Kristi recently emailed in curious about how she can create a gender neutral nursery.  In her own words, she says:

I am embarking on a nursery design project in my home and I would like some ideas if you have any. My husband and I will be refinishing the wood floor and then I can do whatever I would like with it. I am struggling because I would like to have a basic design that would work for both genders but could be customized with each child. We plan on staying in our home for several years so I was hoping that the basics could be gender neutral and then I could switch out bedding, window treatments and wall hangings depending on the gender of the child that is currently in that room. I like the combination of brown/pink and brown/blue. Do you have any ideas that might help me out?

And here is my two cents.  As you know, I have a 2 year old.  When we found out we were having him, I had the same concerns.  I didn’t want to worry about redecorating every couple years.  We decided to keep the walls a neutral tan color and decided to accent the room with blues and greens to give it a more “boy” feel.

I think sticking with an overall brown tone to the room, you should be gender neutral enough and be able to make the room feel more girl or boy once the time comes.  Other colors such as greens– like seaform and limes are also gender neutral.  I think orange is also a gender neutral {and modern too!}; however with the wood floors you mentioned, depending on the stain, it might be too much orange.

Nurseryworks

Whoscutebabies

weeDecor

Design Dazzle

I think the important thing is to stick to your gut and what you like.  Paint is one of the least expensive changes to make in a home.  Even though we kept our son’s room neutral at the beginning, when his personality started to show, I started getting really excited about decorating his room.  We have now paint the walls a dark blue, and are working on creating a space that we feel like reflects him and allows his imagination to grow.  So in a nut shell: have fun, and love the space your in!

How about you, Fresh Nest readers?   Do you have any pointers that will help Kristi?

]]> http://www.freshnestdesign.com/2010/03/10/gender-neutral-nursery/feed/ 0 http://www.freshnestdesign.com/2010/03/09/the-oscars/ http://www.freshnestdesign.com/2010/03/09/the-oscars/#comments Tue, 09 Mar 2010 20:34:18 +0000 deb http://www.freshnestdesign.com/?p=3288 So did you have a chance to watch the Oscars on Sunday? I did! I love watching it for all the fashion statements. And this was my favorite outfit that I saw all night.

Didn’t Cameron Diaz look stunning?  To me, fashion isn’t that far off from interior design.  They are both about assembling and “outfit” — but just in different formats.  Seeing Cameron Diaz’s beautiful dress with subtle accents and jewelry with red lipstick make me want to spruce up the house with a little gold.  She’s glowing and to me, looks so inviting. So here are some gold pieces that could easily be incorporated into any space.

1. Pillow from Walmart
2. Mirror from Target
3. Tile from Home Depot
4. Love Candy in Lemon
5. Modular furniture on freshome

What do you think?  Do you like a touch of gold in your space?

1. Citrus Blossom Dish Set from Walmart

2. Chelsea rug from Plushrugs.com

3. Cecelia Napkins from Crate and Barrel

4. Spire Vases from Home Decorators Collection

5.  Nottingham Pedestal Dining Table from Target.

6. Jasper Dining Chairs from Target.

Asymmetrical Balance and Symmetrical Balance.

Symmetrical Balance is very balanced and even in nature.  It has a sense of symmetry and many times is much like a mirror image.  If you take half the room and mirror it, it will look the exact same! Symmetrical balance is very easy to design and is great for a beginner!

Asymmetrical Balance is just that, asymmetrical.  It uses different elements of design like color, texture, and size variations to appear balanced, even though it’s not a symmetrical mirror image. Asymmetrical balance is a little more difficult to balance out but can be done with a little practice.

Here are some examples and my explanations of how they are balanced:

This one is almost symmetrical, but not quite, therefore I’m labeling it Asymmetrical.  The left side has three different similar colored objects (picture frame, small yellow vase, small yellow bowl) that balance out the two darker objects (green frame, pine cone) of the right side.

This is a great example of asymmetrical balance.  In this photo the artwork on the mantle is not symmetrical.  The white and black accessories, though they take up much more space than the orange arrangement, are balanced well.  By choosing the white candlestick, it blends into the wall and feels less visually heavy than it really is.  Even the furniture is asymmetrically balanced.  The large white sofa balances well with the smaller, darker wood chairs and end table.

This (besides the little purple orchid) is a great example of symmetrical balance.  It’s perfectly balanced between the matching end tables, lamps, and single pillow to add a nice focal point.

