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June 25th, 2009
before & after: knack nursery

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today’s final before & after belongs to barb blair of knack studios. we’ve seen barb’s handiwork with furniture many, many times on d*s (as well as her beautiful home!) but today we’re getting to see her design services in full effect.

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barb recently made over a client’s room (along with co-designer teresa roche) to create a modern nursery. i absolutely love this darker spin on a nursery- it’s clearly not for everyone, but then again, not everyone loves pink and flowers. the details in the room like the squirrel pillows (designed by barb and her husband), handmade wire light fixtures, owl lamp (designed by teresa) and the incredible mobile (made by royal buffet, i love the little crowns on the animals) make this a truly unique space. thanks so much to barb for sharing!

[have a before & after you'd like to share on d*s? just shoot me an email right here with your pictures!]

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91 comments
michelle said:
June 25th, 2009 - 1:52 pm

LOVE IT!!!!! Every detail is fabulous and am so impressed with the choices of unique furniture pieces. Am also excited about the ceiling color. It is very unexpected!

June 25th, 2009 - 1:56 pm

I L-O-V-E this !!! Great work!

Bonnie said:
June 25th, 2009 - 2:02 pm

Beautiful. I want this room for ME! Lucky, lucky baby (and toddler, child, and teen, as this room still works and looks great for all of those).

Erin said:
June 25th, 2009 - 2:03 pm

I love how unique this nursery is – the nature theme, bold use of neutrals, fun art. Adore the animal mobile and the wire light with the little crystals!

melissa said:
June 25th, 2009 - 2:05 pm

I love the modern rocker! who is this made by? and the owl pillow!

Jessica said:
June 25th, 2009 - 2:12 pm

I love the mature colours and furniture choices. These are elements that will last. I’m inspired!

olivia said:
June 25th, 2009 - 2:25 pm

omg, that looks awesome!

Sarah said:
June 25th, 2009 - 2:26 pm

Forget babies, I want this room! (Well, except for the crib, which I could not fit inside.)

Fatima said:
June 25th, 2009 - 2:36 pm

It came out fabulous, love the mobile.

Mouse said:
June 25th, 2009 - 2:37 pm

Whoa–I think I remember that illustration above the bed!

kate said:
June 25th, 2009 - 2:46 pm

I love Knack! She does amazing work. This room in no exception. LOVE the owl pillow. Wheres it from?

curlyred said:
June 25th, 2009 - 2:49 pm

very cool! I love “out-there” nurseries.

June 25th, 2009 - 2:56 pm

Okay, this room is amazing. Its actually magical and isn’t that just what a nursery should be?

I’m obsessed with that bulletin board too. Hmm, I bet I could try that…well, maybe.

June 25th, 2009 - 3:33 pm

Those are so lovely!!! I just finished painting my old furniture and I wish I had before picture…

jenny said:
June 25th, 2009 - 3:34 pm

That is the most amazing nursery I’ve ever seen!!! I love it!!! I WANT the possum painting!!! On a tangent, studies show that babies are most responsive and enjoy simple black/white contrasts, so the color scheme was a great choice!

Joanna said:
June 25th, 2009 - 3:47 pm

Love the soothing colors and the natural theme of the decor. Is that an owl pillow?! Where did you get it?

Yoli said:
June 25th, 2009 - 3:55 pm

This room is lovely.

Sergio said:
June 25th, 2009 - 4:01 pm

Wow its very cool design that i see in web. Ithink that it need cool web site

hyz said:
June 25th, 2009 - 4:30 pm

Looks great! The only thing I don’t dig is the cagey – looking fixture around the light in the top photo–it looks too abrupt to me, and is visually distracting. Oh, and the rocker looks great, but I couldn’t live (happily) without a comfy upholstered rocker and ottoman in the nursery–one with arms to rest against while nursing, and plush enough to doze off in. We have a much smaller nursery than this one, but I made room for that!

LOVE the twin bed, though, and the other furniture, bedding, pillows, and art are all lovely. Very nice, interesting, and peaceful room. :)

Lynn said:
June 25th, 2009 - 4:34 pm

lovely. just wish i could see where they hung the crystal cage light.

