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Monday, November 30, 2009

Before and After: A Sophisticated and Glamorous Nursery

Su Casa member mianakao recently moved into a new home, and turned this dull room into something absolutely spectacular. Her fabulous results prove that even the most dull room can be transformed into a gorgeous, glamorous space with a little imagination and a lot of hard work.
She writes, "We just moved into our new house (a sprawling foreclosure), so I had free reign with this room! As you can see in the before photo, the room was dull, dingy, and needed lots of TLC."

The results are truly astounding.

Can you even believe it's the same room? I am truly amazed! Mianakao explains, "My goal was to use black and white in a tasteful way to help the baby's visual development. My first choice was stripes around the room, but I figured that might just make the baby dizzy after a while. So, instead, I went with a high-gloss black latex paint, and brightened up the room with tons of white. (The green is an after thought accent color to warm up the space)."

"Also, in an effort to be somewhat creative, I stuck a vinyl decal of a tree on the wall, painted over it, and then cut out the vinyl with an X-acto knife. Had I thought ahead, I could have incorporated the accent green on the tree. Sticking a vinyl decal on the wall wasn't creative enough for me . . . and I didn't want to deal with all of the air bubbles."

I also love that mianakao kept to a strict budget for this makeover. She writes, "Since we're in a tight economy, everything you see (with the exception of the crib and the chandelier) was found on Craigslist. Nothing was over $40! I also found items for free from the freecycle network. I just sanded the furniture and painted it flat white to match everything else in the room . . . well, my husband handled all the hard work. Small accents like the beautiful black and white crystal chandelier just added a touch of chic for our new baby girl!"

Take the full tour when you check out the gallery. I'm truly inspired!

Related Content:
Before and After: From Scary to Shabby Chic
5 Chair Before and Afters From the Archives
Before and After: Deanna's Admirable Craft Room Makeover
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Comments 1-5 of 5
  • Leah's Avatar
    Posted by Leah Fri Oct 16, 2009 7:59am PDT

    I think that's cool :)

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  • Maggie's Avatar
    Posted by Maggie Fri Oct 16, 2009 8:30am PDT

    That is a beautiful room... I just hope they have lots of cleaning supplies to clean the white furniture and a safe place to put that beautiful dress in a few months when baby starts being mobile.

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  • hdg n8tve's Avatar
    Posted by hdg n8tve Fri Oct 16, 2009 8:36am PDT

    Although it looks nice, think about the baby! Babies love colors, happy faces, and cozy, creative surroundings. There are studies that show babies respond and develop best when surrounded by color, faces, creative graphic designs - thats why award winning developmental toys are made the way they are - bright and stimulating. Plus, what are you going to do when you fill the room with fun books and toys? They're not going to fit into your "design". I'm not saying make the room a rainbow - but find a happy medium.

    When my husband and I thought about our infant son's room, we focused on creating a neutral palette of colors (tans, greens, blues, and cream) that would work with whatever he develops a preference for - whether it be cars or zoo animals. Its brighter, happier, fun, and most important - adaptable.

    You seem proud of your room, and I admit it looks pretty, and would be ideal for a trendy teenage girl, or even a young woman, but I wouldn't do it for a baby.

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  • Leah's Avatar
    Posted by Leah Fri Oct 16, 2009 9:30am PDT

    In the beginning the baby can't see colors or shapes...the baby see's contrast...the white against the black will be just fine for the baby's first few months...besides, primary colors look great againse a black back drop

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  • Leah's Avatar
    Posted by Leah Fri Oct 16, 2009 9:34am PDT

    besides, how much stimulation do you want in a room that's main function is for sleeping?...a bright colorful play room, seperate from a calm, less stimulating bed room would be a great solution for those who may find fault with this bedroom

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