involves animals, the Wild West, covered wagons, horses and of course, cowboys. It also allows you a lot of flexibility when choosing a design style, from rustic to country and Southwestern to vintage bordering on traditional. A themed nursery, especially a cowboy theme nursery, conveniently ties all of the other elements in the room and gives it a casual and welcoming vibe.

Not only because this is a boy’s room, but also because it involves cowboys and the Old West, choose warm browns, muted reds and sandy tones that reflect their world. When the walls have been painted, you can include the cowboy theme in any number of creative and imaginative ways. If you’re artistically inclined, you can draw or stencil a cowboy scene or motif on one or more of the boy nursery and then paint the mural. Perhaps a mural is too labor-intensive; opt instead for using letter stencils to spell out your baby’s name, a cowboy theme wallpaper border or framed vintage prints of cowboys doing cowboy things like herding cattle, etc.

Nursery sets are available in a range of styles. Buying your baby furniture in nursery sets instead of individual pieces is usually more economical. Choose baby furniture for your nursery in classic “boy” colors like black, dark brown or espresso that is well-constructed, durable and stylish. Or since it is a cowboy theme, how about a crib set in natural or pine? You will need a crib, a changing table and some form of storage like a dresser, chest of drawers or an armoire.

Your crib will need a crib mattress and naturally, themed bedding to make it extra comfy for your little one. Accessorize your cowboy themed bedroom. Include the floor in your nursery design plan by choosing and area rug like the Fun Rugs California Kids Medium Pile Cowboy Rug. Adding stuffed farm animals, wall art depicting a cowboy’s life on the range or lamps with bases in the shape of a horse or cowboy to the room will give your baby boy’s nursery a vintage look that will stimulate your child’s senses, transforming it into a place everyone can enjoy.

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