Nursery budget ideas: this one mixes bargain & luxe

“The design brief for this room came from Scarlett who was two years old at the time and all she wanted was pink! That was the biggest and most important request which is typical for very girly girls,” says interior stylist Kristina Van Rooyen of All is Pretty who created this beautiful space for her daughter.

Now three years old, Scarlett likes the grey walls – a design choice that Kristina made to future-proof the space. “I wanted a neutral base for the room so it could grow with my little girl or be easily converted into a guest room later. The hits of colour would come from the toys and the fabrics. That way, I could easily change the vibe of the room without turning it inside out. At the beginning, she wasn’t particularly happy with the grey walls, but once all the pink furniture and details start coming in, she got more excited about her ‘big girl’ room,” says Kristina.

While the pink tones certainly stand out, it’s hard to look past the statement removable wallpaper – a monochrome oversized peony print from ColorRay Decor. “I’ve always loved wallpaper as you have a great choice of colours, patterns and textures – so many possibilities. For me, wallpaper is like art for your wall, so it was important to choose something that I really loved and hopefully my little girl would too,” says Kristina who transformed the room in one day with her husband.  “It gave it a totally new look and feel. The big romantic peonies in black and white bring that wow effect when you walk into the room,” says Kristina.

The room also does a good job of mixing budget pieces with higher end finds – the bed is from IKEA while the children’s lounge is a velvet stunner from our beloved Incy Interiors. The canopy, from Miss n Master, is another of the room’s highlights – the piece was chosen for its whimsical feel. “The other thing that was very important in creating this room was to achieve some element of magic, something that really sparks imagination. So just next to our beautiful canopy where Scarlett loves to play, hide and read we put on the wall little fairy doors with a little mailbox and we write letters to fairies and imagine what they are doing when we’re sleeping,” says Kristina.

“My favourite part of the project was finding the design that would fit my daughter’s personality and to work with whatever else was going on in the house. That was my challenge and now that the room is finished I can say both of us are really happy with the outcome,” says Kristina.

Photography: Susan Papazian

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