Neutral Nursery Design

I've never designed a space for another person before. In fact, that wasn't even the plan for Rennai. You see my dear friend and photographer is pregnant with a beautiful rainbow baby. She has gone through two losses before this pregnancy, and so celebrating this baby is scary and hard and wonderful all at the same time. 

So designing a special space for this baby is party therapy, part scary, part exciting for Rennai. She knew she wanted a rocking chair from Article. She chose the Embrace chair, which completely lives up to its name. It's so beautiful and comfortable. 

With a rocking chair chosen and crib that she already had from her previous kiddos, the room was already taking on a mid-century modern vibe. She doesn't know the gender of this baby, so we tried to keep things fairly gender neutral. Although, it started leaning more boy to the end. That's nothing that a swap of bedding and the art can't fix though.

Whenever you put a rocking chair in a nursery make sure there is a table to set things down next to. You'll need it for bottles or a breast pump or your own water bottle. It's a MUST have. 

After doing this with Rennai it really made me want to help other friends design spaces. I don't know if that's in the cards for me right now, but maybe one day. 

Photos by Rennai Hoefer

Article Sven Sofa Review

This post is sponsored by Article.

Shopping for a sofa is worse than shopping for jeans. Can I get an amen?! It's hard because you can't exactly try on sofas, they are really expensive and there are so many styles to choose from. I have had four different sofas in my family room and none of them have worked until now. FOUR! This is why you should look no further than Article when you are choosing your sofa. You get good design, comfort, quality and price all in one sofa. Plus, it's shipped to your door and you have a 30 day return policy in case you don't like it.

This Sven sofa caught my eye awhile ago. It was between Article and West Elm, and I chose West Elm at the time because I knew the brand. Long story short, the couch was nice, but way too deep and my former husband took it in our divorce. So, here was my chance...to do it right this time. It was time to go for the Sven. I had kept seeing it pop on Instagram over and over again, and rave reviews one after another. 

But before I bit the bullet on the Sven, I got to experience these green velvet beauties. And then they arrived, and I touched and felt and saw the quality and craftsmanship of the chairs. There was ZERO doubt in my mind that a sofa from Article would be top notch too.

I went with the Birch Ivory Sofa because after purchasing three shades of gray and one brown sofa I knew the space needed a lighter color. I loved this birch textile because it wasn't stark white. It has texture to it and is an oatmeal color with specs of browns. It's rich, soft and comfortable. Even with two kids that are walking stain hazards, I know this is still the best one for me.

I summed up my main three takeaways from my sofa chronicles below. I hope this helps you make a wise investement. 

1. Always choose comfort over style.  There are a lot of pretty sofas out there, but they aren't all comfortable. If this is a sofa that you are going to be sitting on a lot over the years, don't sacrifice comfort for style. The goal, of course, is to find a sofa with both. That's what I found with Article's Sven sofa. 

2. Don't scrimp on quality just because of prices battles. There are a lot of inexpensive sofas, but you will get what you pay for. I know that to be true because I bought cheaper sofas in the past and they were terrible. The Sven sofa is only $999! That sofa would easily sell for $2,300 in other stores with that kind of quality and crafsmanship. Such a steal!

3. Don't be afraid of online shopping. I bought a sofa in-person and it turned out to be terrible. Online shopping gives you the ability to read reviews and see other people's experiences. And a good store has a good return policy. Article has an amazing one.

Photos by Rennai Hoefer

TukeeAZ April Article - Color

I had another opportunity to contribute to TukeeAZ, and chose to talk about color. Maybe white pants are the biggest fashion risk for you right now, but this article explains why color is important this season and how you can start embracing it.

You can view the online version of the magazine and read the article by clicking here.

If you live in Ahwatukee, AZ, you can pick up the April issue at the local AJ's Fine Foods, Hillside Spot or on your front porch.