LEVI'S NURSERY REVEAL

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Levi is officially six months old today. I can't believe it! Time has gone by so quickly. In honor of his half birthday, I am revealing his nursery design done by Oilo Studio. It's the most beautiful and cozy space I think I have ever been in. I love everything about it, and I'm so thankful that I can give this experience to my son.

When we moved in, the original space was painted lime green, had an outdated ceiling fan and window coverings that didn't do much to block out light. We repainted the walls Westhighland White and then painted an accent wall Anchors Aweigh blue provided by Sherwin-Williams. We selected a flat finish and used their low VOC Emerald line. The paint alone was transformational.

To dress up the windows and create more darkness, we hung a gold curtain rod with white sheer curtains from Bed, Bath and Beyond. The window actually has a slight arch to it, so Annalisa Thomas from Oilo had the genius idea of covering the arch with a wooden roman shade to make the window appear rectangular and create clean lines.

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The rug from Lulu & Georgia was the anchoring factor for the room and the inspiration behind the color palette. I wanted something masculine-feeling, and liked the idea of mixing mid-century modern design with traditional elements. (To see a contrasting girl room, check out Elle's big girl room reveal). The round gold mirror makes such a statement too, and is another traditional element that complements the rug. When I pick Levi up after a nap and look at the pair of us in the mirror he always smiles at himself, and, of course, I smile and then want to freeze time forever. Having a mirror in a nursery is not only beautiful, but fun for baby too. Just make sure to secure really, really well and move the crib away from the wall.

The mid-century elements that are in the space are the side table, planter, gray wingback chair, bubble chandelier and credenza. Every single item is so cool and beautiful I would put it in any space in my home. The chair is perfect for me to read stories to both Levi and Elle. Elle particularly loves to take the stool over to Levi's crib so she can talk to him after he wakes up from his nap. It's the cutest!

Having a side table right next to the chair to set his bottles down on after a feeding or set books on after we've finished reading them it very convenient. When I was nursing I was always looking for a place to set my water on or my breast pump on. I highly recommend investing in a comfortable chair and a side table to go with it. The chair and table are both from Joss & Main.

Annalisa found the coolest chandelier on ShopCandleabra.com. Even though ceiling fans are nice to have they aren't the prettiest. I've taken most of them out of every room in our house and just added a high powered floor fan. My husband wasn't a fan initially, but once he saw the impact of a light fixture and how it elevates a space he became a believer. 

The white crib and the mid-century modern credenza were pieces I had from Elle's nursery. I'm so glad that they worked with this space too. Oilo Studio makes gorgeous, quality bedding for cribs. I have had my eye on this gray and white Zara pattern crib set for a while, and it was such a nice pairing with navy and the traditional pattern in the rug. I wouldn't have put all of these textures and patterns on my own. It really shows you what a designer can do for you. I always end up making things very matchy, matchy.

Living in Arizona, we have cacti all around us. The desert landscape is so beautiful, and I'm so proud to have both of my children be native Arizonans. Annalisa found artwork of a saguaro cactus and prickly pear cactus by WilderCalifornia to breathe Arizona into the space. 

I really wanted to have real cacti in the room as well, but they are obviously dangerous for children. Instead, I found these modern, brass hanging planters and put tiny little cacti in them. I also planted a fuzzy cactus in a small pot and placed it at the top of Levi's bookshelf. Modernica makes high quality, modern planters, and I was able to find a needless cactus to keep beside his crib. It looks perfect with the modern planter. Fiddled fig trees are all over Pinterest, but I don't have a green thumb. Cacti is as close as I get. I was able to find a faux fig tree at Home Goods, and then I placed it in a woven basket, which I also found at Home Goods.

Of course, there has to be some kid elements in the space. The Land of Nod has some of the cutest trinkets and toys for kids. I love this hippo, these gradient blocks, and these soft blocks so much I wanted to display them as much as have Levi play with them. This gold music ball from Design Life Kids was a modern take on a classic childhood toy. I displayed them all on this unique modern bookshelf from Joss & Main. You can style it a million different ways, but I have kept it pretty minimal for now. Elle is hoarding all of the baby books in her room right now. haha.

It's such a joy to walk into this room every day whether it's to change a diaper, feed him at 2am or play with him on the floor. I don't take these luxuries lightly, and I know how much even having a dedicated room for a baby is is a luxury in and of itself. I can't thank Oilo Studio enough for all of your hard work and vision. If you're interested in learning more about the design process for Levi's nursery, be sure to check out Oilo's blog.

ELLE'S NEW ROOM

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When we moved into our new home last August I was 8 months pregnant with Levi and exhausted. The last thing I could think about what decorating a house, but I knew that making a special space for Elle was a priority. After all, she was going through just as many big changes as we were and trying to comprehend it all at the age of 3. She would talk about her "old house" and sometimes cry saying how much she missed her polkadots (I would start crying too). Her old room had rose gold dots on the wall, and it was her comforting, safe-have. It was all she had known up until now and it was gone, so I knew I needed to find some time and energy to make a cool, new place for her to love.

Elle said she wanted her room to be pink, so we compromised with pink, black and white. I love girly things, but used my editing eye to balance the feminine color with timeless black and white. I took to Pinterest, and I started pinning all sorts of inspiration. You can check out the full Pinterest board here: http://www.pinterest.com/alexandraevjen/girl-room-w-land-of-nod/ 

One of the first things we did was upgrade her to a daybed from her toddler bed because Levi would soon need the crib. I chose a white IKEA day bed that turns into a two person sleeper in the anticipation of slumber parties. With a pink ruffled duvet cover and a ton of throw pillows it became the perfect mix of girly and modern. We painted half her wall black similar to a wall we had in our old house. I toyed with the idea of the other half being gold, but I couldn't find gold interior paint that I liked.

Land of Nod was our one stop shop for all of the bedding and curtains. I couldn't resist the gold geometric lamp and the striped rug either.

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She had an IKEA bookshelf in her old nursery, and we painted the back of it black to help tie everything together. He brother has most of the baby books now, but I know over the years her book collection will grow and maybe we'll even start to see Seventeen Magazine on the shelves. 

Some items that I included in her room that were Pinterest inspired were a woven wallhanging, a steer skull and a gallery wall. I also couldn't resist putting in a cool pendant light instead of a ceiling fan. I found this one on Wayfair for $219. You can always just put a portable fan in the room for hot nights, right? =)

Now that the room is complete Elle doesn't mention her polkadots anymore. Instead, she jumps off her big girl bed, reads stories under the covers and sleeps soundly in her new house. I love being in her room almost as much as she does. Thanks, Land of Nod, for making great products for parents and kids to enjoy!

Photos by Rennai Hoefer.