‘IT’S PEACEFUL YET PLAYFUL’
Lisa turned a bland spare room into a soothing oasis for her newborn
Our old study-guest room worked fine but it wasn’t very attractive,’ says Lisa. ‘However, when my partner richard and I found out that our second child was on the way, it gave us a deadline to turn this uninspiring room into a beautiful nursery.
Nurseries are my favourite room to decorate, as I’m a big kid at heart. You can afford to go a bit crazy and whimsical with the finishing touches. I love Scandi style, and use a lot of whites, greys and natural accents in my home. I knew a neutral palette would work just as well in a nursery, as it’s so adaptable and will suit any age. Also, white walls are better for patching up crayon and finger marks left by our daughter Lyra, now four.
Keeping it bright
I was torn between creating a feature wall and just painting all the walls grey. Eventually we went for an animal-themed wallpaper to go on the wall behind the cot. I applied it myself while eight months pregnant, with Rich’s help. It was hard work, but I was too impatient to wait!
We fell in love with a beautiful cot and decided to splash out on a matching wardrobe. Once I’d finished the walls and added the furniture, I could then get on with the best bit – accessorising. Initially, I incorporated navy accents, but as the room is west-facing, I found that they seemed to suck the light out of the space. Instead, I stuck to brighter tones. I made a hanger for an animal alphabet chart, and also made pom-poms to pretty up the toy baskets. I’ve used pretty, practical storage so plastic toys can be put away.
Creating character
As the room was so empty of personality I wanted to find a way to catch the eye as you walk in. That’s how I ended up creating the white shelving unit,
‘create softness using materials Like wool and wicker baskets,and ADD colour with books and prints’
which is made up of simple matt white shelves and oak-effect wood brackets. I’ve displayed an assortment of fun accessories in various shapes and sizes. The crayons were a cheap but effective way to add a splash of colour and complement the Noah’s Ark and animal prints. Rich and I spent a year travelling around the world before we started a family, so we had to find a way incorporate a globe into the nursery.
Delivery deadline
The project took around two months in total, and the room was all ready for our son Jenson when he arrived in April 2017. I wanted to create a cosy, characterful and practical space for him to play in during the day and snuggle up in at night. The fact that I often find Lyra in here curled up in the chair with a book, or playing with his toys suggests I’ve achieved just what I wanted. I’m particularly proud of the colour scheme I’ve used – grey, white and oak, with splashes of colour and a sprinkling of gold. It’s such a tranquil, calming space and should last our family for many years.’