There’s no rule that says a nursery has to feel like, well, a nursery. In fact, given how much time you spend in there rocking, feeding, changing, playing, pacing the floors with a colicky baby (wait maybe that last one was just me), I’d argue that the room should really delight you.
Enter the airy, light-filled, altogether perfect nursery that Dallas designer Jane Waggoner created in a historic Georgian Revival Swiss Avenue estate for a young client. With whimsical elements tempered by clean lines, timeless furnishings, great art, and a (really) giant giraffe, the space manages to feel at once childlike and sophisticated.
We asked Jane to give us the breakdown on her dreamy space.
- The neutral palette and graphic take on a childlike theme in my Wild Thing rug from my Petit Chou Children’s Collection was the jumping off point for the rest of the room. As with all my rugs, Wild Thing is GoodWeave certified to ensure no child labor, hand-tied, contains 100 knots per inch, and is 100% wool. The idea for the rug came from a sketch my uncle did for my daughter Madeline when she was a baby. I love that it represents how things have come full circle in my work, as the home of my aunt and uncle, both visual artists, is one of my greatest design influences. They lived in an old house decorated with mid-century modern classics and touches of whimsy, filled with books and original works of art. It was an eclectic wonderland of old and new, traditional and contemporary, classical and modern.
- The large print of the rug is balanced by a smaller pattern on the stool. I used Galbraith and Paul’s hand printed Small Star in midnight on upholstery linen (available through David Sutherland.) The scale and artful, hand drawn feel makes it a perfect fit for a child’s space.
- My goal in decorating a child’s room is similar to my principal for my children’s rugs — whimsical without feeling childish. As such, for the artwork in the space, I used a paper mache zebra bust from Anthropologie, and I framed a series of prints by Charley Harper. I strongly believe that it’s never too early to introduce your child to art. It’s good for the soul.
- The room’s bright white walls and midcentury modern furniture create a crisp, modern feel and juxtapose beautifully with the stateliness of the 1919 historic home. This approach has been used throughout the house so the the nursery feels as integral as the dining room.
