Nursery Interior Design Projects

I am so blessed to have such an enjoyable career. Not only do I have the opportunity to create something new and beautiful every day...something that makes people smile, touches their hearts, and brings them ongoing comfort and joy- but through that creative design process, I get to know some really wonderful families.
I'm currently working on three full nursery interior design projects, as well as two cyber design projects and all of these clients are fantastic and I'm thrilled with how things are coming along with each project.

One of my clients has been working on adopting a baby and hired me about two months ago to design a gender neutral nursery because she really didn't care what the gender of her baby would be...she just wanted a healthy baby to love. She has had her trials and heartbreaks throughout the process of adopting, so when I was hired to designer her nursery- I wanted the design process to be especially easy for her.
We designed a classic nursery that could work well for either a boy or a girl and have ordered and received most of the items. A few weeks ago,  my client found a birth mother and has been patiently waiting for her first sonogram to discover the gender of her baby.  We sat back and waited...

Well this week we got the news that we'll be welcoming a baby GIRL!  Baby Girl is due in early July, so we're now selecting the finishing touches to really "girl up" this nursery. Mom-to-Be loves a classic French Country look, so we've selected some beautiful artwork from my dear friend, Heather Davulcu and will custom color match this artwork with a deep chocolate brown where you see black in the images here. 

I'll then paint a beautiful flowing ribbon in cream and ivory across the crib wall as a feminine, yet simple backdrop for this stunning artwork. We'll add a few rose colored accessories and voila! A perfectly feminine and classic nursery for one lucky baby girl! Stay tuned in the months ahead to see images of the completed nursery!

At Jack and Jill Interiors, it is always our goal to alleviate stress and worry from the lives of expectant parents and instead ensure your experience preparing a nursery is fun and stress free. Yes, many can and will "do it yourself" and in many cases end up with a good nursery.  However when you hire an experienced nursery designer, you get to sit back and enjoy the process while we handle the sourcing, ordering, receiving, inspecting, exchanging or returning if something arrives damaged- payment, tracking, delivery and installation. Our experience and connections with quality manufacturers and contractors saves our clients countless headaches during a time of life altering transition so that the client can relax and anticipate the arrival of their baby with the least amount of stress possible. In the end, it's all about love and family...and for me the greatest reward is being a small part of these miraculous moments in my clients' lives- and ultimately, holding the BABIES! :)

Architectural Digest Design Show

I had a fantastic time attending the Architectural Digest Design Show in New York City last week with my dear friend, Mary Bauer, owner of the super chic line of nursery furniture, Bratt Decor!
Mary and I explored the entire show top to bottom and front to back- checking out all of the greatest in design. Our conclusion is that traditional, classic, timeless style is always hot! We saw lots of worn patina, weathered wood, traditional fabrics and patterns and great use of color.
You can view some of the highlights in the video clip below, as well as some photos of the areas we didn't film.
Enjoy!

Addison's Wonderland Bedding at Jack and Jill Boutique

Addison's Wonderland... how appropriately named! Just looking at this bedding makes me feel like I've stepped into a magical world of dreams and make believe where anything can happen. The designer behind this luxurious and whimsical line of girls' bedding, Brittany Hayes,  has really gone above and beyond to create something unique to the world of children's bedding. Each set is meticulously hand made in the USA to ensure attention to every detail and complete customer satisfaction.

Take a look at the three existing collections, Addison, Anniston and Ava below and check our site in a few days for their newest collection...Bella! We hope to be the first to carry it! Trust me...it's to DIE FOR!

Addison Bedding Collection

Addison Bedding Collection

Anniston Bedding Collection

Ava Bedding Collection

Which Addison's Wonderland bedding set is YOUR favorite? 

Maddie Boo Bedding is here!

I've been a long-time fan of Maddie Boo Bedding and have been recommending this beautiful line of crib bedding, kids' bedding and accessories to my nursery design clients at Jack and Jill Interiors for years. So needless to say, I'm thrilled to now be offering this beautiful line to my baby boutique customers at Jack and Jill Boutique!


