Project Concept: North Carolina Nursery

Recently, my very good friend from design school Crystal Williams and I put our heads together for a fun nursery project.  One of her girlfriends is expecting and wanted help pulling together a look that would add color to their home and welcome in their first baby.  I was happy to participate as its very rare I get to work on nursery concepts, or work with Crystal.  Before we did anything we needed a joint logo!
 

 

Wilhelmina Morris  

This was the name we always used in design school, our combined names (my middle and her maiden name) and a play on the famous designer/architect from the arts and crafts movement, William Morris.  Living in Rhode Island, I love the anchor however the symbol has a special meaning to Crystal.  Her husband Blake is in the navy and they live just a few blocks from the shore in Virginia Beach.

The expectant mommy had a few things on her list: a wrought iron crib, a natural fabric rocker like this one from Pottery Barn Kids, a color scheme of grey, mint, coral and yellow, and the use of modern fabrics like stripes and chevrons.  The majority of their home is grey, so Crystal thought it would be nice to do the walls in mint with a ceiling treatment of a lighter hue that came down into the room about a foot.  A thin separator banding of white or gold would highlight the detail for added character.

   Taking these items into consideration, Crystal and I came up with two different looks to help gauge what elements the client was drawn to.  Here's what we came up with:

Crystal's board created a sophisticated, polished feel through mercury glass lamps, a cream garden stool and glass knobs applied to a coral dresser/changing table.  A white drum shade replacing the overhead light and a pair of clean grosgrain ribbon roman shades help to project a modern monogram look into the room.  Accent pillows and an area rug add color and pattern to complete the concept. 

Learn more about Crystal, read her blog and inquire about work in the VA area here. 

My room inspiration was a natural look of layered texture through feel and visual perception in the watercolor bunny artwork, a flokati paired over a muted area rug, rope accent lamps and burlap bunting.  Mixed in with the soft feel, are punches of color and shine through yellow and pink artwork suggestions, a crisp white rocker and beaded glass pendant. Crib linens would be small scale stripes and geometric patterns in the muted mint/blue/grey colors.

We think are boards are great, but in order to provide a truly unique project that our client loves we needed feedback to define the look, step 2.  Our combined efforts were a success providing elements she loved from both concepts.  The finished product will be an installation that mixes her love of clean lines, color pop and natural texture.  Check back soon, we're working on the final resource board we'll provide our client as well as a detailed shopping list.  



The great thing about this job is the client will have the opportunity to gain items from her registry and possibly incorporate repurposed pieces.  Projects like the one above, can be divided into parts so that they become more manageable for your time and your wallet.  

Need help a achieving a look you love?  Contact me on my website for more information.  Amber Wilhelmina Design & Interiors