EcoSavvy Design: Le petit sophistiqué

You know, people always say that a child deserves a great start. And I wholeheartedly agree - which is exactly why I think sophistication must start at an early age! A beautiful nursery is where it's at...and it's where your child is most of the time. The colors and decorations you choose help to formulate your baby's first impressions of the world. And what better way than to give them all that great design has to offer? I know I've written about a ton of wonderful companies that offer beautiful, adorable, and sweet children's linens [like Argington, Serina and Lily, Olli & Lime, Cotton Monkey, and on and on]. But sometimes, you want something that is all you, and totally different. So why not take your creativity and apply it to your crib skirt and bumper? Whether you make it yourself, or have someone make it for you (like I would cause I certainly can't sew a straight line, let alone bedding!), custom bedding is a wonderful way to make something unique, and opens up a world of possibilities beyond the ready made. Aside from giving you the chance to put your very personal stamp on your baby's boudoir, the possibilities are endless. And when you go organic, you get beauty and safety all in one.

Purl is an adorable shop that is heaven to fabric lovers. I discovered several years ago while wandering in Soho and have been in love ever since. Truly a DIYers' delight, with fabrics and yarns and patterns galore - all at unbeatable prices.

Check out the pairings of fabrics from Cloud 9s My Happy Garden collection. The possibilities of mixing within the collection are fantastic. I've paired some of the patterns I like, but really you can mix them all up and they'd totally work. A crib skirt, a bumper (maybe double sided?), some window treatments, and voila - you've got your whole room!

These are lively and still sweet. I love the stripe for a nice roman shade or valence, and the brown and cream make it something your child can grow into.

How sweet is this combo? I just love that it's feminine without being frilly.

If you're looking for something other than the soft pastels typical to children's linens, why not go for Mod Green Pod's bold, wild and fabulous organic fabric lines? These crisp patterns and strong contrasts are a great way to add life and color to the space, making it perfect pour ton petit bebe - et plus important, pour toi!

I love the idea of doing a combination of the Wee Jubilee and Butterfly Jubilee fabrics together. The yellow/raspberry combination is so vivacious!

And you can pull in the raspberry solid for welting, piping, or just to tone down the room a bit - like as a crib skirt and the welting for a double sided bumper made with the two fabrics above...just gorgeous!

You can take that same raspberry and inject it into this seriously funky palette below. A lot of people might think black and white, kids, what?! But really, isn't this the basis for any sophisticates' wardrobe? So why not their bedroom too. Girl or boy it's sure to wow. (Though maybe doing a blue solid with the boy might be a better idea...)

Or maybe you go Grand Jubilee with a little Jubilee Butterfly and black banding? Cherry piping?

It seems as though the natural solid is not quite the same as the background for one of my absolute favorites (and yes, it's orange) of their fabrics, but if in real life it is, this would be the perfect way to make a happy, bright combination that's not overwhelming. A solid crib skirt, maybe with a nice 1"banding along the bottom in an orange (maybe they'll add this to their collection?) to match the flowers would look great - and you can even work that into the window treatment style too - and make the bumper out of Mod's Bloom fabric.