I am expecting my first baby soon and I want to start organizing and decorating the nursery. I’ve been given a second-hand natural oak rocking chair and a white painted crib. Can I mix the two colors and textures and, if so, what style should I choose for the changing table and dresser? How do I go about coordinating all of this?
“Congratulations! Decorating a nursery and planning for a baby’s arrival is such an exciting time,” says interior designer Tobi Fairley of Little Rock. “It sounds like you have a great start with furniture, too. I have a few ideas that can help you to pull this room together and give it a coordinated look.
“First off, your painted-white crib sounds beautiful. I love using white furniture in nurseries because it provides such a soft and calm backdrop for the rest of the furnishings. With that being said, I would consider painting the rocker to coordinate with the crib. If you don’t want everything to be white, you could consider bringing in some color that plays well with your bedding and other accessories.”
As for the rest of the nursery furnishings, Fairley recommends also painting the rest of the furniture the same shade of white as the crib to create a natural flow in the room.
Fairley says many new moms who have smaller spaces to work with are opting to use dressers as changing tables.
Multi-purposing a dresser offers more storage while still providing plenty of changing space.
The proper padding needed to make this conversion can be found at most baby boutiques, Fairley says, adding that the theme of the nursery’s bedding could be continued with the changing table.
“I would also suggest placing a small side table near the rocker,” Fairley says. “You’ll want a lamp for nighttime feedings and need a surface to rest other items near the chair.” She also suggests considering having a table skirt made in the same fabric as the bedding to pull the look together and provide a nice, soft touch that helps the room to flow.
Fairley says if you choose not to paint the rocker, there are other ways to pull all these pieces together by coordinating the bedding and drapery fabrics, choosing material with gold tones in them to coordinate with the beautiful wood in the natural oak rocker. Many patterns are available with these undertones or accents that would be appropriate for either a boy’s or girl’s room.
The look can be taken one step further and the room completed by adding in lamps, drapery hardware and other accessories that are also in the same color palette as the warm hues of the oak.Blending these together will provide a common theme and make all of the pieces work together, Fairley says.
“If you decide to go this route, you have a couple of options for your changing table and dresser. I would select pieces that either match the oak finish of the rocker or can be painted to coordinate with the white crib. Introducing a third wood finish or color could complicate the palette, especially if you are working with a small space.” Do you have a decorating or remodeling question? We’ll get you an answer from an authority. Send your question to Linda S. Haymes, Arkansas Democrat-Gazette, P.O. Box 2221, Little Rock, Ark. 72203 or e-mail:
HomeStyle, Pages 33 on 04/27/2013