Designing nurseries and children's rooms are a highlight for a designer or design enthusiast. The reason , of course, is because the occupants are very special people and one can easily observe the love and care in each detail. Children love color, fantasy, animals, and any botanicals. Their imaginations run wild, so a best practice is to design with the child's world in mind without playing down to it.  Whimsey, imagination, color, and texture are all important in the nursery scheme.The special quality of children's rooms is that they are always in transition, so we can continually design. We look to the next stages at every purchase and design accordingly. Layering is the key.

 Where to start with a nursery- the all important first collection . Start by adding your own inherited favorite objects and then begin to assemble the child's unique first collections.  A guiding principle to keep in mind is one told to us by the iconic designer Daniel Romoldez: "An art dealer friend of mine told me he thought the best art collections were created when the people kept the paintings they bought when they had no money. He thought it important that they are still in the collection and also the idea of keeping the mistakes. Because when everything is so refined and upgraded the collection starts to lose its personality"(Sister Parish Design On Decorating by Susan Crater and Libby Cameron)

The takeaway here is that there are no mistakes and expressing personality is paramount, especially in a nursery collection.The first flea market finds, small gallery choices, estate sale steals , will always resonate in the child's mind as a favorite memory when hung or placed in his or her room. Sister Parish was particularly adamant about always picking up a small object or painting for your children's rooms on one's travels. This, she said, " is how collections are made". Whether a ceramic bowl or a miniature porcelain animal, the objects become part of the room's layering and charm.

Next we go to the bones of the room-the textiles, window treatments, rugs and bedding . Our goal is to  create a playful, unique space that is whimsical enough for a child’s room, but sophisticated and ready to be used as a guest room in years to come .

Below Creative Director Eliza Crater has outlined practical tips on picking a painted trim and furniture color, how to order her favorite custom quilted coverlet and tried and true flat roman shade from your local workroom. (Note that we’ve included an approximate yardage amount for certain items, but recommend you always order as much as the workroom suggests) 

Finally the textiles and wallpaper Eliza used in the spaces along with several sources she used for rugs, hardware and lamps are highlighted. Here is the guide to step by step and memorable purchase by memorable purchase build a nursery and children's room.

 Sister Parish Design children's rooms and nurseries are designed to last forever