Sequel Weblog

Beckett’s Nursery

On February 13th, 2010, I became a mama to Beckett Lyons Moore.  While I was pregnant, I designed a nursery for him (and me), which is finally complete, including baby!  Here are pics of the space...

The design centers around a wall mural of lifelike birch trees.  This went up like wallpaper and we got the help of a pro to hang.  It has lots of black and white contrast, which Beckett loves to gaze at.  We painted the other walls with Benjamin Moore's Decorator's White and used Eco-Spec which has low VOCs.  The room has an airy and refreshing feel to it.

For the rocking chair, I used a vintage Eames style chair and ottoman, which I had recovered in soft chocolate brown leather.

The crib is Ikea's Gulliver in White.  And, the bedding is a simple organic cream colored crib sheet.  Since the mural is busy, wanted to keep all other elements really clean and simple.

A mobile of tiny deer cut from birch plywood dangles over the crib.  Found this on Etsy.

An antique oak dresser stores Beckett's threads and doubles as a changing table.  It adds a lot of warmth to the room.  This happens to be the dresser that I grew up with...just removed the fancy carved mirror and updated the hardware.

The handles on the dresser are white stones which works with the nature feel of the room.

On the changing table is Sophie the giraffe who keeps Beckett happy while he's getting changed.  We also purchased a washcloth warmer to use instead of wipes, which we love...the warmth is soothing to Beckett and it cuts down on the cost and waste of wipes!  An oversized silk eye pillow is repurposed for a baby pillow.  In the background you can see the window panels, which are white linen.

We just got this nifty and adorable Beck puzzle stool in the mail as a gift.  The wool throw on Eames chair is vintage.  And, the lamb plushy on the ottoman was a gift and made by Gund.

Beckett's lovies and books are kept in a basket woven from recycled paper.

And, here is my little sweetheart!

And, it’s good for Mother Earth

It's pretty amazing what can be done with an old piece of furniture. Many of the pieces I rehabbed last year were in bad shape. Their upholstery was torn and dirty or their finishes rusty and flaking. Their future was uncertain. But, with a little TLC they found new life. And, what was their downfall before, that they were old, is now suddenly their best feature. Nothing adds character like a little age and experience.

Eames style chair and ottoman before with worn pleather...

Eames style chair and ottoman after in fresh jet black faux suede (fabric credit goes to Kevin who selected it)

Big lucite barrel chair before when it had huge tears...

And after in a beautiful soft mushroom terry velvet...

Knoll tables before with weathered legs...

Knoll tables after with freshly powdercoated bronze color legs...

Milo Baughman chairs in an offensive fabric...

Milo Baughman chairs after in a sleek black wool herringbone...

Danish child's desk and chair with institutional gray base and stickers...

After with a clean glossy white powdercoated base (and no stickers)...

And, this is the job I'm most proud of. These brown lucite tulip chairs made an amazing comeback.
I hesitated to purchase them, they were so covered in dirt...

They were given a bath or 5, the bases were powdercoated silver, and the cushions were covered in a gorgeous silver print linen...

Wingback Chair Transformation

I just got this pair of wingback chairs back from the upholsterer on Friday and I am so happy with the way they turned out. The upholsterer did an excellent job. And, the fabric turned out to be a perfect pick for the chair style. I used a chocolate and winter white houndstooth by Ralph Lauren. It's a supersoft woven blend of wool and cotton (a customer this weekend asked if it was cashmere; no, but very soft indeed).

Here are the horrid before pics when they had grandma-pastel-stripe fabric and faux tufting...not pretty. But, they had great lines and potential which was finally realized.

If you're interested in these, you can find out more at my website sequelliving.com.