Room of the Day: A Versatile Nursery Fit for a Little ‘King’
A Georgia couple welcome home their baby boy with a royal nursery that can accommodate guests
Before welcoming home a baby boy, a Georgia couple hired designer Mikel Welch to transform their first child’s room into a regal space that could function as a nursery and guest room. The couple also wanted to carry the transitional style of the home over into this room, creating a sophisticated space that would age with their son. “They kept calling the child ‘king’ before the boy was even born,” he says. “I thought, ‘Let’s go ahead and make this room fit for a king.’”
Next, Welch organized the furniture. He knew he needed sleeping spots for guests and for the baby boy, so he placed one along each side wall and added a large ottoman in between.
When the couple has company, the baby sleeps in their room, and the sofa expands to a bed, turning the space into a guest room. As the boy gets older, “he can have his friends stay over, and they can hop right out on that sofa,” Welch says.
He started the toy collection with stuffed animals and books from Land of Nod, Pottery Barn Kids and RH Baby & Child.
Novogratz tufted sofa sleeper: Walmart
When the couple has company, the baby sleeps in their room, and the sofa expands to a bed, turning the space into a guest room. As the boy gets older, “he can have his friends stay over, and they can hop right out on that sofa,” Welch says.
He started the toy collection with stuffed animals and books from Land of Nod, Pottery Barn Kids and RH Baby & Child.
Novogratz tufted sofa sleeper: Walmart
Welch had been wanting to use this birdcage chandelier for a long time, and this project provided the right opportunity. “When people walk into the space, it’s the first thing that they see,” he says.
Light fixture: Vintage Birdcage collection, Restoration Hardware
Light fixture: Vintage Birdcage collection, Restoration Hardware
A crown above the crib reinforces the room’s royal theme. It was one of the first purchases Welch made for this project.
The couple received the crib as a present during their baby shower, and Welch added a personal touch by swapping out the drawer handles for a pair of lion’s-head knockers.
A week after the project was completed, Welch got a call that confirmed the room was a success. The mother-to-be said she had been sleeping on the sofa and enjoying the space.
Crown decor: Restoration Hardware; vintage wood carousel horse: RH Baby & Child; lion’s-head knockers: 1stdibs
More
How to Paint Stripes Right
Trending Now: 15 Nurseries Making Houzzers Click ‘Save’
Browse the latest nursery room photos on Houzz
The couple received the crib as a present during their baby shower, and Welch added a personal touch by swapping out the drawer handles for a pair of lion’s-head knockers.
A week after the project was completed, Welch got a call that confirmed the room was a success. The mother-to-be said she had been sleeping on the sofa and enjoying the space.
Crown decor: Restoration Hardware; vintage wood carousel horse: RH Baby & Child; lion’s-head knockers: 1stdibs
More
How to Paint Stripes Right
Trending Now: 15 Nurseries Making Houzzers Click ‘Save’
Browse the latest nursery room photos on Houzz
Nursery at a Glance
Who uses this space: A couple with a baby boy and their overnight guests
Location: Augusta, Georgia
Size: 300 square feet (28 square meters)
Designer: Mikel Welch of Mikel Welch Designs
For his layout desicisions, Welch relied on photos and accurate measurements from the homeowners because he designed the room remotely from New York City. This Georgia nursery wasn’t Welch’s first project with the clients. They loved his work while he was on the TV show HGTV Design Star and reached out to him to remodel their first home. Now they were in a different house and wanted a redesigned space for their baby.
Welch started with paint stripes on the wall. The client loved purple but didn’t want anything too pastel, so Welch picked a neutral gray as the base. Then he selected a shade of purple close to gray and continued building out the palette. “We picked a color palette that is neutral enough where he can still bring other elements into the space, whether they be wood or metal,” he says, “and he can change those things out over time.”
Wall paint: Brassica, Pelt and Wimborne White, Farrow & Ball; Cardiff ottoman: Baxton Studio; drapes: Fishman’s Fabrics