Q & A with Molly Cooper, Cooper & Co Design – planning a nursery …. a space filled with love.

It is an exciting time to begin the journey of parenthood, and putting little baby loves nursery together makes the time so much sweeter.

As with babies, there is not a specific set of rules in creating a space, but there are certainly things you can incorporate to make midnight feedings and diaper changes much easier on mom, dad and baby.

HALH: What considerations go into developing a nursery space?

Molly: You want to first consider the size of the room? Have you turned a small office space into the nursery? Are you turning the guest bedroom into a baby space? Whichever the case may be, always consider the space first. Make a list of all the things the baby will need, and then items that will make life easier for you. Will all this work in the space? Do you “need” it all?

HALH: How do you plan a home with space that can be an office, craft room or something else but be easily converted each time it needs to be a nursery?

Molly: The idea of having a child is likely in the mind of most young homeowners/buyers. You may not plan on having children for a few years but want to be proactive in making sure there is space once they do come along.

For example, you love the thoughts of having a crafting room/office but will not mind giving that space up for a baby if the need arises. In the building process, if you plan on have built in shelving and storage in the area, plan it so that it can turn into a changing area and shelves for nursery rhyme books and the cute stuffed animals they will love looking at.

Once baby has grown up and able to transition out of the nursery (it happens so fast) into the big kids’ room, you can take your crafting and office space back with ease.

HALH: What are the trending colors and design motifs for nurseries this year?

Molly: As with everything else, the neutrals and earth tones have won the color pallet again this year. Adding in pops of color on a neutral pallet is still very much on trend. Clean and fresh just like baby.

HALH: When building the would-be nursery room, what safety concerns should be addressed in the design.

Molly: Safety for baby is always at the top of the list. If you are building then have your electrician put in safety electrical plugs in throughout the home (why kids love sticking things into plugs has always been a mystery, but curiosity gets the best of them most days).

Plan the furniture where things are not so close, they can easily maneuver once they reach the crawling stage. Attach furniture to the wall for extra stability, crawling stage brings on climbing and let me just say they are stronger than you think and if they want to get something, they will figure out a way to get to the top shelf to get it.

HALH: What is the suggested lighting for a nursery?

Molly: Nurseries like other rooms needs several different types of lighting. Task lighting for when you are looking for the paci that fell behind the crib since they are having a meltdown because it is lost. General lighting for running in to grab a pack of wipes for the big spill in the living room and a soft light to turn on when you need to do a midnight diaper and clothes change without totally waking baby and being up the rest of the night.

HALH: Any design “don’ts”?

Molly: Don’t overdo with a theme because it is hard enough managing life with a new baby and all the extra stuff sitting around just gets messy after a while and you will get so tired of the clutter. Also, don’t feel the need to keep and display and use everything everyone gets you. It is alright to take things back, start a keepsake box after the shower or put things you don’t need in the closet until they are actually old enough for it.

HALH: Any other advice or ideas?

Molly: Make it a fun space, but keep in mind less is more. You may thing you need everything Target and Amazon has for a baby, and while having some of the “cool” things is nice, a baby wants to be loved and cuddled and has no concept that he or she “needs” all the things we may think they do.

Babies are God’s gifts, so it is our job to make their space as loving and safe as we can. Enjoy the nursery and the time you have with them in that stage of their lives, because as many times as people told me my boys would grow up in the blink of an eye, I never appreciated that till now with my 13 and 10 year old young men. They have truly grown up so fast, and they aren’t slowing down anytime soon.