A Sophisticated, Soft and Safari Inspired Nursery

Design Plan for: Boy's Nursery
Client: Francis and Ken

(click to enlarge)

Francis and Ken a young, fun-loving couple expecting their first new bundle of joy - a little baby boy they've named "Frankie" - are in the process of leaving their life as renters and purchasing their very first town-home right on time before their special delivery comes home!:) They contacted me and asked that I design an elegant, fun and unique nursery for their little bundle of joy. They initially gave me pretty much free reign on the design choices as long as I kept it "boy-friendly." That was until they saw one of my recent Photography Art Galleries, from my Fine Art Photography Shop, entitled  Wild.  As soon as they laid their eyes on the pictures of the baby animals, they  literally went "wild" (pun intended) with excitment and asked me to design a room around those prints, and of course I  readily consented!  This is the first nursery I have ever designed and I can honestly say with candor that I have never had this much fun on a client project!  I put a lot of thought and emotion in picking every little detail to create the perfect safari-esque escape for this future little ranger:)


Wall Paint and Color Palette. Instead of a juvenile, or overly themey safari decor scheme, I wanted to design something fun but elegant and modern for this young couple. After drawing inspiration from the prints, I decided that a gray similar to the skin of the baby elephant would make the perfect wall color. To lighten and brighten this nursery, I chose a buttery yellow, reminiscent of the African Safari Sunset, for the ceiling. The gray and yellow along with various shades of brown, cream and a dash of sky blue was the color palette I chose to add a bit of baby-fresh softness and calm factor. The paint colors, Benjamin Moore's Gray Horse and Benjamin Moore's Popcorn Kernel in an eggshell finish will set the stage for this beautiful nursery.

Here is a breakdown of the Design Board for Safari Nursery with the numbered items below:

1 - 3. Represents the most important part of the nursery. The crib and bedding, where little junior will (hopefully) spend many restful nights doing what babies do best - sleeping. I chose this elegant, espresso brown crib with traditional lines and the ability to transform later on into a full-grown bed, the head-board can later be dismantled and added to a bed for an adult, definitely a great investment piece for this young family. As for the bedding, this subtle safari themed black and gray fitted crib sheet will work flawlessly with the design. For added softness and warmth  I chose an organic crib matress along with organic cotton cream blankets and flannel throws to make sure baby Frankie is kept extra warm and cozy.

4. This sunny yellow dresser will not only add a stylish accent to the gray/yellow design scheme but will serve as the ideal functional piece to store many of Baby Frankie's clothing and diapers and supplies. It will also double as a changing table, as an added benefit the price was hard to beat.

5 - 7.  Represents one of my favorite pieces of the room. This extremely cool and surprisingly comfortable rattan rocking chair not only brings in one of the popular textural materials used in African Safari design, but is modern and cozy enough to be utilized as the perfect nursing chair. To bring in added cozy factor, this yellow and white zebra print throw pillow, as well as this soft blue flannel blanket that will be draped over the chair will make for the perfect comfortable seating for both mommy and baby.

8. This adorable, stylish and functional zebra print lamp has me smitten. It not only brings in texture and works with the color scheme, but is the perfect smaller size for a nursery and will give a much needed glow for those nights where baby Frankie willl be read or sung to by his proud parents.

9. Are the prints that Francis and Ken chose from My Wild Gallery (which are available for purchase  here) and the ones I built the design of the nursery around. Francis fell in love with the shots of the baby giraffe, elephant and zebra, and I made sure to include elements from all three into the rooms design scheme. These will be printed in  8x10 metallic finish and framed in espresso wood frames with simple white mats. The perfect artwork for this perfect litle safari nursery.

10. The rug that will anchor the room and all the furniture pieces that will be placed above it, while adding softness and style to boot. As soon as I laid eyes on this natural fiber rug in a giraffe print pattern, I knew it was the perfect piece to add to the nursery's gorgeous wood floors without taking away from their natural beauty. This rug is also elegant and versatile enough to later be used in future spaces and design schemes.

11. This black chandelier silhouette pendant lighting will be the ideal ceiling lighting for this baby boy's room. It is a fusion of traditional and modern due to the materials used and masculine enough to pass Ken's requirements for his son's room:)

12. Are the Window treatments I chose for the space. This organic cream cotton curtain panels will provide enough privacy to cover the gorgeous french-door/windows of the nursery. The couple will also be adding bamboo shades to ensure there is enough comfortable darkness for baby Frankie to sleep without interruption.

13. Finally, this most adorable and tender pale baby blue elephant made from organic materials, will be a perfect little play-mate for baby Frankie.

Here is Francis's Testimonial in her own words:

"When I saw your completed Design Scheme and read your consultation, I was literally left without words. All I could do was cry,cry tears of joy (not blaming the pregnancy hormones either:) Ken and I are blown away !!!!! This is exactly what we wanted and so, so much more! What an AMAZING nursery for our precious little Frankie. You have this most incredible of gifts to take one element like your beautiful prints, and create a masterpiece of a space. There aren't enough words to thank you except to say we are extremely grateful and can literally not wait to start putting all of the elements together.I have already ordered half of the items and sent Ken to buy the paint cans! Thank you a million times over!!!!!!!"

Here is one of the Before Pictures of what will become Frankie's Nursery, those windows and floors have me drooling....

Want to transform your own space on a budget? Please fill out my Decor Application Here or email me @ cestlavie.events@gmail.com.