Last week I showed you Stella’s room and all the clean and simple design choices she and I made for that space, and today we are focusing in on Matilda’s room and how I hope to make her nursery look and feel. Cue English cottage vibes with a hefty side of New England garden vibes in the springtime, and you’ve got one gorgeous room for one lucky little bird. I love rooms for kids that aren’t focused on themes and/or characters. With all the toys kids have, I don’t feel there’s a need to go over the top, but rather, soften everything by making a simple canvas that creates a calm environment. Designing this space brought me so much joy!
Tilly’s Room
The Vibe | English country cottage meets Andrew Wyeth’s spring garden.
Work Done | Minimal. A doorway was sealed up between her and Stella’s room.
Design Notes | Floral and feminine, English pine, shades of green and cream, cozy and quaint, fluted marble and antiqued brass.
Top Left | Back in this post I briefly mentioned there was a robbery. There was. Our garage and new home got broken into a few weeks ago and a lot of {random} stuff got stolen and broken. It was sad and frustrating, because those things, whilst just things, held memories of a life we had in our old home. But what does this have to do with that fluted marble flush mount beauty up there? The blasted thieves both stole and broke a box of antique lights I had won in an auction, and one of them happened to be for Tilly’s room. Ugh. The light pictured above was always my back up light for this room. I have back up lights for every room come to think of it, because I’ve had a year to ponder. It’s really quite sophisticated for a little one’s space, which is why I love this light fixture so much. Being more on the modern side, it’s the perfect accompaniment to all the antiques going in her room. I love the fluted marble as well, and that little detail ties in with the fluted marble we have going in the library around the mantle. I love it when spaces subtly connect through the intentional selection of details. And lighting will forever be my favorite one.
Top Middle | One day at the thrift store, I saw out of the corner of my eye what appeared to be a small sliver of one of my favorite Andrew Wyeth prints “Around the Corner” perched high on the top shelf, out of reach and in a pretty unfortunate frame. I asked for help in getting it down and sure enough it was the print I thought it was! I paid, got it home, and took it right out of that frame. I lived on Matilda’s shelf above her crib in the room she shared with Stella in our last home. It’s such a happy piece of art, I am comforted every time I see it.
Top Right | Deep in the heart of what felt like the longest winter of my life, found not one, but two English pine antique children’s beds for sale on Facebook Marketplace. I have a bed problem. But it was just so gorgeous and perfect, and because I’ve been searching for a used one for so long, I got them both. One will be for Tilly’s big girl bed, and the other, either for my shop as a quilt display or I’ll sell it. Some people are keen on walnut, or oak, and we love pine. The patina it acquires over years and years of use is unmatched – furniture poetry!
1st Middle Left | I love the depth and beauty antique art brings to a space. I have been collecting it for our new home for awhile now, and I have several beautiful pieces of botanical-inspired art saved for Tilly’s room. I have been hoarding my favorites and will likely sell the rest in my shop, Homesong Market, after we move in and I go on a decorating frenzy and have a decluttering parade.
1st Middle | This room and entire home has always inspired my Cape Cod loving heart, and this photo one I’ve saved for a long time as inspiration for a little one’s space. My favorite nurseries and kid’s rooms are ones that are able to grow and evolve with them. Her age-appropriate items, like toys and stuffed animals etc., will definitely be in this space, but when Tilly gets older instead of having to completely change her room we’ll just donate those items. It’s a more sustainable way to decorate as well because you are focused more on the long-term use of the space, as opposed to having to buy and change it up every few years.
1st Middle Right | Weaving textures into a space is one of the ways you can bring in warmth and coziness while still keeping a simple and uncluttered space. I decided to go with prints for all the kid’s curtains, and Matilda’s came with quite the surprise! If you follow me on Instagram, perhaps you saw the poll where I asked what color are her curtains from afar, which appear to be green, yes? But up close they are actually a lovely blend of light blue and brown micro-checks, giving the optical illusion of greenish grey curtains! I got them here.