A little background on the company and it's very talented founder / designer, Cinda Brown:

Designer Cinda Brown, founder of Maddie Boo bedding, has long been a trendsetter in the juvenile industry. She began as an interior designer and was enlisted to do several nurseries for many long-time clients. Through this experience and love for textiles she was led to design her own bedding line for babies and children. Inspired by her two daughters, nicknamed “Maddie” and “Boo” she began creating bedding for both children and parents alike.

While on vacation in New York City she took a few of the designs to some retailers and the orders began to pour in. She knew she was on to something big. Other retailers began to call requesting her line for their stores and the rest is history.

Compelling fabric combinations, interesting embellishments, and inviting textures characterize the line. Add to that quality workmanship and strict attention to detail making Maddie Boo both perfectly functional and aesthetically pleasing.

Cinda’s designs have landed in the homes of Courtney Cox, Heidi Klum, Benjamin Bratt, Dylan McDermott, and Liv Tyler to name a few. Maddie Boo has also been pictured in the pages of magazines such as Better Homes and Gardens Kids Rooms, In Style Home, EPregnancy and Child. The line has also been featured on Good Morning America, Access Hollywood and VH-1 and more.

Due to the growing popularity of her bedding Cinda soon added moses baskets and blankets to her product line. Now mothers could tote their newborns in style. Her latest labor of love is an accessory line. Fresh looks for bibs, burbs, hooded towels and more are debuting in markets everywhere. Coming full circle with her passion for fabrics her own line of textiles is in the works.

Customers know they can count on the Maddie Boo brand for style, quality and function.

I personally love each and every carefully designed set...but I think the Sock Monkey Crib set is my favorite. This brings back such sweet childhood memories from me when I see it!

Which is your favorite Maddie Boo product? Browse the collection at Jack and Jill Boutique and weigh in!

Wild Child Book!

I had previously shared the magical photography of Lorna Freytag and wanted to take a moment to update you on her latest venture.


"Wild Child" is Lorna's first illustrated picture book and is being released on January 5th.  It is for sale on Amazon uk or at all good bookshops in the UK only, at this time. 
ISBN: 9781406323085, written by Jeanne Willis.


I for one, can not wait until I can get my hands on this book and to get lost in the beautiful photography and the story told! It's one to be enjoyed by young and old alike.


Here is a brief description of the book:

Meet Wild Child! She’s spirited and curious. She’s fearless and free. She lives alone in a mystical, prehistoric world – the last child in a dramatic landscape, where anything could happen. Follow her through her day as she explores her world from the foot of the mountain to the heart of the wood; while she runs with the rabbits and swims with the fish – but beware of the grown-ups and sensible shoes! Join the magic and unleash the wild child in YOU!

Congratulations, Lorna!

$10K Military Nursery Give Away- Reveal!

This past spring, Mary Bauer of Bratt Decor and I decided to team up to show our love and support for our troops by giving away a $10K dream nursery makeover to a deserving service man or woman. Just in time for Memorial Day, we put out a call for nominations and received some wonderful video clips featuring men and women who sacrifice for our freedom daily.
 
We chose Carlos and Marlene Altamirano as our winners. Their friends put together such a beautiful video clip describing this wonderful couple and we couldn't wait to begin working on their nursery!
 
We were also touched by the generous donations of nursery products from our friends in the children's industry.
Doodlefish Kids donated the ivory rug, Charn and Company donated the nursery chandelier, Stacie Dale donated a beautiful memory keepsake box, Olena Boyko designed and donated the nursery curtains, moses basket and sweet bunny, Dimples and Dandelions designed and donated the plush nursery glider rocker by Angel Song and Bratt Decor donated the beautiful iron crib, changing table and bedding. Jack and Jill Interiors interviewed the couple to determine their design style and helped to select and coordinate the nursery products and paints. We then provided floor plans and storyboards for the couple so they could see their nursery come to life while they awaited the arrival of their furnishings. Thank you so much to our generous donors!
We are very pleased with the way this nursery came together to create a warm and serene environment for their baby boy, Carlos Altamirano who was born on September 3rd. 