Great example of asymmetrical balance (and a great arrangement for a wall with a slanted ceiling line!)  The large sculptures on the dresser on the left seem to balance that side well and are balanced well with the white lamp coming down into the space.  The white lamp actually seems more visually heavy in the space because of the high contrast between the light lamp and the dark wall paint.

This is another great example of asymmetrically placed accessories on the mantle.  Imagine the mantle with just the circular mirror and the two picture frames.  It’s not balanced with just that!  By adding the dark book holders and small accessories in front of the gray framed picture it’s visually balancing the darker frame and print.

Hope you enjoyed the lesson!  (Click on the photo to be taken directly to the source.  There are more examples of asymmetric vs. symmetrical design.  It’s a lot easier to see symmetrical, but sometimes the asymmetrical designs can be less obvious.)

Don’t you just want to run out and replace your front door now?

1. Fabric Covered Push Pins from PaperPumpkin on Etsy.

2. Pear shaped Terrarium by Doodlebirdie on Etsy.

3. Dessert Plates from HopeJohnson on Etsy.

4. Hummingbird Thomas Paul lamp from Design Public.

5. Nest pillow from Pottery Barn.

This hutch as seen in Canadian House and Home was the inspiration for the plans for the hutch below!

This is what the finished piece will look like, go here to see the full list of instructions, supplies and everything else you need to get started!

These are some of my favorite shelves from Pottery Barn Kids, but at a hefty price tag of $900, not always affordable!

Ana shares the plans and finished shelves with us…and the best part is that she spent only $60!  She’s a genius!!

Worried about not being able to build these pieces?  Check out her newly created Flickr Gallery to see what people just like you have been building with her plans!  I can’t wait to get back into a house so I have a garage to build some new furniture in!

Enjoy!

]]> http://www.freshnestdesign.com/2010/03/02/diy-furniture-knock-off-wood/feed/ 1 http://www.freshnestdesign.com/2010/03/01/monday-redesign-nursery/ http://www.freshnestdesign.com/2010/03/01/monday-redesign-nursery/#comments Mon, 01 Mar 2010 14:32:18 +0000 deb http://www.freshnestdesign.com/?p=3194 Is it Monday already again? Seriously!  Where do the weekends go?  I hope you had an enjoyable one and were able to spend time with family and friends, or take a break, or get some projects done around the house.   Or do whatever you love to do on your weekends.  We spent the weekend with family and friends and resting after all the craziness that’s been going on around us.  Traveling really takes it out of me and I seem to pay for it for weeks.  Anyone else?  Today I thought I would share a little bit of fun and a little bit of serene in this nursery redesign.

And now for a break down of the goodies.

1. It all started with this cute polka dot bedding that I found at Land of Nod {which is Crate & Barrel’s kids line– they have cute, cute stuff!!}  This bedding has a more boy feel to it so I started planning the room to lean a little more boy.
2. I love having inspiring pieces that have some educational value on the wall of a nursery.  I found this ABC wall art over at Etsy– and it comes in many different colors so it would work for any room.
3. I really love this rug and am tempted to buy it for my son’s room.  It doesn’t have a cheesy nursery feel to it, and should be able to grow with you over time.
4. And of course your need a great glider in the nursery for those late nights.  I love the high back on this chair and it’s clean look.
5. And you may recognize this light from an earlier post.  I can easily say I’ve fallen in love with it.  I love the color pop it adds to the room.

I hope you’ve enjoyed this fun nursery design.  What fun things have you been working on lately?

Here is a bathroom remodel from the Birdhouse portfolio. We wanted something a little bolder and updated but didn’t have a huge budget to work with so we mixed both local retail sources and major chain store items in order to get a custom look for a reasonable price.

Beautiful, right?  Here’s where we found the goodies:

• Vanity – Home Depot
• Light – Lowe’s
• Floor tile – Lowe’s
• Wall tile – McKean’s
• Mirror – Target (on sale!)
• Paint – Valspar Semi-Sweet

I think it is more important to design an appealing space with nice lines and comfortable layouts than focus entirely on sourcing everything through obscure vendors that can be extremely pricey. I believe in mixing high and low priced items and doing the most with what you have. There is no need to be snobby since there are stylish and chic pieces everywhere.  If you find something amaing that really speaks to you then that may be worth splurging on.

And here is her After:

Can you believe the difference?  Her total cost was just above $1000 and she was able to make a completely different space!  Be sure to visit her site to see how she completed it and tips on how to find the best stuff at your thrift store!  Great job Cara!

Want to show us your great DIY projects?  Contact us here.