Real Nursery: Interior Designer Blue Owl in Tree Creation

Leave it to an interior decorator to give herself a decorating challenge! Australian interior designer Belinda of  Nest Studio Design was still living with her parents while her house was being built. She didn’t move in until she was 37 weeks, so by the time she and her husband unpacked the boxes there wasn’t time to decorate anyway. Luckily, her son Hugh was 11 days overdue. But while she was waiting for her new home to be ready, she was checking out websites for inspiration and decided to make a room featuring trees and owls. “I didn’t start Hugh’s room until he was seven weeks old, when I felt up to painting.  Until then he was living in a very white
room!”  Since blue is her favorite color, the grey-based blue stood out to her. “I added in navy and red accents as well. We used a lot of red throughout the rest of the house, so felt natural to carry it into Hugh’s room as well.”

“I love the tree. It’s a very serene room and the tree adds to the feel of it,” Belinda said of her favorite feature in Hugh’s nursery. “It’s the first thing you see when you walk into the room and is a standout feature. I hand painted it using a combination of different trees that I had seen and customized for me.  I also added an apple in the lower branches as before I became pregnant with Hugh, I had had a miscarriage and its nickname was Apple. It’s lovely to sit in the chair holding Hugh but surrounded by a little dedication to our first baby.” That’s so sweet!

I made his Owls on the tree and in the prints with decorative paper, the blocks were from a family friend and my Grandma made the quilt. The framed owl artwork matches so perfectly because Belinda made it. “It was really simple and cheap from decorative paper.  The night before the photos were taken I was desperate to get something on the walls and hadn’t managed to find what I wanted and in a last minute attempt decided to try those…..and I love them now!

Looking for expert advice from a nursery room designer? Belinda says that most clients have some sort of image they want to create, but don’t know where to start. “Work with items you love! Many times, a client will have a piece of furniture, be it a chair, dresser or even a quilt that has been in the family, and want to incorporate it into the room.” Thanks Belinda for sharing Hugh’s nursery with us!

{Photos are from Little One Baby by Lisa Nankervis}