HGTV: You met collaborators Meredith Heron (the designer) and Gretchen Aubuchon (a designer, but in this case, the client) in Project Nursery Fabulous Part 1, now find out just how a long distance makeover project comes together through inspiration, colour, a lot of back and forth and a little help from a fabric fairy godmother...
Gretchen, left and Meredith, right, meeting in NYC
Meredith Heron -- Principal, Meredith Heron Design Inc. Toronto, ON
I have to be honest, when Gretchen found out she was having a girl and decided that Pinkapalooza needed to happen, I was a touch less than thrilled. I mean come on, it's 2011 and haven't we all been there and done that just a bit?
Fortunately though, she was struck with absolute delight by the gorgeous room below presented to us by House Beautiful during their talk at Blogfest. You've already heard about Gretchy's sponsored epileptic seizure in Part 1. What you didn't hear, was my realization that I had the chance to make this room something more than a tome to all things pink.
Turquoise was the key to keeping this room interesting and
something that will grow with the Lil' Miss. Gretchen was weak in the
knees for this colour combo, now I just needed to push through a few
more ideas and we were golden!
Images: House Beautiful (November 2008) Pinterest
Gretchen Aubuchon --
Gretchen Aubuchon Design Worcester, MA
I have to be honest, I was going to write my own piece here for Part 2 but then saw Meredith’s write up and thought it best I respond (AKA protect my image).
I mean, come on, it's 2011 and I have been living in an all boy, truck and train world for the last four years! If Meredith thought pink was not going to be part of this nursery then she was crazy. Not saying Meredith is crazy, just saying that it would be crazy to not have pink in a room that has been all boy blue for four years.
Thankfully, turquoise saved the day! Meredith was right (yes, I will admit) that all pink is really not so pretty. Turquoise was going to make it pretty.
Meredith: Why turquoise? Have you ever been in a room filled entirely with warm hues? It's positively suffocating. You actually feel too warm -- I tend to notice an inability to catch my breath in a room that is over-run with warm colours. You need to inject a little cool in to break it up and create balance and harmony.
Turquoise is the ideal colour to balance out pinks because it is a mutable hue that is comprised of several different colours. This keeps it interesting and gender neutral to boot. Playing around with saturation levels and the grey scale also helps to create a layered and eclectic look.
Sorry, went off on a technical tangent there, hazard of the job (and my old job as elementary school teacher). Gretchen glazed over when I tried to explain it all to her, too -- she was overly focused on Lilly Pulitzer's new collection of Pink, Fuchsia, Raspberry, Berry, Rosey Pink and the like...Of course, as my client, she still needed to feel the room was pink so I took the opportunity to introduce her to....
Gretchen already had white wainscoting in the room which I love and adore. Adding pink grasscloth is the perfect way to blend in a large dollop of pink but prevent it from becoming too overwhelming. The texture of the natural grasscloth is just the compromise we needed without having to actually compromise at all. We were both hooked on this and Phillip Jeffries delivered in spades!
Gretchen: Balance and harmony -- exactly what we needed in the room and in this designer-on-designer partnership. Again, thank you turquoise. I still love the Lilly Pulitzer fabric collection, but realize now it might have been a little too much for this nursery. Especially with the wonderfully bright Phillip Jeffries grasscloth. Meredith won this battle with the wallpaper for sure. I was sold at “Honeysuckle Grasscloth.”
Here are a few other design elements to round out the room!
Canopy photo from Elle Decor
Initially we were going to paint the dark brown Pottery Barn crib that was already in the room (see a before photo). But luckily, in a house already filled with babies we had another crib hanging around...a white Jenny Lind that Meredith and both loved. See we do agree.
The bookcases by Bungalow 5, well I just adore these. They have an Asian flair to them which I love as I spent years of my childhood living in Hong Kong. I think I actually found these gems, with Meredith’s approval but of course! And I am planning on filling them with Asian pieces from Hong Kong for Part 3... that is if Meredith lets me!
Image from LaylaGrayce.com
And the rug, well I love this rug. Meredith spotted this at Layla Grayce and it took me a couple minutes to approve but I'm so happy I did. It is a rug that my daughter will be able to grow into which is exactly why Meredith picked it. How about I insert a thank you to Meredith right here -- thank you Mer!
And a quick mention on the lighting -- you will fall out of your seat. I did when I first saw it and it wasn’t a pretty site at nine months pregnant. But literally that is how crazy beautiful the light for this nursery is. Thanks Layla Grayce for finding it for Meredith and I -- it was another item we both agreed on very quickly!
Meredith: As you can see, we were in DESPERATE need for some turquoise. Did I mention that we had found gorgeous fabric only to have the supplier back out on us at the last minute? Um yes, it happened to us. I can't imagine why, but in our darkest design hour interior designer Mally Skok stepped up and offered to help us finish off the room beyond our wildest imaginations...
*Cue the angels*
You may not understand why this was a miracle of epic proportions...You see, Gretchy and I couldn't agree on a fabric story. She LOVED LOVED LOVED Lilly Pulitzer from Kravet/Lee Jofa. Gorgeous fabrics, but say for a sun room, and not a room that is supposed to induce sleep and tranquility for a baby. I wanted more of a Key West meets Bermuda vibe and the fabric we had arrived at was the perfect blend of Gretchen meets Meredith.
Mally Skok fabrics from left: Julia, Rohet Textured, Indian Stripe -- will one of these make the cut?
Gretchen: After spending a morning with Mally going through the room design and looking through her gorgeous fabrics, I realized it is true everything does happen for a reason. I am beyond happy with the fabric story Mally, Meredith and I pulled together. Just wait until you see... just wait. You will see Meredith and I really can work together on fabrics -- we just need a little Mally Skok to lead the way.
Meredith: Mally just took our middle ground and elevated it to the next level. We are oh-so-beyond lucky to have her fabrics in the room. I'd show you but then that would be giving away the best part now wouldn't it? You'll just have to stay tuned for the big reveal. Speaking of which, I'm due for a sneak peek from that Gretchen. The only problem with decorating long distance, is that I have to wait for the client to send ME sneak peeks. Le grande sigh.
Gretchen: Client? Who is the client again?
Part 3 -- The Big Reveal -- launches next Thursday, August 18!
Related:
