Baby Boom

Design by Melissa Ervin

It must be that time of year (or just my age), but it seems like everyone around me is pregnant! I am so happy for all those expectant mothers out there (my own sister included!), but, today, I want to focus on one friend in particular who has enlisted my help in her nursery design.

Like many mothers-to-be, she has a lot of different ideas of what she wants the nursery to look like: spots and stripes, animal themed, gender neutral, little boy blues all the way, etc. One design idea that she had was to do a Charleston beach-themed nursery (since she has a large family of in-laws from that lovely city). This is the idea that I immediately loved and ran with....


Design by Melissa Ervin


The first thing I did (as usual) was to gather inspirational pictures to guide me. One designer I came across early in my research was Charleston-based Melissa Ervin. Her designs were perfectly suited for this project and instantly gave me ideas for the color-scheme of the nursery: blue and green.

Paint by Benjamin Moore


I then set out to find the perfect shade for the wall color. I stumbled upon the color above, Sweet Bluette by Benjamin Moore, while perusing the Pottery Barn website for baby furniture. As the name says, it is such a sweet color: calm and soothing and perfectly suited for a baby's room.


Mahogany Etagere from Mecox Gardens


I am pretty sure she is using white baby furniture, so I felt the accent furniture in the room should provide a bit of contrast (otherwise you can end up with a washed-out look). Mahogany and other dark-stained pieces, like this gorgeous etagere from Mecox Gardens, give the whites and blues of the room a beachy Colonial look that ties in nicely to the Charleston feel. Plus, the shelves on an etagere provide extra space for baskets, blankets, books, and anything else that needs to be easily accessible.

Unknown designer

The pictures above and below are additional examples of rooms from which I gathered inspiration. I love the blend of wicker, wood, sailcloth drapes, ticking stripes, and rope above, while the photo below displays a modern, yet coastal, vignette that I found very pleasing.


Vignette by Jennifer McGee



Capiz Sconce by West Elm


Good lighting in any room is essential, but, in a nursery, it is especially important to have a variety of lighting sources that can provide a range of brightness: from soft (for bedtime) to cheerful (for playtime). Overhead lights can be so harsh, so I prefer to use lots of table and floor lamps, as well as sconces. I like the West Elm sconce above for its diffused light and beachy vibe from the strings of capiz shells, and the driftwood lamp from a local antiques store (below) because of its texture and, again, beach feel.

Driftwood lamp from Urban Suburban

So, without further ado, the following photos show my idea board (aka, my computer screen) with a collection of pieces for the nursery.

I know it is hard to make out everything in such a small picture, but I will try to describe it as best I can...

The picture above shows the curtain panels (Audry Chenille Dot in green from Pottery Barn), the driftwood lamp that would sit atop the etagere (maybe with some straw baskets below and a palm or fern plant on top), the white crib with crib sheet (Jungle Friends Crib Sheet from Pottery Barn), and green gingham bedskirt (Gingham Ruffle Crib Skirt also by Pottery Barn.... what can I say, they have awesome baby stuff!).

Again, I apologize for the poor picture quality, but, until I can figure out a better way, this is how a technologically-challenged person like me puts ideas together! The pic above shows a gorgeous palm painting by Carol Tokarski, the West Elm shell sconce (one of each would hang on either side of the painting, above a changing table that would probably also be in white), a precious little sea-creature mobile (NoJo Sea Babies Musical Mobile from Babies R Us), a comfy chair from Mecox Gardens (a must-have in a nursery), green ticking stripe fabric to cover the chair, a dark wood, barley twist table from Etsy, a nautical star floor lamp (Star Motif Floor Lamp from Mecox Gardens), and a sweet and colorful little book to read to baby at bedtime ("Mister Seahorse" by Eric Carle), all set against the Sweet Bluette wall color in the background.


Cole and Son "Palm Leaves" Wallpaper - another fun pattern that could work in this room


Obviously, there are a million more things that can be done in this nursery, but I think you can get the feel of the room from the items above and begin to imagine the soothing space it could be. I think this room shows that if you want to do a "theme" (like my friend's Charleston beach look), it doesn't have to end up looking theme-y. It can still be classic and serene, while still sweet and perfect for Baby.

I look forward to seeing what my friend actually does in the room, and I can't wait to meet her little bundle of joy, too!

Have a great week everyone!