I'm Dreaming of A White Nursery

Hi There! I have a few quick updates on the house and then a slightly off-topic subject to explore with my 14 faithful followers - Sylvie's Nursery. As you can see in the above photo, Sylvie has been living out of cardboard boxes for much too long.

With the cosmetic surgery on the ground-floor unit nearing the end and final reveal, I've been attempting to remain patient and calm. That horrible phase, where we (the house and ourselves) were feeling swollen and bruised, is definitively over; however, the gauze and tape are still not off and I can hardly stand the anticipation! The past week was really productive with all the flooring cut and adhered into place with a lot of help from family friend, Andy Hagen, do-it-yourself extraordinaire, with 30 years of reno experience. We replaced all the electrical receptacles and switches, and installed new plates.

What remains to be done is concentrated to the kitchen and bathroom.

Kitchen: New cabinet doors have been cut, they are awaiting 2 more coats of white melamine paint, and then they will be hung. Appliances have not been purchased yet in hopes that we can get a deal somewhere out there. Anyone have any leads on a white fridge and electric stove? I'd love to be able to fit a dishwasher in there as well but it turns out the cabinet boxes are smaller than standard and we're having a hard time finding a unit that will fit the depth required.

Our Allure TrafficMaster flooring turned out wonderfully. It's a bit dusty in this photo but we're just the biggest fans of this vinyl product. We chose the Rustic color way and it is laid out throughout the entire unit except for the bathroom. The new sconces that we painted black are now installed and look great here.

Peter is shown here prepping the bedroom sub-floor by removing the old carpet nails. This job was well suited to his detail-oriented personality. Laying down flooring, on the other hand, was a bit like traveling backwards in time, going in reverse, or how do you say... counter productive? His son is over my shoulder right now dictating to me what to type, so that's okay, right Pete?

Our angel descending from a cloud of dust...Andy Hagen is here sanding the wood-filler off the sub-floor. This step ensured that there were no cracks or dents underneath the new flooring that could potentially damage its surface.

Bathroom: The vanity and medicine cabinet need to be installed and the walls painted.

Sister Sarah showing us how easy it is to install a toilet if you just follow the directions! Actually, it was a little tricky and another trip to the hardware store was required to find the right size wax ring for the toilet to rest upon. For whatever the reason the toilet kit came with a ring that was the wrong size.

These 12" x 24" ivory and linen-texture tiles were the result of the Ames tile store's carelessness. We originally chose a slate grey color to contrast nicely with the white subway tiles around the tub; however, these tiles were installed before the mistake was found. In the end, we're okay with it as we got the guy to give these to us for free and now the flooring kind of blends in with the rest of the bathroom.

Odds & Ends: Trim, lighting fixtures need to be hung, electric heaters reattached, door jams and hardware installed.

NURSERY IDEAS

To distract myself, I've been daydreaming about a nursery fitting for our sweet, sassy, little Sylvie. She was 7 months old when we moved out of our Philadelphia condo and since then she's been sleeping in a pack 'n play surrounded by cardboard boxes.

Here is our old home..sigh, I miss our 13' ceilings and arched factory windows.

There are a few pieces that we've made or collected over the years that will be cornerstones to the decor:

6-months old and practicing sitting up in her Jenny Lind Crib. Auntie Teresa helped me score this Dwell bedding super cheap at their annual sample sale in Nolita.

Daddy handmade the above birdy mobile from my mom's old scraps of fabric after admiring this below Design Sponge photograph.

I bought this Eames HangItAll at the Cooper-Hewitt Design Museum NY in 2001, way back before the baby, and I'm so happy to be able to share it with her. The colors of the wooden knobs will be the pops of color in her room.

Uncle Jason gifted this embroidered scene to Sylvie on my birthday, knowing that it was exactly what I've been coveting for her dream nursery. It will be the perfect touch of whimsy.

The overall concepts we'd like to incorporate into her nursery are Crafty, Sophisticated, Eclectic, Modern and Handmade. These are images gathered from my favorite design blogs Poppytalk, Design Sponge, Remodelista, Ohdeedoh and others. Send me your favorite renovation/design blogs and sources!

I love the pops of cheerful colors against the white walls and mid-century furniture. It gives off a vintage school charm.

The old-fashioned crocheted blanket and granny cushion seem modern and graphic within these simple settings. Sister Sarah is giving me a lesson on how to replicate these iconic patterns for Sylvie's room.

Sylvie-scaled furniture would be adorable in her new room.

Covering cheap brown clipboards with fun textiles or printed papers could be such a cute way to display Sylvie's mementos.

This nursery strikes the right balance between print, pattern, and solids. The neutral carpeting and solid walls leave room for the fabric window treatments and cushions to shine. I'm envisioning accent fabric like the quirky prints found at Spool - the most amazing sewing store in Philadelphia - for her room. Do any Vancouverites know of a local resource? We have this same crib and this photo inspires me to consider painting it a bold color.

I find these printed textiles totally contemporary, playful, and charming.

I think black is an underused color when it comes to kids rooms and clothing. Here it is sophisticated and imaginative in a New York City bedroom.

I'd love to hear your thoughts and advice and be able to feature your own DIY projects, work, or other renovation ideas here. I'm leaving for a 2-week trip to visit family in LA and upon returning Matt assures me that the unit will be complete and we will then have a new post up to show the fruits of our labor.