Jenny said:
June 25th, 2009 - 4:34 pm

I think it’s kind of creepy! black birds and animals on the wall – it’s like rats going to eat your baby or something!

June 25th, 2009 - 4:36 pm

barb + teresa do amazing work every time! my favorite part has to be the unexpected ceiling color…

Bess said:
June 25th, 2009 - 4:37 pm

wow, what a pretty nursery! i love all the animal art, and how it feels like you’re in the woods. well done :)

Heather said:
June 25th, 2009 - 4:55 pm

Wonderful! I get SO SICK of the campy Winnie the Pooh, sailboats, or teddy bear nurseries. People don’t branch out and experiment enough!

Great post!

June 25th, 2009 - 5:08 pm

Yay for Greenville designers, artists and artisans. It is the sweetest, mod looking nursery ever! Loving Teresa and Barb’s work and the gorgeous custom made mobile by royal buffet along with the pillows designed by Barb and John. It all looks good enough to eat!

June 25th, 2009 - 5:20 pm

Scary. The stuff of nightmares. I love good design but these are not colours that will help a babies visual colour spectrum develop. There is a reason that we are scared of spiders. It’s a primeval and in our genes. I think the shadows of that mobile will haunt the child. Style in the place of Care. There is no denying the design is fab it is just, in my mind totally and dangerously misplaced.

Jen said:
June 25th, 2009 - 5:25 pm

Yeah, who says baby’s rooms have to be pastel! Maybe there is a study to support that theory – not sure but I’m loving to blue walls…

m2bg said:
June 25th, 2009 - 5:34 pm

Its an interesting design, but I too think that the combination of the colors and all the 2D animal cutouts make it a little creepy…especially for a baby’s room….

kate said:
June 25th, 2009 - 5:49 pm

Super awesome except for the chair. I cannot imagine trying to nurse in that. I’m afraid I would slip out onto the floor!

Samantha said:
June 25th, 2009 - 6:00 pm

I LOVE this! Makes me wish my kiddies were still babies so I could start the nursery all over again.
Where are the tree decals from? I’m sort of over decals but these really add something to the otherwise featureless walls.

Emily said:
June 25th, 2009 - 6:05 pm

Wow! makes me want to have kids! :)

June 25th, 2009 - 7:19 pm

love the owl pillow

sarah said:
June 25th, 2009 - 7:21 pm

The room looks great, but I worry that some of the items could contain lead paint. The paint could flake off, which is a serious problem in a baby’s room. You gotta watch out for that stuff anytime you are using or refurbishing vintage pieces.

Georgia said:
June 25th, 2009 - 8:23 pm

A nursury for a vampire baby maybe….

Novi said:
June 25th, 2009 - 8:45 pm

The design looks so fresh! I like the outdoors appeal about it. Wonderful attention to decorative details!

June 25th, 2009 - 8:46 pm

First off, I love this room. Although I CAN understand why others don’t like it from a personal taste point of view, but here’s some food for thought:

Maybe a lot of people find this creepy because it’s just not common. Think of it this way, if everyone grew up in a room like this, then it would be the norm and people would think some other thing they aren’t used to was creepy. Kind of like in the Nightmare Before Christmas, when all the characters think cute things are terrifying….and no I’m not a goth, just trying to be open minded :)

grace said:
June 25th, 2009 - 8:48 pm

i’m with you angie. i think some very interesting and talented people probably grew up in less than “normal” rooms ;)

grace

ROXY MARJ said:
June 25th, 2009 - 9:07 pm

OH.MY.GOSH.! I loooooove this before and after!! so so so inspired!! :)

anicia said:
June 25th, 2009 - 10:05 pm

WOw…looks great…like a totally different room. Fresh.

yansy said:
June 25th, 2009 - 10:06 pm

I’m loving the nursery. It looks amazing

Sue said:
June 25th, 2009 - 10:21 pm

An amazing transformation! Love the owl pillow, the trees painted on the wall and the forest animal mobile. This is incredibly creative and original for a baby’s room. I love it!

amanda said:
June 25th, 2009 - 10:25 pm

i LOVE this! unique and not infantile in decoration. a room that the baby can grow into as a teen and think is cool I’d say!