2nd Middle Left | Back yonder when we lived at our old home, I dreamed of painting Stella and Matilda’s trim and doors a beautiful shade of green. I absolutely love contrasted trim done Shaker style. The room they shared was requitelly small and while it worked for a few months, it became clear to us that the age gap while room sharing would become an issue sooner rather than later. I asked Stella if I could paint her room these colors and maybe put up a little wallpaper, okay a lot of wallpaper, but she did not want me to. As soon as we walked through our new home and saw that there would be enough space for the kids to have their own rooms {the boys wanted to share} I knew exactly how I wanted Tilly’s room to look and feel like, and that included, you know it’s coming, garden green trim and a lot of wallpaper. Can’t wait to round the corner at the top of the stairs and see her sweet space. We are painting her trim French Grey by Farrow and Ball.
2nd Middle | Nothing really special about this photo except for the feeling it gives me, and that is warmth. I cannot wait to make a home again. We have several old wood trunks we’ve picked up at garage sales over the years and they are perfect for toy storage. I am all about using pieces of furniture with lids to hide ugly things. That way, at the end of the day, your eyes aren’t worn out focused on the haphazardness of color and texture but can rest and just be. What a great feeling.
2nd Middle Right | Speaking of wallpaper, I found the most perfect print for Miss Tilly. It’s not over the top in your face but sweet and nostalgic. It’s from Galerie, the Apelviken line, and honestly each one is a treasure. I think the one we’ve picked will pair beautifully with a contrasting muted green trim. They are faint bouquets of tulips, and tulips might just be the happiest spring flower, next to daffodils.
3rd Middle Left | This image sings to my soul and completely inspired the color palette for Tilly’s nursery. I love how the cream and green and white details play together. It’s completley calming, and after a year of moving and her sleeping in 11 different rooms {and bathrooms and closets, no less} plus an awful NICU hospital stay at the beginning of COVID I think she deserves every bit of calm. I want her space to be full of different layers of green to give a garden-like tranquility to her room.
3rd Middle | I honestly don’t know why we bought a crib because it’s sat in storage more months than it’s been used, but of course, how were we to know that would happen?! I love spindle furniture, and this bed is able to turn into a toddler bed as well, which is nice. We’ve got many more months of crib life ahead of us, so we’ll definitely be using it when we move in.
3rd Middle Right | Another pine bed, because it’s gorgeous. I think it’s wise when planning a space to consider all the textures and finishes to make sure they sing well together. Adding in the wood elements here really helped me see the space as a whole.
Bottom Left | This is another image that I’ve always loved {and Pinned} and immediately thought of when beginning to design this room. You can tell a little girl lives here, but it’s not hot pink or covered with plastic toys. It’s airy and bright and cozy. It reminds me of a room on the coast, a space that begs one to curl up and read fairy tales. All the layers of fabric is what makes this space so special.
Bottom Middle | My sweet friend Kim owns a lovely shop called Willaby in Georgia. We have gotten our kid’s baby blankets from there, as well as their woven rugs. We have the large one in “Moon” rolled up in storage and ready to go in this room. They are machine washable which is a gift in and of itself, and are hand-loomed, giving each piece a true homemade feel because it is. Adding handmade pieces to a space can help give it depth and aged beauty, especially when you give that item room to breathe.
Bottom Right | Last bit not least, an antique green birdcage for our little bird. I found one at a local antique ship with a yellow taxidermied canary sitting on the perch and that might sound really strange, but I love it. It’s definitely going in here and maybe one day Tilly will give her little bird pal a name.
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Aren’t little one’s spaces the sweetest to design? Next up, the mudroom!
xx Amanda
Lily - I love that Stella’s room is cream and pine and just a bit of blue and Tillie’s swaps out the blue for green. They’ll be very different spaces but they play well together.
Melissa - I’m so happy you’re sharing these, Amanda! I love your way with words, and of course, the interior design aspect is great fun.
Jessie - Nailing it. So sweet and timeless and calming. Pine is popular in Sweden too and all over Freds parents’ summer house. You’re so right, it wears beautifully. And of course that wallpaper is by a Swedish designer! Love love love.
Sue - HI, I love your beautuiful blog! One question… is there a way to view photos a little larger. On my computer the photo collage squares are 1 3/4 ” so it is a little hard to see detail! Your older blog posts had such lovely large photos. Thanks!