I did it! I finally settled on a color scheme for the nursery, and it’s all thanks to a Safavieh rug I found on Overstock. Not only does it feature the polka dots from my original nursery design, its bright color palette is perfect for a little boy’s room – both as an infant and a toddler.
overstock.com
The warm yellow dots coordinate perfectly with Benjamin Moore’s Hawthorne Yellow, with which the Mr. and I painted the nursery walls last weekend. It was our first experience with BM’s Natura zero-VOC paint, and we weren’t thrilled with it. After two coats the finish looks good, and there was hardly any smell. However, the first coat looked terrible. Since Natura paint dries faster than regular paint, we should have painted one wall at a time instead of edging all the walls first. Lesson learned!
Now that the color scheme is set, my next step is to determine the fabric for a roman shade and a crib skirt. Mom and I went to Calico Corners to pick up a swatch of the fabric I had my eye on – “Luke” in lime and white:
I thought it would pick up the green polka dots perfectly, and it did. The problem? This particular shade of green looks horrible against Hawthorne Yellow. Fortunately we picked up swatches of Annie Selke’s “Tala” fabric, in citrus and bluemarine, so I had something to compare it with.
The citrus shade poses the same problem as the lime, but Mr. JC and I love the way the dark blue contrasts with the yellow walls.
Because we have such oddly shaped window frames, I decided to order a custom roman shade from Calico Corners. For $300+, we need to love both the color and the fabric. The Tala print is, according to the hubs, bordering on feminine. We can’t have that, can we? My next step is to pick up some swatches of solid blue fabric. Using a solid will be more versatile, so it will stand the test of time and my ever-changing opinion on prints. To bring an additional print into the room, Mom and I will pick a different fabric for the crib skirt.
Progress is slow, but the room is coming along!
I like all of you selections!
I LOVE the rug. You are so right, it’s perfect for a little boy and a toddler. I think the blue will look amazing for the roman shade too. I had roman shades made for my family room from Calico Corners two years ago, and I LOVE them. I used money we got as a wedding present for the splurge. Do you have their latest coupon for 15 percent off fabric and 20% off labor? If not, I will mail you mine. Let me know.
I love the tala fabric! And honestly I don’t think it’s too feminine…but try some of AS’ other bluemarine prints..there’s a lovely subtle tonal zigzag that could be perfect.
And that rug is a fantastic starting point. Congrats!
Perfect! I love that rug
Dear Laura–
I enjoyed reading about the process of redecorating your nursery…and I also don’t think that TALA is too feminine a pattern. The motifs are really stylized leaves–I think it’s gender neutral. And actually, having a pattern in the fabric will disguise more stains than if you select a plain dark fabric. You could add a wide blue band along either the outer vertical edges of the shade, or along the hem if you want to detail the Roman shades.
Your friend is right about Calico Corners having a great sale this month–a perfect time to start a redecorating project as both fabric and custom labor are on sale. And you don’t need a coupon–just go into the store. The sale ends March 27. Happy decorating!
Best,
Jan
The colors are just perfect. It will be such a classy nursery!
From the photo the fabrics all look perfect with the rug. All great fabrics. I like that you picked a fun rug that will stand the test of time in your son’s room. Also, I could see the same rug used in a playroom or media room. So versatile.
Have tons of fun decorating this room. There really isn’t a decorating project more fun than a nursery.