Room of the Day: Reaching for the Stars in a Boy’s Nursery

When Chicago interior designer SuzAnn Kletzien landed the assignment of converting a makeshift home gym into a nursery, she discovered that she and the client were both expecting babies around the same time. In fact, their children were born within a month of each other. “It was fun, because as I was doing research for my own baby’s nursery, I was also researching hers,” says Kletzien. “We would share ideas.” The goal of the project was to shoot for the moon and give the room a no-expense-spared look while keeping the costs firmly grounded in earthly reality.

The strictly utilitarian room previously had been a gym.





AFTER: A dark blue accent wall and white, gold and gray circle decals give the illusion of a starry sky. “We were in the planning stages when the parents came up with the idea of a solar system theme,” says Kletzien. “They wanted a look that would be appropriate as their little boy grew.” That’s why she chose circles rather than five-pointed stars. “I felt like actual star shapes might be too girly for him later,” she says. To get the galaxy effect, she carefully plotted the placement of each dot to make it look random.

Kletzien’s must for the nursery: a truly comfortable rocker. “I really prefer a wingback model,” she says. “It gives you a comfortable place to rest your head.” Noting that tired new parents often have their hands full, she made sure to include an occasional table within reach and an ottoman.

Dresser: Patchwork, West Elm; crib: Sparrow, Oeuf; decals: Lottie Dots, Land of Nod; rug: Jonathan Adler; rocker: Empire, Masins; ottoman: Target; table: Martini, West Elm


The bay window previously had been strictly for looking out at Chicago’s hip Bucktown neighborhood.


AFTER: With Kletzien’s addition of a padded window seat, it’s now a reading spot armed with storage as well. An assortment of pillows picks up on the geometric shapes in the room.


Framed vintage prints depicting starry skies hang above the dresser. “I found the prints online and in local antique shops,” says Kletzien. “I used frames from West Elm and Cost Plus World Market, selecting ones that matched the wood in the dresser drawers.”


On another wall a sweet framed sentiment sums up the theme of the room. “I love this phrase,” says Kletzien. “I’d seen it in children’s books, and it seemed perfect here.”

The window seat was installed just one week before Kletzien’s daughter, Maevis, was born (her nursery theme is Bohemian baby). The resident of this room, Andrew, followed one month later, and has been stargazing ever since.

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