Design Guide Online Editorial

As a creator of elegant interiors in Dallas for over 20 years, interior designer Margaret Chambers understands the many factors involved in someone's decision to hire any interior designer Chambers excels at interpreting her client's taste - and one way she does this is through her unique niche for hunting down the perfect, timeless pieces for just the right room. Today, Chambers incorporates antiques and heirloom quality pieces for children's nurseries.

With all of the offerings out there, it can be a little overwhelming when you're beginning to create your child's nursery. Here are some helpful hints: Start this special project with a design workbook. Organize it with photos of nurseries and children's rooms you have been clipping out of magazines. Remember to include a room layout of furnishings and budgets. Re-think the furnishings available in your own home. I think you'll agree that the most interesting children's room aren't purchased all at one time. You may have inherited a wonderful English chest from an aunt that would make a great changing table and supply lots of storage. Include a mixture of finishes, such as a hand-painted tea table and chairs or a toy chest and an old iron bed that was your mother's.

Keep an open mind on what you already own. Draw up your room in one-fourth-inch scale on graph paper, showing all four walls and any nooks. Indicate all doors. Include electrical outlets. Plan where the most important pieces will be placed, including the crib, changing chest, rocker, and maybe even an ottoman. If the room is on the large side you might include a daybed/trundle that you can sleep on if baby is sick and later transform it into the first bed for your toddler and a future place for a sleepover guest. Armoires are a great source of storage and usually take up a minimum of floor space. When the crib goes away, that's a perfect place to put a desk and chair. Leave plenty of space in the center of the room for playing. Color schemes are endless! To choose your favorite, start with a baby quilt from your own nursery or favorite fabrics you've been saving. It's fun to mix patterns and colors.

How about area rugs? Whether you have hardwood floors or wall-to-wall carpeting, there are so many fun ones that aren't expensive, and it might be a good place to start. Once your color scheme is established, select paint, wallpapers, and a stencil on the ceiling or a fun mural on that large blank wall. Always coordinate the bathroom with the scheme. How about a big walk-in closet? Lighting fixtures should complement the scheme, such as this antique hanging lantern and iron sconces in the bathroom. I also like to use unusual mirrors over the bath sink, such as a Venetian for a girl or a hand-carved oak mirror for a boy's vanity sink. A small lamp on a table next to the rocker can provide a little night light. Use a floor lamp if there isn't room for a table.

There are an array of fun, unexpected accessories for children's room. Think about antique toile trays, such as (see photo left) that one that I have over the crib with Billy goat horns. Hang a cute wall shelf filled with family heirlooms, old baby rattles, letter blocks, or a hanging christening dress. Use antique tortoise shell in the boy's bath or a great grandmother's favorite paper doll framed above the bed for posterity. Use the four seasons prints to offset a window or prints of your children or an old family member and vintage textiles framed. My goal when designing a nursery is to always have it later become the child's first bedroom. The child will outgrow a crib within three years. That doesn't mean that your child has to outgrow the room. I try to design a useful, fun space that the child can use until at least age 12. By then most children are ready to help design their own room. Have fun, let your imagination go wild, and create a nursery that you wish you would have as a child.

Margaret Chambers, owner of Chambers Interiors and Associates, is a certified designer based in Dallas.

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Related terms: Accessories, Antiques, Designers, Furniture

by: Margaret Chambers