The newly painted room is now ready to be furnished. Bea Pila decides that the way to go is baby chic, the eclectic style characterized by an emphasis on creativity rather than cash and a liberal use of "diamonds in the rough."
Pila has scoured flea markets and antiques stores looking for furnishings and accessories to create a stylish nursery. In short order she has found lamps, a changing table, a chenille throw, a perfectly scaled chandelier and other accessories that can be given new life with very little cost or effort -- all for less than a hundred dollars!
Not wanting everything in the room to "go together," Pila first paints the changing table to tie in with, but not match, the decor. Next she adds fabric flowers to the vintage boudoir lamps (figure A) and cuts up the chenille throw to cover several pillows (figure B).
The small chandelier receives a draping of crystal beads and a center "pendant" consisting of a silver baby cup and tiny eating utensils (figure C).
Pila explains that the best way to approach a room redesign is first to draw up a floor plan of the area (figure D). Especially in a room such as this one -- with its sloped ceiling, dormers and multiple doors and windows -- it's essential to create a logical traffic-flow pattern; this can be achieved most efficiently by carefully measuring the room and marking all its features and dimensions on the floor plan.
She demonstrates how helpful the floor plan was in helping her decide where to put the furnishings: the crib diagonally in a corner, the changing table along one wall. And she emphasizes that, far from spoiling the look of the room, the off-center windows simply add to its charm.
RESOURCES :
Treasures for Baby: Exquisite Nursery Decorations and Handmade Ribbon Keepsakes
Author: Ellie Joos
Sunset Ideas for Great Baby Rooms
Model: 0376010460
Author: Christine Olson Gedye
$12.95
Paperback
112 pages (January 2000)
Sunset Pub Company
Sunset Publishing Company (Division of Time Warner)
Website: www.sunset.com
Baby's Room: Create-a-Special
Model: 1574862049
Author: Barbara Finwall, Nancy Javier
Paperback
80 pages (July 2000)
Leisure Arts (Hot Off The Press, Inc.)
Website: www.craftpizazz.com
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