Modern Nursery

by Benedict August

These clients longed for a nursery that was anything but typical for the adoptive baby soon to join their family. In our first meeting they didn’t show us magazine clippings of rooms adorned with teddy bears, no fabric swatches with bumble bees, no choo choo trains, no princesses and no Disney characters. Not even blue or pink. Instead Torey slid a beautiful mid century modern globe across the table and said, “We thought this could be the inspiration for the nursery.” The globe itself is unconventional, with the ocean rendered black and countries in bright saturated green, red, orange, and yellow. We returned with a design that is fresh, vibrant, sophisticated and anything but ordinary. The palette is: green, yellow, black, and cream with orange and red accents. Black chalkboard paint covers two walls while a third boasts a custom colored wallpaper map. Random width stripes of green and cream create a lively canopy overhead. A new wall unit anchors the space while providing ample storage. We cushioned and lit the window seat for cozy reading. Incorporating a roll-out changing table helped free up floor space, a precious commodity in this small bungalow. A global theme emerges with the room populated by furnishings from around the world: a rocking chair form Mexico, the bombe chest repainted in green gloss lacquer, the mini Eames chairs, the Danish modern crib. The artful installation of felt taxidermy framed in lacquer surrounded by the numbers 1-9 serves as a whimsical teaching aid. Finally, the room is frosted with details like Jonathon Adler sconces, custom drapes hanging on a lucite rod, and a green shag “animal skin” rug.