Beach Baby

We are finishing  a baby's  nursery inspired by beach cabanas! Oh Summer is leaving us!

The room is very light and airy. We chose  window treatments that were very similar to these.

We used this  fresh  Newport Cottages crib. The fabric panels on either side of the crib can be covered in any fabric of our choice and are completely removable for reupholstery.

We chose this striped fabric for the panels in the crib.

We chose this bookshelf from Newport. It was painted white on the outside. The inside back wall was painted aqua.

A nice accessory for the bookshelf would be this cute frame from Cici Crib .

For the bedding we did a cute crib skirt, fitted sheet and toddler blanket. The skirt is a seersucker orange with a fine wale cordoroy border.The fitted sheet is an aqua dot. Instead of a bumper we accessorized with a toddler blanket has the same outer fabric as the skirt,  but lined with super soft minky.  All custom made by Bebe Chic.

This area rug would look nice.

I would love  to finish off the nursery with this piece of art. Framed in weathered driftwood, it is just perfect.

Happy Summer!

Oh just a note that Wee Westchester did  a great little post about us on their very cool blog. Thanks Wee Westchester!

See you...

Christina

Bedding for a Little Guy

A very lovely customer was looking for bedding for her son. She was completely taken by the Trina Turk fabrics from Schumacher. How exciting to do kids bedding in something so unexpected. There were so many fabrics to choose from Turk's fabrics are bright and punchy.  So very unique....

We chose this Ikat inspired pattern for the pillows. They will be trimmed in a narrow navy flange.

She needed a coverlet to go with them. We chose a complementary fabric that wouldn't compete with the pillow fabric. This fabric will also trimmed it in navy.

Her little guy loved his new bed. Notice how she mixes it with other traditional elements in the room. It really works..

See you...

Christina

A Ray of Sunshine

When I was a little girl, my favorite color was yellow.  Bright, sunshine yellow. A customer wanted to put a little zing in her daughter's bedding to fit her personality. She wanted it to be simple with a splash. We chose  Serena and Lily's  classic bedding in berry with yellow marni euro shams and a great bolster made by Bebe Chic.

A touch of yellow is just so lovely. Love these rooms...

Lily Z Designs

Palmer Weiss

See you...

Christina

Nursery design in my mind

There are times  a designer misses the concept of what a client is looking for. This is a fine example. I thought the customer would be as excited as I was about this concept. Great clients. Wrong concept.  It mixes touches of blues and oranges with a neutral cappuccino  color. The carpet in this NYC apartment is a Stark neutral. It will remain. The customer is pretty firmly traditional, but would like a more modern nursery. The carpet looks like this..

I wanted to use a grasscloth wallcovering  that had  a delicate orange  trellis.

After I chose it, I saw it was used in the Kips Bay showhouse, in a very large room. As you can see the pattern is not overwhelming.

I designed this long changer finished in white lacquer. It had closed storage on the right  side, drawers in the center and a hamper on the left side. Each piece would come apart and be completely painted. This would allow for future flexibility.  Later on, one could use the hamper and dresser in different parts of the room, for example.

On top of the changer we would affix this standard tray.

The crib is very clean, but  still maintains it's traditional roots. It would be entirely in white.

The glider is the classic glider that I have in the shop slip covered in a linen. The bedding would have dashes of blue and orange. Pic of the side of bumper is below.

Fabrics would be a thin orange stripe piping and ties  with white matelasse  and Annette Tatem soleil orange fabric that is separated by a large ric rac lace.

I wanted to use a 7' round rug that would achor the room.If the baby was a girl it would be this one.

A boy...

Possible artwork.  Vintage educational posters...

Although the client decided not to go in this direction. The ideas will remain in the Cici Crib library....

See you...

