Happy Colors Buoy a Canadian Nursery

Like many creative people, interior designer Megan Leith-Menard, owner of FreshHouse, knows how to modify a good idea to fit her lifestyle. In her case the inspiration for her third daughter’s room took flight when she saw an image of a couple of Japanese lanterns and a fabric sample.

Nursery at a Glance
Who lives here: Giselle, 6 months old at the time of photos
Location: Calgary, Alberta, Canada

Photos by Adrian Shellard

“I saw an image of two Japanese lanterns hanging over a crib,” Leith-Menard recalls. “At the time my sister was working at Bed, Bath & Beyond, and they were getting rid of some store holiday decorations — large balls covered by a ribbon of sequins. I thought, ‘I could use those to do something like that.’”





Leith-Menard snagged a couple of the castoff ornaments and, after making absolutely sure all the sequins were safely affixed to the balls, she hung them very securely to the ceiling over the bed along with paper lanterns of various patterns and sizes. “Giselle loves to look at them,” she says. “I think they soothed her.”

A coral and purple Amy Butler fabric inspired the nursery’s color scheme. The designer had it made into a small quilt that’s trimmed with velvet and backed with satin.


Leith-Menard wanted a Jenny Lind crib, but when she couldn’t find a new one in stores, she turned to Kijiji, a Craigslist-like company that’s popular in Calgary. She found a vintage crib in the style she wanted, but it was a drop-leaf model, a kind that’s no longer made after a number of safety issues. To eliminate the risk, the designer removed the tracks that allow the rail to lower and firmly bolted the rail to the frame. She then sanded the crib and painted it with a nontoxic paint.

Leith-Menard points out that when the baby was sleeping in the crib (she’s since moved to a toddler bed), she took out the pillows and the stuffed rabbit.





Building blocks passed down from her older sisters spell out the family’s sentiments for the youngest child.

A rocker upholstered in pink and white gingham sits under some circular artwork that the designer assembled. “I took fabrics I liked and stretched them over embroidery hoops,” she says.

The room was created for a baby, but it’s enjoyed by the whole family. “It’s my favorite room in the house,” says Leith-Menard. “I find it very relaxing to be in there.”

URL: Happy Colors Buoy a Canadian Nursery http://www.decor-ideas.org/cases-view-id-23444.html