Baby Lifestyles got Word that I have superhero-comic book nursery and wanted to feature it soon on their "real nurseries" section of their site. So, ladies and gentlemen, here is our version of MTV Cribs: "Little Man's crib edition."
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| View of what you see when you walk in |
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| Across from crib |
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| Superman painting |
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| Coordinating pillow |
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| Leather recliner couch |
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| View from bathroom |
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| Superhero details |
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| Action figures above crib |
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| Crib |
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| Detail of blanket |
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| All fabrics coordinating |
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| Superman blanket custom made |
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| Coordinating superman valance |
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| Painting on the wall next to crib |
Lauren (the editor of Baby Lifestyles) sent me a questionnaire about the room- (please excuse any grammatical or spelling errors- it was right before we left town and I was a tad rushed):
Q. Did you know whether you were having a boy when you started decorating?
A. Yes, we waited to find out he was a boy before we even got started…make life a lot easier.
Q. How would you describe your personal design style? How is the rest of your home decorated?
A. I think my personal style is modern meets vintage. I love a clean and simple look with a touch of retro vintage decor. Our home is more on the modern/contemporary side.
Q. Before it was the nursery, what was this room? How was it decorated?
A. I am a photographer and it used to be my studio. I always knew it would be the nursery one day- so it wasn’t really decorated.
Q. It’s so amazing and bursting with detail, where did you find inspiration for the comic book design?
A. Originally, I really wanted to do a vintage owl (love them) theme whether we had a boy or girl. However, my husband insisted they were not “manly enough” and he brought up comic book heroes…I hesitated but thought if it was vintage comic book heroes with more muted colors…then yes- I am in!
Q. You said people thought you were crazy for doing this theme. Why do you think this is? What do they say when they see the nursery?
A. People would just give us funny looks when I tried explaining the color pallet and theme of the room. I think it just didn’t seem “baby enough” for them. Everyone loves it now that they can see it.
A, Did a decorator help you or did you do this all yourself?
Q. My husband and I came up with the concept- but my mother-in-law has an amazing eye for décor and putting together fabrics. So, she would find fabrics and we would choose…of course she did all the sewing! So yes, we had our own personal decorator!
Q. If you don’t mind us asking, what was your budget for your nursery?
A. I didn’t really have a budget- but we just shopped smart. For instance, I REALLY wanted a really fancy crib I found in a boutique…but settled for something that still had the simple look yet a better price. The couch was purchased in the “as is” section at IKEA because it was pre-assembled. My mother-in-law sewed up the bedding and curtains and we designed the paintings and stretched them ourselves.
Q. What was your nursery decorating timeline? (Did you start when you found out gender or finish before you gave birth? What items did you get first? Last?)
A. Haha our baby came a month early- so, we didn’t really have it finished until he was here. Our first item was the crib- we knew that he definitely needed that. J Décor came later. We are STILL looking for a lamp to put in there in the corner to hang over the couch for good lighting- so, that will be our last item once it is here.
Q. Where do you find all the super hero items?
A. It has been a slow accumulation- but we really created most of what is there. It is hard to find muted colors with superhero so we had to be creative.
Q. If we were entering the nursery, what would we see first?
A. Depends on what door you enter. If you enter from the main entrance you would see the window with the drapery then followed by the crib with paintings. If you entered from the bathroom you would see the leather couch and big superman painting.
Q. Details are what make a room. Take us on a comic book nursery tour.
A. The detail was really in the fabric. See photos…they show the details the best.
Q. I love the pop comic art on the wall. Where is that from? How did you pick the characters?
A. I designed the paintings in Photoshop with images I found from real comic books but changed the color scheme to have them blend together. We then had them painted and my husband stretched them himself to save cost. I really didn’t want “scary looking” superheroes so when we were choosing what to get- I was particular about what could go on the wall. I wanted them to seem happy and heroic- rather then angry and mean. I know that sounds silly, but I just wanted his room to be an environment of encouragement that he was surrounded by superheroes- not being scared to go to sleep at night. Of course I had to put a wonder woman in- represent girl power…she is my favorite!
Q. What are some of your favorite details of the room?
A. I love the paintings! And I love the details of the piping how it matches the fabric from the drapes.
Q. How difficult was it to find the perfect super bedding?
A. It was easy for me- BUT time consuming I am sure for my mother-in-law (thank you Mimi!) who did all the sewing. Everything is custom made- except for the bed sheets (although, we she did make us some extra sheets as well) I am lucky to have her!
Q. Nurseries tend to be the smallest rooms in the house often making furniture difficult to fit. Explain how you decided on your placement of furniture, mainly the crib.
A. Before anything was in the room- we tried different options for the crib (we only have two walls that work) and we chose to put on the opposite wall that you walked in so it kept the room open when you walked in. Plus it was a perfect size to lay out all the squares of superheroes.
Q. How many DIY elements were involved in this nursery? Tell us about your DIY projects.
A. A lot of DIY- like I mentioned, all the fabric items where custom made by my fabulous mother-in-law. Even the Superman emblem was drawn up and cut out to match. We put together the valance by gluing the fabric on a board and stapling it to the back. We then drilled it into the ceiling- that won’t be coming out for a while! I designed the prints in Photoshop and had them painted and my husband stretched them in our garage. The quilt you see in the photo was given to me by a dear friend. Everything is pretty much custom made. I am lucky- I had a lot of outside help!
Q. What’s your overall favorite part of the nursery?
A. All of it! I also really love being able to read to my son on the chair before nap times and bedtimes!
Q. What was your biggest indulgence?
A. The Leather reclining sofa – IKEA leather couches are my expensive than you would think…but it is also my favorite piece of furniture!
Q. What was the biggest challenge of creating your nursery?
A. Finding the time and muscles to put up the valance… I had a lot of help with the sewing- or I would say that would be the most challenging part for me! Once again…thank you Mimi!
Q. To what extent did you factor in how much you would need to change in order to transition this room from nursery to super big kid room?
A. That was one of the reasons we went with a theme that could also be a big kid room. We can convert the crib into a toddler bed and we are good to go. Easy-breezy…nothing else needs to change really.
Q. What’s your advice to other parents out there attempting to decorate their own theme nurseries? I think just do not be afraid to do something even when you get weird reactions. Think of things that can convert into big kid rooms to save on time and money later.
Q. A hot trend is decorating baby’s nursery in similar style of your baby shower. What was your baby shower like? Was it a super hero or comic book theme?
A. I wish!! That would be amazing. We still were still negotiating the theme and design of the room when we had our baby shower. But I have been planning in my mind the most amazing comic book birthday party for our little man. We are also doing a comic book strip photo shoot for our Christmas card. Can’t wait!
Anything else you want to add!
Create a space that you can enjoy spending time together in! Ignore what others think… Go with what you love.
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