[The following is a piece I wrote for Project Nursery]
Sometimes when I start working with a new client, they show me a favorite piece or sentimental item that they love and want to use as their nursery inspiration.  They have the inspiration item, but don’t know exactly how to pull a whole room design from it.  This can be anything from an old photograph to a piece of furniture, but either way, it can be daunting to pull a whole room design together.
Below is a nursery design board that I created around a single piece – the rocking chair.  The legs of the chair have a vintage feel in a warm white, so I chose the crib and dresser to flow with that look.  The main colors on the fabric are blue and fuchsia, so I chose blue as the main color and fuchsia as an accent color. To pull in the floral pattern on the cushion, I included some other nature inspired pieces, like the artwork, throw pillow and light fixture.
Crib | Dresser | Rocking Chair | Side Table | Ottoman | Mirrors | Light Fixture | Hanging Planters | Floral Artwork | Crib Skirt | Blanket | Table Lamp | Vase | Throw Pillow | Branch Shelf | Rug
There are a few things that I always consider when I’m using a client’s favorite piece or a sentimental item as the inspiration for a space. Here are my tips on how to design a nursery around a single item.
1. Choose an item that has a color scheme you like. Â If your inspiration item is orange and yellow, but you’ve been envisioning a blue and green nursery, you might consider using that item as an accent, and not as the main inspiration piece. Â You can still showcase a special item in another way, like displayed on a shelf or framed on the wall.
2. Choose a few colors, but not necessarily all of them. Â If your item is multi-colored, you don’t have to use every color in your nursery. Â Choose two or three colors, using one as the main color and one or two more as accent colors.
3. You can also take inspiration from pattern or texture. Â If your item has a pattern or texture, you can use that as the inspiration as well. Â For example, if you have an antique wood cradle, you can use the same wood texture or wood grain in other areas. Â If you have a blanket with a butterfly pattern on it, you can use butterflies in other areas of the space.
4. You don’t have to use the actual item. Â If you have an item that isn’t really your style or isn’t functional for you, but is sentimental, you can use the idea of it to create a theme. Â For example, if you have a vintage crib that has been in your family but may not be safe anymore, you can still create a nursery with the same vintage feel using new pieces to keep the memory alive. Â You can take a photograph of the original crib and display it somewhere in the room.
How have you used special items as your nursery inspiration?
