See an Arizona Nursery That’ll Never Get Old

The design of this boy’s nursery began with a Labradoodle. “My clients, who were expecting their first child, are crazy about their dog. She’s really their first baby,” says Joanna Gick of J & J Design Group. “I wanted to include her somehow.”

After nailing down a color palette that popped green, navy blue and a dash or two of yellow against a neutral backdrop, Gick found a fantastic Labradoodle print on Etsy. She also got crafty herself, adding many special, personal touches. The result is a room that will serve this North Scottsdale, Arizona, family for many years to come.

“I like to create an accent wall on the crib wall,” says Gick. “Then, when it’s time for a big-boy bed, it can easily transition into the headboard wall.”

She added another layer atop the accent wall: a collage of artwork to accompany the Labradoodle print. She found several pieces on Etsy and crafted a few herself. “I love Etsy — it’s a great way to search for talent and unique pieces,” Gick says. She made the bow tie piece from an Ikea shadow box and scrap fabric. She found the vintage “t” on Etsy and painted the stripes on it herself.

On the adjacent wall, she brought in full drapery panels to add some height and softness. She recommends adding a blackout lining to drapes if you don’t want the sun to wake up your baby.


“We love to add touches that are personal and unique,” Gick says. Her own daughter’s “Read to Me” T-shirt inspired this custom piece, which she made by cutting up vintage children’s books. It has been such a hit that Gick’s firm will now do it for you, too. Each piece is original, as different books are used.

The book rail is another touch that has become a signature for the designer’s company. “People love to see the books, and it creates a wonderful display,” Gick says.


Gick repeated the driftwood wallpaper behind the changing table. She found the vintage dresser and painted it green herself, adding new white porcelain knobs from Hobby Lobby and a changing pad with a cover found on Etsy. This piece will age with the child for many years to come; if his favorite color changes, all it will take is another paint job.

Tip: When playing with patterns, Gick recommends mixing rectilinear and curvaceous patterns in a variety of scales. As you can see in this nursery, the pattern on the curtains is large, the rug pattern is medium, and the bedding and ottoman patterns are relatively small.


“I felt guilty spray painting the Jonathan Adler giraffe sconces at first, but the white just didn’t look right against the driftwood wallpaper,” Gick says.

Being a mom herself (she has a daughter who is 4 and a son who is 18 months) has given Gick keener insight when designing nurseries. For example, she’s found that not everyone needs a rocking chair. “Really nice gliders are very expensive; often it’s better to pick a cool chair for a fraction of the price, that he can use in his room for reading and homework when he’s older,” she says.

While the nursery’s occupant wasn’t even born when the room was complete, Gick designed the space to grow with him. “It’s important to design a nursery that will age with the child; if you’re paying a designer to do a nursery, you certainly don’t want to have to do it all over again in a few years,” she says.

More: Oh, Baby! 12 Ideas to Get a Chic Nursery Rolling

URL: See an Arizona Nursery That’ll Never Get Old http://www.decor-ideas.org/cases-view-id-22589.html