There are a few things about Benjamin’s nursery that I look back and think: Man, I should have done that differently. My challenge was to be creative, bold, and most importantly, work outside my comfort zone for this project. My normal color palate usually consists of greys, blues, browns, creams, and well, that’s about it. Adding bright greens, yellows, and [gasp] red to this room was a giant leap of faith. For the most part, I think it worked out alright. But there are always things that don’t turn out exactly according to plan or I should have put some more thought into before moving forward.
Here are a few of ‘em:
Problem #1: Blackout Curtains (or lack thereof)
We recently installed new shades for the entire upstairs but because of the additional cost of blackout material, I argued that we only needed the sun-blocking shades in the two east facing rooms: the guest room and master bedroom. Ben’s window is to the north and I figured that he wouldn’t get enough light to make the blackout blinds necessary.
Not the case:
Even with the shades down and the curtains pulled, his room is still pretty bright. While it’s fine at night, it isn’t helping the daytime napping situation.
Solution:
I’ve ordered some blackout material from the fabric store that I’ll slip in behind the curtains. It won’t be as effective as the shades but we’re hoping that it’ll provide at least a bit more darkness.
Problem #2: Artwork Placement
If I’d been really thinking ahead, I would have swapped a few artwork pieces around. Namely, I would have put the tree decal behind Benjamin’s crib and had the south wall available for my family picture montage. Since we decided that the glass and wood picture montage wasn’t a good fit, safety-wise, in the spot above the crib, we don’t have many options here as the two remaining walls are small/odd-shapped.
Solution:
A compromise. We’ve decided to move all the framed family photos to the hallway and installed the posters above the crib instead. The family pictures won’t make an appearance for a while though as we still need to paint and finish the hallway.
Problem #3: Too Much Avocado Green
I was trying to match the color of the green on our circus flags with a few elements of the room, namely: the nightstand, the lunch box, the picture montage, and the poster hangers. Unfortunately, the closest color they had at Home Depot was avocado green. Which I like in small quantities. But were I to do it again, I would have searched around a bit more for a more accurate match. One that was slightly more grass green.
Solution:
None. I’m just going to live with it. It’s not that big a deal.
Problem #4: Appropriate items for a messy/spit-uppy/put-everything-in-mouth/get-into-mischef child
I. Benjamin is going to have great fun pulling the flowers off this pillow (tutorial here).
I loved the design when I saw it in a Martha Stewart magazine a few years back but it wasn’t until I made it that:
a) it’s simply too tempting for a child to resist yanking on those flowers - which are only stitched in place
b) how are you supposed to clean it?
c) why did I think that this particular yellow was an attractive shade?
II. Give him a year but he’ll start peeling the decal off the wall (decal application tutorial here).
Guaranteed.
I was going to paint the tree but didn’t think I had the creative ability to pull it off successfully.
Frankly, I’m ok with its eventual demise. I love it now but will probably be ready for something new by the time it meets its end at the hands of a mischievous little kiddo.
As they say, hindsight is 20/20. We learn something new everyday. Now it’s time to get working on a new room.
Frankly, I’m ok with its eventual demise. I love it now but will probably be ready for something new by the time it meets its end at the hands of a mischievous little kiddo.
As they say, hindsight is 20/20. We learn something new everyday. Now it’s time to get working on a new room.
