Your crib assembly manual may be bigger than a Webster’s Dictionary. Take a deep breath and save time feathering the rest of your baby’s nest by using an online decorating service. This more affordable alternative to hiring an onsite designer gives you the e-tools you need — and sometimes simply inspiration — to create the oasis of your dreams. Sit back and click your way to baby room bliss with these services.
photo: courtesy of Havenly
Havenly
The Process:
This new, super-polished site presents you with a quick style survey. Submit it with a few photos of the nursery-to-be and a designer will take care of the rest. Once your online guru has all your info, you two will have a 30-minute consultation to hammer out your hopes and dreams. The expert will use her creative powers to come up with a digital mockup, and you’ll have the opportunity to make two revisions to make sure everything’s perfect. Expect a final proof with a list of products and furnishings that you go out and buy to make the design a reality.
The Vibe:
Your high-end nursery mockup will make you feel like you’re standing in the doorway of a fully finished room. The mockup is a photographic floor plan that will make you want to reach out and feel the fluffy rug, open the chest of drawers and spin your adorable polar bear mobile. With unique feathered light fixtures, intricate printed wallpaper and sleek cribs, choices are tailored to those interested in rearing a future Anna Wintour.
The Perks:
For a flat fee of $185, moms-to-be can have a stress-free experience that gives you creative control, but also lets the design pros do all of the heavy lifting. When you do have to take over, Havenly gives you the option of one-click buying, which connects you to the perfect pre-selected products for your little one’s new room
Get Started:
Email hello@havenly.com or go to havenly.com.
photo: via A. Peltier Interiors Facebook page
A. Peltier Interiors
The Process:
Amy Peltier is a Southern California mom with a passion for designing for future mommies all over the country. Amy helps you find products that combine different styles from a variety of vendors. You have a choice of two packages, depending on your budget and needs. If you’re wallet-conscious, go with a Petite Peltier Nursery Bundle. You’ll get a choice of ready-made combinations of design boards, shopping lists, floor plans and how-to manuals at a range of price points. If you want to go all out, the Custom Online Nursery Design is decidedly more customized, giving you access to a personal designer that tailors a bundle to your individiual needs and style.
The Vibe:
If you love Pinterest, you’ll flip for A. Peltier. They present you with a trove of products that range in style and come from a variety of vendors. If you’re going farmhouse vintage, bright and colorful, clean and simple, or a little bit of everything, you can use this resource to mix and match unique pieces to create an eclectic baby space.
The Perks:
There is no need to make massive purchases all at once. You can buy a few pieces here and there, or just one at a time. You’re also free to incorporate heirloom pieces or special items you found on your own.
Get Started:
Email: designer@peltierinteriors.com or go to peltierinteriors.com.
photo: via Pottery Barn Kids
Pottery Barn Kids
The Process:
Choose one of the gazillions of pre-designed rooms, or start with a blank canvas for your nursery mockup. The ready-made rooms allow you to swap out pieces, change furniture and flooring colors, resize furniture, and add in new pieces until your heart’s content. The blank canvas gives you the same options, and is great for parents with a designer’s eye and specific vision.
The Vibe:
These mock-ups will allow you to explore a bird’s-eye view of a digital drawing that will give you basic outlines of the furniture and accessories for the entire space. Create a space for a mini royal with clean lines and pin-tucked details, or punch things up with a turquoise crib or bright pink rugs. This is a great way to figure out what furniture will work in your space while you play around with color combos for furniture, accessories and flooring.
The Perks:
This free service is one part reality and one part imagination. Of course, you can pick your favorite Pottery Barn items to ground the room, but you can also add your own bright orange crib or green armoire to represent items you already own or unique pieces you’re hoping to find. When you feel your mock-up is complete you can save, share and print it as a source of inspiration or use it as a design blueprint.
Get Started:
Email: potterybarnkidsdesignservices@wsgc.com or go to potterybarnkids.com.
photo: via FIsher-Price
Room to Bloom
The Process:
Fisher-Price is in on the online decorating game, too. Its e-service lets you become your own interior designer, and mix patterns and colors to get a feel for what your bambino’s space is going to look like. Create a mockup using products from brand themes like My Little Snugamonkey, Coral Floral and My Little Lamb Platinum. Let the monkeys, lambs or bright colors inspire you to test different types of flooring, paint colors and even paint patterns. Add graphic checker patterns or alternating stripes to the walls, and switch carpet for dark hardwood to bring a sleeker sensibility to the room.
The Vibe:
This is the place to go for parents who are just starting to make plans for their new bundle of joy. Embrace kid-friendly products in a room that your messy lovable bug can call home. With a few photographic images of the themed baby products and a couple digitized drawings of basic furniture, the mock-up lets you focus on the general color palette and style of the room. It’s less of a roadmap, and more of an inspiration center for paint, flooring and the basic colors that you want to incorporate.
The Perks:
This free tool can help budget conscious parents create a nursery full of cuddly cartoon-ish characters that won’t break the bank. With print, save and Facebook share buttons, this service is designed to be totally user friendly.
Get Started:
Go to fisher-price.com.
What do you envision your baby’s nursery to be like? Let us know in the Comments!
— Natasha Davis
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