Check out the finished nursery! Kelly Orr, of Shutterbug Portrait Studio was so kind as to take these great photos for us! Thanks, Kelly!

Photo collage by Kelly Orr of Shutterbug Portrait Studio

Celebrity Nursery Design and a Baby Boutique is Born...What a Year!

As we look back upon 2011, I can't help but think about all of the exciting new things that have happened within my companies and for me personally.

We started the year with the excitement of filming our nursery design process for Lisa and Buddy Valastro of the hugely popular reality show, The Cake Boss. Not only did I have the pleasure of designing a celebrity nursery, but they loved their baby's nursery so much that they hired me to design kids' rooms for their other three children as well. It was truly a highlight of my career to enjoy working with this delightful client as well as to have an inside peek at the filming and production of a reality TV show.
Once we were finished with designing and filming for The Cake Boss, we moved on to doing some philanthropic design work for Make a Wish Foundation. We pulled together various manufacturers and designers from the children's decor industry and created a magical fairyland playroom for a sweet little girl with brain cancer. It was a humbling, rewarding and heartbreaking experience. I will never forget Avery and her family and I pray daily for a miracle for them.

Just before the 4th of July, my dear friend and fellow nursery designer, Mary Bauer of Bratt Decor and I decided to give back to our country's brave military men and women by offering a $10,000 Military Family Dream Nursery Give Away. We had some great entries and selected Carlos and Marlene Altamirano as our very deserving winners. We're still awaiting final photos back from the photographer, but we promise this beautiful nursery is worth the wait!

About mid summer I finally bit the bullet and began designing my online baby boutique, Jack and Jill Boutique. It's something that I should have done years ago, but just didn't seem to ever find the right time or have the resources to begin. I'm thrilled with how the baby boutique has grown and have some great plans for its growth and success in the coming years. I have worked with so many great kids' product designers through my interior design firm, Jack and Jill Interiors for the past twelve years, that it only made sense to begin this online kids' store to enhance my design services and round out my offerings to my clients and customers.

This summer, I began talking with friend and colleague, Aaron Christensen of Embellishments about a new business venture. It's funny how much our careers have paralleled over the years. We are both nursery and kids' room designers and we each have our own line of children's wall art. Our respect for one another in this industry led to a great friendship and we finally decided that it would be more fun to work together with another like-minded creative person than to always be going it alone. We've created a new company, The Princess and The Prop Maker. Through this new entity, we will design nurseries and kids' rooms together and create some great new products along the way. We recognize that we each have a unique set of strengths to contribute to this new venture and look forward to pulling them together to design magical kids' rooms and products that are sure to please. Be sure to follow our blog and our Facebook page where we'll share our adventures and provide tips on design and introduce you to the latest and greatest baby and kids' products on the market today.

And finally, I've been contracted by a television producer who has created and is pitching a few different reality and design shows for which I would be the host and designer. I've been contacted by five or six production companies over the past few years, but this company is really working day and night to get us a show. As much as I'd love to design kids' rooms and baby nurseries every day for television, I don't count my chickens before they hatch. I've been down this road before and realize that in order for a show to really take off, all the stars must be in perfect alignment. If I get a show, great...it will be fun and I promise to entertain and provide great design. If I don't get a show- still great...because I love my life and am blessed to have the opportunity to wake up each day to a loving family and to have a career that I absolutely love and feel passionate about each and every day.
So...what's in store for us in 2012? I have no idea! Each day as a nursery designer, artist, boutique owner, wife and mother is a new adventure and full of surprises. All I can say is stay tuned...I promise it will be an exciting year!
Happy New Year to each of you and may you all be blessed with good health, happiness and prosperity in 2012!