Congratulations! A bundle of joy is coming your way.  The closet is filling up with little diapers, little onesies, little soft blankets and more.  You have been showered with gifts for this yet-to-be-seen member of the family and the big day for arrival is getting ever so close.  And aside from the never-ending questions about “What are you having?”, “When is it due?”, and “How are you feeling?”, the most asked question you will have is, “What will the nursery look like?”  We don’t want you losing sleep over this (since you are not getting much sleep anyways) so we have reached out to Jamaica Zralek of Red Leaf Interiors to give you some ideas and tips on creating a nursery.
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BACKGROUND: Jamaica’s fresh artistic approach to design is exemplified through her ability to combine texture, color and detail to create the unexpected.  Her innovative design solutions redefine basic ideas to produce one-of-a-kind interior spaces.  Jamaica’s sophisticated approach to design allows her to express her imaginative concepts while adhering to the needs of her clients.  Jamaica graduated with a Bachelor’s of Interior Design degree from O’More College of Design.  Over the past 15 years, she has accrued extensive design experience in Nashville, Chicago and Los Angeles.

 

Oh Baby!

A new baby. The anticipation builds from the moment you see that faint line you’ve been wishing for and ends with the most amazing experience life has to offer…meeting your baby.  Somewhere in between you will probably begin to dream about the room this new life will inhabit.  Nurseries are by far one of the most fun spaces to design. They offer an amazing opportunity to get creative because you will never design any other space with such freedom.   There are no rules and only one person to make happy, yourself!  If you love it, your baby will too.   Most moms-to-be have some idea of what they envision their nursery to look like or at least what they want it to feel like and that’s the perfect place to start.  While the thought of pulling together every detail in the room can be overwhelming, there is a far more manageable approach that can be used to begin the design of any great space…GET INSPIRED!!  Find one thing that gets you excited and begins to give you a sense of who your little guy or girl might be.  If you start with that one something and continue to make selections that are in keeping with that piece of inspiration, the rest of the room will begin to fall into place and you will end up with what just might turn out to be your favorite room in the house!

The inspiration for this room was the “Queen Bee” image that I found on a pillow and fell in love with immediately.  I am a huge fan of using black and white, but added the lavender to give it an extra touch of femininity. I designed all of the furniture in the room to grow with this little girl.  The dresser has a removable changing table top and lavender glass hardware that is fun and girly for now, but easy to change in the future.

A comfortable chair is an absolute must for a nursery and this one is great because not only is it extremely comfortable, it is also sleek enough to use elsewhere in the house when this little girl has outgrown it.  The crib can convert into a twin bed, so with the simple change of bedding you are ready for toddlerhood! (Well, maybe not “ready”, but at least you’ll have the bed!)

This room does not have a closet so we had to get creative with storage.  The armoire is as large as the room would allow and has an adjustable interior to accommodate the ever-changing clothing needs.  It is also designed to function as an entertainment cabinet, if needed down the line.

My faux painter created the “Queen Bee” stamp and the arabesque stencil that she hand painted on the walls.

Bonus!  An inspired, well designed nursery can be the perfect location for your newborn’s first photo shoot!

The initial inspiration for this room was the art, titled “Mister Fox”.  On its own it really seemed to capture the feeling we were going for in this little guy’s nursery.  The room was large enough to incorporate a queen bed along with the crib.  This works great for new parents who want to be close to their baby and doubles as a guest room when needed. It will also make for an easy transition from nursery to “big boy” room.  My favorite thing about this room is the mixture of shapes, patterns, colors and styles.

This wall was the perfect place to make a big impact with a bold chevron pattern.  It also eliminated the need for anything hanging, such as a mobile.  The entire wall is the art!  Again, a comfortable yet stylish chair is a key piece to a successful nursery.  This one happens to be a recliner so that you can stretch out with your little one on those seemingly endless nights…

This hand-crafted dresser also has a removable changing table top that makes it extremely versatile for the future.  Without the top,  it could even be used in a foyer!

 

So remember to get inspired, start simple and let the main attraction of the room steal the show…Your Baby!

 

Thank you Jamaica! Such a fun post. We are definitely inspired! For more information about Jamaica, please read below!

Jamaica S. Zralek

Red Leaf Interiors, LLC

2506 Winford Ave. Nashville, TN 37211

615.513.3066      615.782.0105      615.782.0108(f)

www.redleafinteriors.com

(Image #1:Courtney Coker Photography; Jamaica’s Personal Picture at Bottom:  Reid Rolls Photography ; All other images courtesy of Red Leaf Interiors)