Oliver's Nursery: Sources and Projects

Thanks for all your feedback yesterday! In addition to the nice notes on the blog and facebook, I have been assured by my mother, who visited Oliver yesterday, that the room is much better in person.

As I mentioned, Oliver's nursery was a total labor of love. I think it took Nicole and I three or fours days to completely finish the continent painting, Nicole learned to sew in order to trim out the white curtains, and her mom took a community ed refresher sewing class AND enlisted the help of a neighbor to sew the striped cushions for the storage bench, not to mention all the many small projects along the way.

The deets: where it all came from, how much it cost.

Storage benches: Ikea Trofast, $39.99 each, with plastic containers and shelves, $188 total
Green awning stripe fabric: Ikea, 5 yards at $7, $35 total
Foam, piping, and zippers for striped cushions: about $60
Plaid throw pillows: 1 yard fabric, S.R. Harris, $7.49; velvet remnant (on backs), $2.50: Total $10
Nickel curtain rod: JC Penney: $30 (on sale)
Curtains: Ikea Merete, $19.99, trimmed with two yards of striped fabric from S.R. Harris, $14: total $34
White frames: Target, $7.99 a piece: $24 total
Dresser knobs: Pier 1, $28 for two sets of four (no longer available)
Mirror: Home Goods, $39.99, spraypainted Rustoleum dark bronze (which I had on hand)
Lamp: Home Goods, $29.99
Orange tote bags: Old Navy, $16.99 each (no longer on the website, but I think you can still get them in stores?)
Nickel robe hooks for tote bags: Target, package of 2, $3.99
Paint: California Paint (no VOC) in Coastal Sand, one gallon, about $40

TOTAL: $556.95

A few of the detailed projects:

Curtains before

After


Mirror Before


After


And please pause to appreciate the orange piping on these striped cushions, and the perfect alignment of the stripes. Amazing job, Sharon!


Let me just say, I am SO glad I was not the one to tackle this endeavor.

Finally, two big points about what we didn't change.

We could have changed the wall color before we started down the path of painting murals. But the homeowners liked the pale green, painting all those slanted walls and cove ceilings would be a pain in the arse, and once we decided to do a mural, we needed the windows to kind of disappear. Since they already had custom roman shades that matched the walls, repainting also would have meant new window treatments, and we simply didn't have the budget. Plus: not broken, don't fix.

And, the carpet. Kind of blah neutral carpet. We couldn't change it--again, budget, plus it runs through the rest of the upstairs--and I'm not really a fan of layering rugs over plush wall to wall. Sisal? Sure. But anything with a pile, well, it's not my favorite look. Plus, budget. I do think that by choosing a color for the continents that is quite close to the color of the carpeting, it makes it all feel deliberate. And with the furniture more balanced out, I really think the wall to wall makes the room look huge and airy, so it all works out in the end!

While it is so nice to have this room done, I have to say, I will miss hanging out with Nicole and Oliver. But she assures me we will do the rest of the house together--once she wins the lottery.

As for the rest of you. If you'd like help transforming your home into a space you love, on any budget, email me at heatherjoypeterson@gmail.com for design services and rates.