Keri said:
June 25th, 2009 - 10:32 pm

I so want to love this nursery because I can see that someone put a lot of time and effort into it. And the individual pieces are fabulous. But together, the result is haunted house or abandoned mountain cottage. It’s just too creepy for a baby.

lindsay said:
June 25th, 2009 - 10:37 pm

I think it is fabulous! not creepy at all. My girls would love every piece of that room!

Vickie said:
June 25th, 2009 - 10:48 pm

I am so thrilled to see this lovely owl pillow here! It’s designed by my good friend, Alvin Tan, a designer/artist from Berkeley! He works with a home textile company in the Bay Area.

LL said:
June 25th, 2009 - 11:15 pm

Beautiful but a little goth for a baby

Lexy Langley said:
June 25th, 2009 - 11:19 pm

I dunno. For me this is a good concept taken a bit too far? Reminiscent of an overly art-directed dream sequence in a horror movie. Some elements good, but some too creepy. Just my 2 cents.

June 25th, 2009 - 11:33 pm

This is so great. I wish I had a nursery to decorate for my son. I think I would go Where The Wild Things Are themed.

Amanda said:
June 25th, 2009 - 11:35 pm

What a beautiful reno!

June 26th, 2009 - 12:11 am

Oh, my, I’ll be bookmarking this one! I love the use of vintage and natural elements, as well as the (vinyl?) artwork on the wall. Beautiful colors, too!

NZAnge said:
June 26th, 2009 - 12:11 am

Babies don’t feel scared, they feel hungry and tired. The color scheme and furniture are pretty classic and the decor can be easily swapped out with accessories should the child grow to develop a phobia of woodland creatures.

June 26th, 2009 - 12:34 am

very very cool!!

June 26th, 2009 - 12:42 am

Love this – and when planning our nursery five years ago, I painted the crib black to the horror of friends and family. “it’s like the baby will be in jail” was one reaction! I think it’s much more stimulating and fun. And easy to transition out of in a year or two.

sara-grey said:
June 26th, 2009 - 1:25 am

this is room is a dream. i love it.

June 26th, 2009 - 6:42 am

I completely adore this room. The problem is that I see it more for a grown up person than for a child. It´s too sad and serious in my opinion.

Fem said:
June 26th, 2009 - 7:41 am

I love that wardrobe in the second after shot, it’s great

laura said:
June 26th, 2009 - 8:03 am

I love this. Considering that babies see sharply contrasted colors best, all the black and white seems quite appropriate! Plus, it’s adorable in an Edward Gorey kind of way, which I am all for. So cool.

Bernie said:
June 26th, 2009 - 8:13 am

torn. beautiful design elements but colors seem dull to me, I couldn’t put a sweet little baby in there. My sons had a different kind of nursery too….more jungle looking, but not scary or overly bright. They still talk about it (in their 20’s).
Babies grow up so fast…..indulge the”sweetness”…you never get it back.

June 26th, 2009 - 8:20 am

After having three children, you learn that baby stages are so fleeting, and having a room they wont outgrow as fast is great. I love it. Does any one know where the metal light fixture is from?

Laura. said:
June 26th, 2009 - 8:47 am

so interesting! i really appreciate the different take on a nursery and this truly is well-designed. it’s totally risky and i really like that. love the bulletin board, the foxes, and the cagey light fixture, but maybe not the boxy light fixture. i like the crib & bed–what a luxury of space!

June 26th, 2009 - 9:46 am

it IS kinda creepy. but who says creepy is bad? i think its pretty imaginative without being too ridiculous. and that other nursery stuff is just innocuous to me. blah.
i can assure you its not going to be creepy to an infant. they just see shapes and shit. you could smear a turd on the wall into a fun shape and a baby will coo with interest. and for the record my daughter who is a typical 4 year old in every way only knows creepy when i tell her something is creepy. WE plant the seed people, not black bird cutouts on the wall.

grace said:
June 26th, 2009 - 10:07 am

just a quick note guys- normally we don’t allow profanity on the site and a lot of comments coming through on this post are laced with them. i’m letting any mild ones through, but please try to leave profanity, even the joking kind, out of the comment section.

thanks,
grace

la natach said:
June 26th, 2009 - 10:28 am

This mobile is just fantastic !

