Loren's Room

A Birdy Room for chickie dee Loren

Loren's Room, daughter of Aimee Brock of Lily Pad Designs

Words by Aimee Brock
21 September 2010

I recently finished my baby’s room – nine months after she was born! It wouldn't have taken so long if I just hadn't launched my new business, but it became a balancing act between work and play…

The room started from my sister-in-law Keri’s Holly Chic store bedding range called “Espresso”, which is made from Joel Dewberry’s designer damask fabric. I’m a major coffee lover and as well as the name, I loved the combination of chocolate brown and aqua. It suits a boy or a girl equally – and since my first scan had predicted a boy I went for it! Once we found out later we were actually having a girl, I added some accent colours of pink and it now looks delightfully soft and girly.

The room is actually a homage to all things Holly Chic. I’m a big fan of mixing and matching Keri’s fabrics, so I knew I wanted some of her polka-dot Full Moon Lotus range, and some of her Sunburst range. I’m lucky enough to also have access to her cut offs (any crafters delight!) so I decided to ‘craft up’ my own nursery range of accessories to match.

The theme for my craft projects was based on the owls in her ForWalls wall décor. It led me to a birdy accessory theme and first I framed three Moon Mum embroidered art collages (also from Holly Chic) and picked up a cheap bird wall sticker from the $2 shop (shhh don’t tell) to decorate her toy box. I also designed and made a toy softie owl for her bed.

Next I created a babushka Russian doll and paper doily collage on a pre-primed black canvas from Ike’s Emporium to match the bedding, and popped it on the book shelf next to her lamp from Freedom Furniture and Birthday Teddie from her grandparents in Australia. I also stole the blank space off the back of the cupboard door and used it for extra wall space to hang one of my lily pinboards in Flora Blues. The cute shoe chain is actually a toy chain from Dream Baby.

My Dad repainted the armoire, which originally belonged to Mum when she was growing up, my hubby repainted the tox box, which belonged to his younger brother, a friend lent me the arm chair, and the Gro-Years cot was a hand-me down from her older sister.

Finally the bedding, the furniture and the accessories were all tied together by the Holly Chic patchwork cushion I made from the last of Keri’s fabric cut offs and by the LOREN fabric-covered name letters I hung on the wall above the owl wall décor ( the MDF letters can be bought plain from Spotlight.)

I’m so pleased it’s finished. Now it’s time to redo my four year old’s room!