A Room For Tate

Tate plays in his crib after a walk with dad.

We’ve finally wrapped up the baby’s room after many months of planning, shopping, buying, assembling furniture and painting! As you may recall, my initial inspiration came from Jenna Lyons’ home (shown below on the inspiration board I pulled together back at the beginning of 2010). I loved the black wall; and, while it took some convincing, I swayed Todd.

My goals for Tate’s room were simple–I didn’t want it to look like a “baby’s room,” it needed to be done on the (relative) cheap and I wanted clean and modern furnishings.

Inspiration board and teaser photos from 2010.

The room turned out to be largely furnished in Ikea–no surprise as I was running out of time near the end of my pregnancy and it was the most modern and affordable option. I was so bummed while we were in PDX last weekend, because the neighborhood Todd’s sister lives in, Sellwood, has really great furniture stores specializing in mid-century designs. And the prices were great. Here in Sacramento, all the vintage/antique furniture seems to be of the Victorian era…very ornate and heavy. In any case, Ikea felt like the best choice. And everything we purchased, with the exception of the crib, can be used down the line.

The lighting was not ideal for photographs, but it’s the first bit of sun we’ve had in weeks, so I wanted to take advantage :-)

I had originally wanted simple pull-down shades and no curtains, but the shades we purchased were not blocking light enough so we had to layer in curtains after all. The room has really nice mouldings that I didn’t want to obscure so I positioned the curtain rod mid-way through the top trim. We’re able to get Tate’s room nice and dark during the day.

I opted for the Ikea rocker, and I’ve been happy with it. My only complaint is that it moves to the right when you rock in it! Tate never really needed to be rocked, but for infants who love rocking, I wouldn’t recommend this particular chair as it provides a minimal rocking motion.

For lighting, I purchased a simple, large pendant light from CB2 for the ceiling. I was shocked at how expensive pendant lighting is, and I thought I’d never find what I wanted within a moderate price range. The light from CB2 was $50, but it’s not hardwired, so we had to do that ourselves. The floorlamp was passed down from my parents years ago–I’d like to eventually replace it with something more interesting.

L – “Tate” wooden puzzle, a gift from Todd’s mom. R – Blanca Gomez print.

For storage, we chose the Ikea Expedit system. Again, cheap and clean-looking. I really wanted a low and long piece in front of the window so it could double as seating and so Tate can access his books and toys easily. We had to put it on casters, however, because the vent is positioned directly underneath.

The “Keep Calm” poster is currently living in his room, but it will be replaced. I bought the print years ago in Ashland, before it exploded in popularity, and I refuse to get rid of it because it’s so nicely framed! It doesn’t really fit with his room, however, so I will find something else. Or, maybe add another mirror or a bulletin board.

L – Roald Dahl books passed down from Todd and I. R – Avalisa print.

The Gulliver crib was the best choice for us–it’s rated well by Consumer Reports, it’s clean and simple, and it was cheap. I’m not really into fussy bedding, so we  just use a fitted sheet and sometimes a sheepskin. We decided against a changing table and opted instead for a dresser, which I think a lot of people do these days. I bought the Ikea Hemnes dresser and swapped out the drawer pulls with some from Anthroplogie.

The mobile, which my mom purchased, is amazing. I had my eye on some really beautiful mobiles, but felt that they may not be stimulating enough. Our mobile, which is a Wimmer Ferguson design from Manhattan Toys, isn’t the prettiest, but it’s not the ugliest either. And Tate LOVES it. So much that we also purchased the coordinating floor mat and a visual toy for the car.

L – Wooden lay figures. R – Snapshots. I had to put my photo of Abbey Road in his room, because my dad and I have a special connection with the spot. When I was living in London I called him from the zebra crossing and he was able to pull up video at work (London has tons of web cameras) and see me!

I had most fun with the art, and I’ve talked about most of the artists on the blog. The first purchase was a large Avalisa canvas, which hangs above his crib. I also bought some prints from Ruka-Ruka and Blanca Gomez. I framed a series of Tall Cow screen-printed cards and hung them above the changing table. I still have my eyes peeled for more–I’m thinking I might get our SF Ork poster framed and put it in his room as well.

Overall I’m really pleased with the room. It’s functional, it doesn’t feel fussy or baby-like, and most everything can be recycled through the house in the coming years.

Source List:

• Paint: Designer White & Martha Stewart Francesca
• Crib: Ikea Gulliver
• Dresser/Changing Table: Ikea Hemnes
• Drawer Pulls: Anthropologie
• Storage: Ikea Expedit
• Rocker: Ikea
• Ottoman: CB2
• Pendant Light: CB2
• Art: Blanca Gomez, Ruka-Ruka, Avalisa, Tall Cow
• Window Treatments/Hardware: JCP and Ikea
• Egg Lamp: J Schatz
• Mobile: Manhattan Toys
• Mirror: Ikea

One of my favorite books, gifted by our friends Sara and Nic, “It’s A Book.”

On a side note, I’d like to give a huge thank you to my parents, aunt and grandmother, as well as Todd’s mom and dad (especially for the camera), for buying furniture and painting. Todd and I are really lucky to have such generous family :-)

Tagged as: Baby Stuff, Decorating, Design, Furniture, Interiors