Lisa said:
June 26th, 2009 - 10:32 am

I am the home owner and love my new nursery. Teresa of artandlightgallery.com and Barb of knackstudios.com collaborated on the project and did a fantastic job. Thanks for all the comments, and I completely understand that the style is not for everyone.

Here is a little background. I didn’t know the sex of the baby before it arrived so i needed a gender-neutral room. I also wanted something affordable, practical, and different. We live on a street with huge trees and I decided to continue the forest theme. The owl pillow (~$60) is from my friend’s store, Kudzu at 864.271.4888, and represents the big owl that used to hoo hoo hoo in the tree outside the baby’s room. The opossum painting is by an artist named cornbread bought at oliversfolk.com and is a tribute to the opossum family that used to live underneath the nursery. The twin bed, nightstand, and dresser were my grandmother’s and Barb stripped them down and refinished them. I have another twin bed that will replace the crib in years to come.

The trees are vinyl (mark james), and the mobile that has forest animals with party hats (with French text on the reverse side) was handmade by Royal Buffet — both on Etsy. The bulletin board i picked up at an antique store for $25 and the green wardrobe from an antique store too. The squirrel pillows and the beaded wire light fixture (in the bathroom) were made by Barb with hubby Jon assisting. The rocker is the most comfortable chair in the house and is the preferred feeding spot. It is from fawnandforest.com. The lamps and overhead screen fixture were selected by my designer Teresa (along with many other ocmponents) and i believe are all from local artists, including paige carraway.

June 26th, 2009 - 10:33 am

I adore this, out of the box. Not everyone see’s same things the same what’s dark and creepy to some maybe imaginative and thoughtful to others.

Lauren said:
June 26th, 2009 - 12:00 pm

This didn’t strike me as creepy at all. I even went back after reading the comments…and still…not creepy. It seems whimsical and serene to me, a soothing place for a babe to sleep. And I’ll agree with those who said the baby won’t think its creepy. My two year old always says, “awww, is that sweet?” when she sees a skeleton or “boneman”. :)

June 26th, 2009 - 2:00 pm

It could be the dark ceiling/camera lighting that makes it appear a little creepy?

kristen said:
June 26th, 2009 - 2:50 pm

What a magical transformation!

Kristina said:
June 26th, 2009 - 4:09 pm

When I have children, this EXACTLY what I’d love the nursery to look like. This turned out so lovely.

Brooke said:
June 26th, 2009 - 4:39 pm

Awesome. Only one problem…now I have to go and redecorate my baby’s room!

June 26th, 2009 - 5:47 pm

Talk about drab to fab! I love this b&a.

Andra said:
June 26th, 2009 - 6:19 pm

Can’t say that I like the traditionally coloured nurseries but I think this is too “adult” themed for a baby’s bedroom. But, in general decorating a nursery is really for the parents benefit rather than the kids so maybe it’s better that way?

Holly Merrill said:
June 26th, 2009 - 8:17 pm

A baby only sees black & white at first, if you think of the room in real terms, cool! True vision!

Linsi said:
June 26th, 2009 - 8:40 pm

That nursery is so cool, it almost makes me want a baby! Such an interesting take on a baby’s room. Love it.

sarah said:
June 26th, 2009 - 11:56 pm

Clowns are creepy. High School Musical bedding is creepy. Battery-powered toys that accidentally turn on in the middle of the night are creepy.

This is just cool. Whimsical, stimulating, and simply magical. I love it.

Sari said:
June 27th, 2009 - 5:13 am

A nursery design targeted at the grown ups instead of the new born is a rare sight, it could easily be the parents bedroom as well. I love that it doesn’t have any Pooh bears in it, but I would give it an extra touch of color and softness, because the concept is great just one step too far.

sol said:
June 27th, 2009 - 10:41 am

i adore this. and for some of those who don’t like the eames rocker: it is the most comfortable thing to nurse on.

