Recently, we spoke to Briar Stanley, the blogger and interior decorator behind Sunday Collector. As a specialist in creating gorgeous rooms — especially for little people — we thought she would be the perfect person to share some tips on designing your nursery.
“Decide on the piece you want to splurge on (maybe the cot that converts into a toddler bed) and then don’t be afraid to mix vintage pieces with new. Have fun trawling op shops for a day or check out Gumtree for cute timber bookshelves or change tables. Update these pieces with a coat of paint and you will end up with an original nursery that has loads of character. Places like IKEA, Cotton On and Target are also your friend when it comes to nurseries — mix in a few pieces from affordable shops here and there for a truly unique space.”
Briar also puts a lot of emphasis on the colour palette, recommending colour over its monochrome counterpart. “I’ve seen lots of black and white rooms lately, but I am happy to see colour is making a big comeback. I like the idea of kids growing up around the innocence of ‘happy’ colours. Cool painted wall murals are proving pretty popular, as is cute wallpaper.”
Alongside a beautiful looking room, for Briar functionality is also of the utmost importance. “A change table with handy storage close by for nappies and wipes is a good idea. You want to be prepared in those early months with a newborn. Sleep deprivation can make the simplest task (like finding a nappy in the middle of the night) impossible! Also, a dimmer for the ceiling light is always handy. You need to be able to see your hands without bright overhead lighting that may stimulate your baby from slumber.”
Having designed an array of nurseries, Briar can’t help but admit her favourite was her daughter, Sunday’s. “It was a true labour of love and a slow process of pulling together a space I imagined my daughter would like while I was pregnant. As luck would have it, I pretty much imagined her toddler personality (cheeky, funny, bold, artistic) perfectly. As a nearly three-year old, it’s a space she loves to play in and she’s always telling our visitors to, ‘Come see my room, now!'”
With Sunday now a toddler, Briar recently transitioned the nursery into a kids room, a process that wasn’t time-consuming or expensive! “If you’re like me with my daughter, transforming your nursery into a kids room could be as easy as replacing the cot with an appropriate toddler bed and some fresh bed linen. I also added a second bookshelf to deal with a huge over-supply of books, and updated a few things on her walls. I’ll often find a client has applied a nursery-themed wall decal before I’ve come on on the scene, so removing that and replacing it with some great art is a really easy way to update a nursery.”
