Nursery Question: To gray or not too gray?

I was ecstatic when an old friend messaged me tonight asking me advice about paint for her nursery;
Not only did I get to revel in her exciting news (she is expecting twins!!!), but I get to obsess over paint, which is one of my most favorite things to do.
She and I have very similar aesthetics it seems, and she wanted to know if I had any ideas for a gray for the nursery. She does not yet know the sex of the babies, but I decided to do a little preliminary brainstorming, just to get the baby ball rolling.

My one piece of advice to her was to make sure to get a pigmented gray. She had originally requested a white-gray, something that would “really pop”, as she definitely wants brightness, which is perfect for a nursery. However, I told her about my issues with my own “white gray”, “White Diamond” which is in both of my upstairs bathrooms. It sometimes just looks dingy, or sterile. It isn’t the warm, bright, lovely color that I was hoping for.

I geared her in the direction of one of my old favorites, Stonington Gray, which is the color of my Dining Room. I LOVE this color. It is bright, it is rich, it is neutral…I think it would be perfect for a nursery.

She said that for a boy she would want pale blues as her accent, and for a girl pale pinks, which are both right up my alley (my daughter’s nursery was ivory, white, grey and baby pink).

She also told me about the floor she was planning to use and the white cribs that she liked.

I came up with a picture of what her nursery could look like (either with two pinks, two blues, or one of each! How exciting!) and I think it is very warm, bright and chic. If I do say so myself.

I am excited to be starting this journey with this old friend, both in decorating and in mommyhood. I can’t wait to see where we go!

Advertisement

Turquoise: A Love Story

I’ve said before that I am particular about color, and if I were pressed to come up with my very favorite hue of my very favorite color it would have to be turquoise blue. Sometimes I call it teal. Sometimes I call it aqua. To be honest, I don’t know the exact difference, but I know that I am drawn to it viscerally and intensely.

I hadn’t realized before just how much I have used turquoise in the decor of my downstairs. Come. See for yourself.

In the piece from our old front porch (Home Goods);

In the regal lion that guards over our mantel (TJ Maxx);

In the wall hanging that adorns our Dining Room Wall with varying shades of my favorite color (TJ Maxx);

And the piece next to it, with a turquoise line down the center that ties it all together (inherited from my father’s old office);

In our sunroom throw (Deconstructed Living);

And in the frame and elephant on our shelf (Ikea and TJ Maxx, respectively);

In more shelf decor and books;

In the faux fur throw on our Living Room sofa (Home Goods);

And in the hand knit afgan on our white Barcelona Chair, accenting the Kilim rug behind it;

But my favorite part is that from the sunroom, the turquoise accents are all tied together and you can get one, great aqua-laced view from room to room to room.

So a love affair with turquoise, eh? I guess it could be worse!