Julie said:
June 27th, 2009 - 2:40 pm

Absolutely gorgeous. Love that chocolate milk ceiling.

And I love the backstories of the objects and influences.

IMHO a room decked out in licensed characters is far creepier any day.

Ashley SP said:
June 27th, 2009 - 3:32 pm

I don’t think it’s possible for me to love an armoire more than I love that one. I’m tempted to beg our Craigslist ISO for one just like it.

Lisa H said:
June 27th, 2009 - 6:12 pm

This is so Lemony Snicket. I can’t help thinking it’s more for the parents’ design sense than for the child.

I don’t like Pooh bears either, but do you have to go all Wednesday Addams to prove that you’re not a conventional bourgeois person?

jyw said:
June 28th, 2009 - 1:48 pm

I think it’s great. Judging by some of these comments, some people have trouble thinking outside the box. It’s stylish, whimsical, and downright fantastic.

June 28th, 2009 - 2:21 pm

It’s so beautiful and different! It looks like a fairy tale.

laurie j said:
June 28th, 2009 - 5:39 pm

This is a fabulous room and I’m really surprised at people who say this room is Goth or creepy. Do you even know what Goth is? This is sooooo far from Goth. Babies see black and white for the first few months, so this design is perfect. I wish I could find more modern baby stuff like this because I’m sick of all the “sweet” baby crap and garish primary colors I see everywhere.

jo said:
June 28th, 2009 - 10:30 pm

holy moly. that place is sweeet!

June 29th, 2009 - 12:07 pm

I actually LOVE this. I don’t find it goth or creepy – it’s just outdoorsy – which I think is awesome!

honey said:
June 30th, 2009 - 12:30 pm

Beautiful earthy tones accented with spots of crisp contrast and splashes of color, a cheery yellow bird and squirrel, lots of natural light, a few pieces of whimsical artwork, fluttering woodland creatures with regal crowns that look like they’re straight from a fairy tale… I would have LOVED this as a little kid, especially the trees – a perfect set-up for pretend worlds!

I don’t get what makes this “adult-themed,” “creepy,” or “scary.” Is it just because there’s black in it? Been watching a little too much Playhouse Disney, have we? ;)

June 30th, 2009 - 9:09 pm

What a fresh, lovely, simple and oh so fun room!
Love it!
CONGRATULATIONS to the super dooper designers for a terrific job and to the parents for their bundle of joy!

Barbie said:
July 14th, 2009 - 6:43 pm

Again, LOVE that the colors are used thematically rather than as a gender assignment! This is a beautiful nursery and so warm and delightful, sort of like a fairy-tale forest.

Barbie said:
July 14th, 2009 - 6:50 pm

I think the obviously angry criticisms about it being a “Wednesday Addams” room are harsh. I find this to be stimulating to the imagination in a way that would let the child express himself or herself, rather than, as I said, assuming a socially-dictated gender color should dominate the child’s surroundings.

But isn’t it always the parent’s vision? If not the parent’s tastes directly, it’s almost always what the parents thinks, hopes or wants their child’s taste to be. I understand if it’s simply not your style, but to equate it to parental self-indulgence is just rude. It’s no different than painting pink for a girl or blue for a boy and filling it with pre-packaged Wal-Mart furnishings — it just happens to be more widely accepted to be unimaginative that way — only this is created with attention to the kind of experience a child will have there. It actually evokes the textures and colors of Where The Wild Things Are. What is more child-friendly than that?

Barbie said:
July 14th, 2009 - 6:59 pm

here’s an example of a black & white baby nursery that proves that minmal color doesn’t equal creepy: http://www.flickr.com/photos/jamesdavid/sets/72157602350800135/

Bethany said:
October 31st, 2009 - 3:17 pm

Where is the crib from? I love it! Did you paint it?
I love the entire room. Maybe a little bit creepy. I just love gray and birds and owls, yada yada yada. I want this room in my house!

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