Babyspace: Evie's Nursery

P&N’s Nursery Tour: A peek into fabulous baby rooms across the country.

Franchesca Cox is the talented artist and blogger behind Small Bird Studios, as well as the mom to baby Evie in Houston, Texas. 

What was your vision for the nursery?
My idea stemmed from my growing love of all things handmade, to make as much of our rainbow baby’s nursery as I could – including the curtains, pendant banner, hair piece frame, and more. I wanted to surround her nursery with two colors that I had been swooning over at the time (light gray and salmon pink), rather than go with a traditional ‘theme’. Not only did we save money this way, but it is also so much more meaningful to visit her room and look back on the hours we poured into making this little space in our home a reality, as we dreamed and hoped for her safe arrival. I blogged more about it here and here.

What would you consider your most essential piece?
That’s a hard one! It would have to be the hanging chalkboard birds on twine that I found at World Market.
Is there a history or a story behind any of the pieces you chose?
For the birds, yes. Birds carry such a significant meaning to us after we lost a little girl four years ago. To have these hanging in our baby’s room today is the symbol of hope.

What are your favorite pieces and why?
The pendant banner has to be another favorite. It was so much fun to pick out the fabric and sew it together. Another favorite is the white chandelier hanging in her room. I almost died of happiness when we found it at a garage sale for $7! It had to be spray painted, but a couple of bucks and a few sore thumbs solved that problem.

Where did you find these pieces? (designer, flea market, Pinterest project, etc.)
Honestly? The pieces that I did not make were mostly hand-me-downs or garage sale and Craigslist finds. I did score a few items for cheap at the amazing World Market. The nursery did not come to life until a few weeks after she was born, but the wait to put this space together was so worth it.

What is your best tip for decorating?
Start by creating a mood board to get an idea of what you want. It can be hard to articulate what you want and sometimes you just don’t know. Pinterest is a great place to start searching for ideas and inspiration.
What is your biggest secret confession (Do you never use your changing pad? Hate the color of a certain item?, etc.)
I was pretty bummed that it is almost impossible to find salmon pink. I had to settle for light pink on a lot of things, but once her room came together, it really didn’t matter.

What is your baby’s favorite spot in the room?
I’d have to say the crib! She’s a very happy baby and loves to be met with her big brother’s greeting every time she wakes from a nap.

What is your favorite spot in the room?
The closet, hands down. I love that I can hide the (sometimes messy!) changing table/ dresser by closing a couple of french doors.

What would you like to add about designing a stunning nursery?
Designing the nursery of your dreams is something every expecting mama deserves to enjoy. And you must know that it can be done without spending a fortune, it just takes patience and a little help.