Christina

Warhol and the Poodle

It is true that our tastes change over time. I am seeing more clients that would like to refresh their current, relatively newly decorated rooms. The rooms are currently traditional, but they would like to make them more transitional. Add more modern. Give the room lightness. Add something that is unexpected. Ok the last sentence is my theory.  My current client has a little girl that is growing out of her crib. The nursery was very traditional. We will have to keep some of the furniture from the nursery.  Her  crib bedding, named Greta,  was from Serena and Lily. All very lovely.

The pink in the Greta bedding is a bit dusty. It is a tough pink to work with, since it is hard to find complementary pink fabrics.  The old decorator made a valance out of the same damask pink fabric and the walls are also the same pink. Lots of pink!

Realizing how difficult the pink was to match, the mom bought the complimentary sheets for the big girl bed in the same Serena and Lily pattern.  Called Gracie, Serena and Lily has since discontinued it.

So now, my job is to change the nursery into a little girl's bedroom  and add a modern feel to the space. So lucky that this Gracie bedding  can easily harmonize  with some modern elements.   The mom also  bought this fun Andy Warhol print that we will use as inspiration.

For the bed, I would like to do a high headboard upholstered in white faux patent leather.

I found these pillows at the last gift show that will add a little sparkle to the bedding. They are so delicate and sweet. From one of my favorite companies, Sivaana.

At the end of the bed I would like to put this upholstered  brown and white linen storage bench .

We will keep the nightstand.

I found a crazy fun lamp to put on it.  We may change out the shade.  But how fun is it!

We will keep the simple white dresser

And add this mirror.

A nice bookshelf is needed...

A loveseat will sit underneath the Warhol with a very cool fixture

I wish I could blink and it would be done. How easy that would be....

See you...

Christina

Mod Girls Bedroom It's Hip Hermes

Last week a customer picked up her Fall/Winter  bedding for her ten year old daughter's bedroom. This bedding was supposed to be ready at  the end of Sept. 2010. Delayed is not the word. Ridiculously late, is a better description. The factory that made the fabric moved and the production times kept getting pushed out. Back order notices were constant.  I think I get as stressed about back orders as my customers do. I call. I hassle . It is, what it is...  Luckily for me, this customer is so kind. No angry words.  She said she will leave her daughter's Spring /Summer bedding on at this point and will save this set for next September. As she picked up the bedding, I joked that this is a hip Hermes set. Yes, she completely got it!

Last year Hermes created a new site that celebrate it's scarves, Jaime mon carre. It's fun, it's hip, but still so Hermes..

So back to the customer's bedding... The custom bedding set comprised of a duvet cover, 2 euro shams and a boudoir pillow.

I wish I had a picture of the finished bed. Oh well.. Let's dream about the room... Maybe the bed will  have  a white patent leather, tall modern headboard like this..

I saw a dresser in Atlanta last July that can be made in different leathers or faux leathers. I think that would fit in the room..

Also a cool pod chair I saw in NYC..

We need something soft.. A flokati rug for sure.

I wonder how the room turned out..

See you..

Christina

Monkeys everywhere

I sold my vintage sock monkey in the store last week. A bit sad about it. I will miss him.  Another customer picked up her bumper made with this great monkey fabric..

Monkeys are such a popular inspiration for decorating a baby's nursery or a child's room.

Vintage sock monkeys makes their appearance...

New Arrivals bedding and accessories....

Monkeys used in wall stickers...

More  mod monkeys...

Look how Tobi Fairley decorated for her daughter's playroom. Tis the season...

Happy Holidays! See you...

Christina

Boy's nursery of calm colors

Sometimes you know when a client is perfect for you. You hit it off right from the start. I've been working on this nursery in NYC and it will be coming together just in time for the arrival of a sweet  boy. I was so pleasantly surprised when this client wanted to use the light woods of the Duc duc line.

The crib  bumpers   are custom from Henry & Henrietta, one of  most beautiful  bedding companies out there. No need for a crib skirt.

A clean white changer/dresser..

An organic changing pad will be used with a very soft cover..

