Malia's Jungle Nursury

Hi Christine,

First of all, I loved the nursery you did and want to thank you for the inspiration to finally DO something with our soon-to-be nursery.

Here is the picture of the tree your mom did for us today. The blue tape is where I want to put some wall shelves. The second shelf is just as long as the others, but isn't shown as such because of the paint.
We are going to be putting a rocking chair of some sort to the left (which we will probably need your help with as well!) and the toy chest will remain there.
I also attached a picture of our crib set. We have the hamper, diaper holder, and bedding. We also have the mobile and valance, but I don't know if I want to use them. What do you think?

My questions:
1. What do you think of the spacing and placement of the shelves? It currently is one foot apart with the shelves being 3 inches, leaving only nine inches of space to put things.
2. What should I put on the shelves?
3. I'm leary of introducing too many more colors because the dresser (bottom left) and crib is honey, while the toy chest and shelves are darker brown. What color frames should I look for?

Thank you so much for helping us!
I can't wait to hear your suggestions.

Malia

Dear Malia,

I am sorry that it has taken me so long to respond to your question. I wanted to go over to a friend's house and take a picture of her wall shelves, but it is just taking me too long, and you are going to have your baby!! So- I will just tell you what I wanted to show you. First of all- your tree is awesome! I love how understated it is! Very cool!

1. Your shelves look great. If you haven't already hung them, you might consider putting them a little further from each other, but if they are already up- don't worry about it, it will look great. With that spacing, it is perfect for 4 x 6 and 3 x 5 photos.

2. What should you put on the shelves? This is what I wanted to show you. My friend Shelby did such a fabulous job on her wall shelves in her living room. She has TONS of pictures. All black and white if I remember correctly. So many pictures that you have to move them around to see them all. It is a great look. This is one idea. Another idea? Combine picture frames with stuffed animals, and books with book-ends. You can also find "jungle" type children's books, and set them on easels. Cute wooden toys with a jungle theme would also be nice. Keep it simple, consider adding a spotlight above the shelves/tree mural with a dimmer on it. That would make a nice night light.

3. For your frames- pull out your paints. Wouldn't this look cute- paint them the prints of the letters at the top of this post. (I found the letters on poshtots.com). Or - better yet- get your mother-in-law to paint them! You could intersperse these decorative frames with some painted a solid green, gray and yellow, (using the other colors in your bedding).

I would skip the valance- a little too cutesy in my opinion. The mobile? -- either way. My friend Marika just did a fabulous jungle room for her baby Isaac. Marika- will you send pictures please?

Congratulations on your baby coming! Send us a picture of the final look!

- Christine

FENG SHUI FOR THE NURSURY

I wanted to go a little deeper for Cara- as she design's her daughter's bedroom. I thought the showcase house I did in 2004 was another good example.

Cranky children that do not sleep well can cause us to too easily forget all the wonderful aspects of raising a child. Even the newest of mothers quickly learn how important it is for baby to sleep well. As a mother of FOUR, I have learned that a well-rested child is usually content, well trained and agreeable. The mornings are always so much more pleasant at my home than the few hours before bedtime (my personal least favorite time of the day).

In designing the nursery for the 2004 Designer Showcase Dream Home, I incorporated Feng Shui techniques to make it a haven for rest! Relying on ideas from Feng Shui for Children’s Spaces, by Nancilee Wydra, and drawing from real-life experience with my own children, I incorporated those elements that would enable a child to easily quiet down and relax by just being in the room.

Color is an inexpensive and beneficial place to start for creating a dream nursery. Greens, blues and purples fill this space. The soft colors, low in contrast to one another, are relaxing and encourage quiet activity as well as sleeping. The colors are not pure and vibrant, but rather grayed and more subtle. When selecting a color scheme for a bedroom, choose soft colors that are next to one another on a color wheel, like blues and purples, rather than opposite one another, like yellows and purples. The higher the contrast, the more the color scheme will inspire action and movement. High contrast and bright colors may be an excellent choice for a playroom or bonus room, but they are not exactly what you want at naptime!

It is essential to consider that different children will have different needs. A sad, melancholy child could benefit from a soft yellow, which cheers. But instead of combining yellow with high-contrasting blue, use a soft green, or a subtle peach. And what if red is your child’s favorite color? Is it not allowed at all? Of course not- simply combine it with soft tans and blues and put the red on the bed skirt, where it won’t be seen when it’s time to slumber.

While murals are gaining fast popularity in homes, especially children’s rooms, not all murals are ideal for a young person’s space. The subtlety of the mural in this dream nursery inspires peace rather than uproar. The same rules apply with artwork as with wall color. By keeping the colors soft and low in contrast, your child will be calmer and will rest more easily.

The soft window treatments that adorn the windows in the Dream Home Showcase nursery were selected for their ability to diffuse light, creating a cozy environment, even for middle-of-the-day naptime. The floor pillows in soft muted colors encourage quiet play. Mom can settle down with her little one for a bedtime story next to their paper moon light, which subtly diffuses the reading light.

It is significant to consider the contour of an area when creating a room for baby as well. While diagonal lines encourage activity and movement, the soft circles found in this room inspire a calming sleepiness. The curvature is repeated throughout this space as seen in the round crib, rotund ceiling art work, circular rug, spherical light, and curved changing table motif.

Feng Shui experts agree that every room in your home should have a form of sound. With studies illustrating how noise is an essential ingredient for a child’s development, the nursery is certainly one place not to be overlooked for some sort of reverberation. You don’t need constant classical music (although that would work). Something as simple as a ticking clock will enhance child development.

Texture is another element that can be used to a child’s advantage in a nursery. If you want your child to use the room primarily for quiet activities and sleep, use textures that are fine rather than coarse, open weaves rather than tightly woven fabrics, soft rather than rigid, matte rather than shiny, and smooth rather than rough. Patterns with small repeats will also be more soothing than bold, larger patterns.

Clean, uncluttered spaces are vital for encouraging relaxing and sleeping in anyone’s bedroom, but especially for baby. When the child’s bedroom doubles as a playroom, this beacons the need for storage solutions, which put the toys out of sight.

By following simple techniques in selecting the color, lighting, and texture for your baby’s nursery, you too can create a peaceful place that will encourage rest and happiness for your new addition.