She will need a little diaper caddy to go next to the changing pad. There are really no modern diaper caddies out in the market.  Maybe we can use this box without the lid..

A classic glider similar to this one in slate blue

Instead of an ottoman, we would like to use this fantastic  leather Hippo.

Next to the glider will be a laquered grass cloth side table

We will use this table lamp, but the shade will be a burlap and the base is an ice blue.

The artwork will be this cute hippo.

I would like to flank the picture with some of my vintage animals from a 1920's Milton Bradley game...

 

The day will soon be here!

See you..

Christina

Touch of Aqua

Mom of 2 tween girls needs to update their bedroom. Everyone loves the aqua, but not in huge doses. The Mom and the girls loved  House Inc.'s  new collection.  House Inc., creator, Annette Tatum, delicately layers  fabrics in such a casual way.  For a room that could have touches of modern, but  is pretty firmly traditional, Annette Tatum is for you. Her combinations are just lovely...

The  fabric they chose the bedding...

Now to integrate the aqua with the pink that is scattered throughout the girls' bedroom.Found great inspiration in House of Turquoise...

Love Toby Fairly's  room as shown in  The Neo Tradionalist.

It will all come together...

See you..

Christina

Alphabet decorating for a nursery

I found these brushed aluminum letters at a flea market not long ago. They are quite large.  The dealer told me they came from  an old car dealership. The letter A went into a little boy's bedroom. We mounted the A on top of a large aluminum framed bulliten board. I still have the letters F and C. I wish I had more. The font is so simple and clean..

Collecting letters and putting them up thoughtfully can be a really fun way of decorating a nursery.

Shabby chic letters in a shabby chic nursery...

You don't need an entire alphabet to make an interesting statement. Just begin by collecting the odd letter at a flea market and look what you can create...

This is one of my favorites...

This is no ordinary mural in this modern nursery...

At Cici Crib, Binth's alphabet poster is oh so stylish.

This print has alphabet whimsy..

Crib bedding with an alphabet pattern.

Many different alphabet directions.

See you..

Christina

Leryn's Nursery

I would say one of the nicest parts of my job is meeting some really good people.  I remember the first time Bari  made her way into Cici Crib. Her smile filled her entire face as she talked about the upcoming birth of her daughter, Leryn.  We discussed many details of the nursery.  After months of planning and waiting, the moment finally came. Leryn arrived in early July.  It' s so nice to see good things happening to good people. Bari wanted the nursery to have a bit of a bohemian feel. Very soft and relaxed.  Perfect for baby. The bedding completely inspired her. It is by Elizabeth Allen.

A petite chandelier was needed in this cozy little nook.

Storage bins from Macbeth were purchased from Bari's registry at Cici Crib.

The artwork is from Oopsy Daisy.

Birdies and butterflies are delicately painted  through out  the room  The inspiration was taken from the bedding, as well as the artwork.

A lovely nightlight fits right in.

And, of coarse, a vintage pin caddy that came from Bari's nursery when she was a baby.

Thanks Bari for sharing your daughter's lovely space.

See you..

Christina

Soccer Decorating

Bummer the US lost. But that has not stopped the kids love for soccer. I came across this great boys bedroom designed by Kate Hume. How fantastic  is this...

I love those light fixtures. What about this one..

Decorating with soccer in mind can just be a matter of touches.  To create nice bedding we could make a eurosham  with soccer fabric and denim piping.

This is fabric is of nice quality..

Mix it with a denim quilt and  shams...

Use a simple white sheet set or mix it up with  a Serena and Lily sheet set to say GO USA...

There is plenty of artwork available that focuses on soccer..

Maybe a distressed hand painted picture will do...

Use a vintage poster...

We can't forget the girls...

See you...

Christina

Art for a little girl's nursery

This Viennese lithograph came into the shop this week. It dates back to the  turn of the century and is in great condition. Colors are clear and the size is quite large. It is absolutely lovely.  It appears that the  young subject is  Herta Zuckermann.

This picture would be a lovely piece to use as inspiration for a nursery or little girl's room.  Maybe create  a little nursery  with European feel. Children's rooms in Europe seem far more relaxed and playful, but not cutesy.

Some  Swedish rooms from Lila Villa Vita   Blog

Vita Nyanser's blog has some sweet children's rooms.

Lot's of old linens and quilts could be used to create a very cozy space.

Simple crib bedding using white pique fabric and a little red gingham piping would work nicely.

I saw this light fixture in Pittsburgh last week. That would be sweet to use.

If it is a traditional nursery then we definitely could use this crib from Newport Cottages.

How one picture can inspire the decor of the entire room.

See you

Christina

Overflowing with Flowers

Flowers were bursting in many store windows around the city last week.

Fantastic paper flowers in Kate's Paperie in Soho.

Completely covering the window at the tasty Teuscher.

Anthropologie in Chelsea showed some  enormous playful  looking flowers. Looks like they were made out of paper mache.

Even Cici Crib has an overflow

Inside there were lots of flowers to discuss. Bedding for a little girl's big girl bed  is inspired by   the nicely exagerated flowers on the fabric of the window treatments.

A possible combination for bedding and a  headboard  to complement the  flowery treatments.

Another customer wanted to look at light fixtures that were not chandeliers. It is her third daughter. The first 2 had lovely chandeliers in their room. So we came up with this white rose wrapped  fixture from Maura Daniel.

After 2 sweet sons, another customer is awaiting the birth of her first little girl.  For her nursery, a delicate floral chandelier was in order..

An then there was the Mom  looking for art for her tween. Art by Jacqueline Shapiro for Oopsy Daisy.

or maybe

Lot's of different styles but one focus, flowers...

See you.

Christina

Soft Cuddly Nursery

I  went to the Stark Warehouse Sale down at the Metropolitan Pavillion looking for a few things. I didn't have much time, but I found some really cuddly, soft, yummy rugs that would be great in a nursery. Like all the blankets, stuffed animals and layettes collections in my shop,  the very first purchasing  criteria in  is the softness factor.  This shag rug was like a cloud.

This rug looked like a pebble path, but is made completely of wool.

This rug looked like a bunch of packing peanuts.

Ok so the rugs aren't the most practical. But given their texture and feel, they are definitely a nesting contender.

So now I am thinking soft. What are the softest things in my shop.

The softest light fixture is the one coming in the shop in April. It is a small version than what is pictured. Chihuly inspired..

Number one mobile is bla bla's The colors are gentle and the lambs are just so sweet.

It's really hard to pick the softest bedding, but today I think it is Lulu Dk baby bedding. 500 Thread count. That lovely cotton sheen. Really stylish and sooo soft.

I would be completely remiss if I didn't mention Lotus Springs layette collection made from milk fiber. I don't think there is any softer.

And finally the softest stuffed animal is by Jelly Cats Bashful Bunny:

See you.

Christina

It's Pink and Chartreuse with flower power

I am working on a really fun bedroom right now. The wallpaper and purchased items are the foundation for   this room. As you enter this little girl's room, you face a wall of windows. It's bright! The Designers Guild wallpaper truly dictates the style of this room. It is wallpaper that grows with a child from nursery to a big girl's  bedroom.

The client purchased some items from Cici Crib. In particular this fantastic desk chair that has a clear back. It is a new take on a classic chair.

I would like  to  use this desk. Love the Chartreuse! I also want to add some gold accents.

I purchased this chaise that desperately needs to be painted and properly upholstered. What great lines. Looks like the 1940's.  Maybe we will use  the hot pink quilted fabric.

I don't want to obstruct the view of the windows so I would like a very simple light fixture. I wish I could use this one, but it hangs too low. We may just reuse the chandelier  that is already in the room.

That's it for now. We will see how this room evolves based on the big client(stylish mother) and the little client's(sweet little girl) needs and personality.

Christina