Decor and Accessories

Continuing with our discussions with Claudia Kalur, from A Room for Frances, this week we are talking about Décor and Accessories. Claudia's ideas are great! Feel free to ask questions using the comments field her or our Facebook page. 


Décor and Accessories - Part VII

This is one of the most fun parts of doing a nursery - and certainly the easiest for you to be green! Design-wise I am not big on matchy-matchy themes but I do like a consistency throughout the décor of a room, be it a color, or set of colors, a pattern, a character, etc - I try to do that in every project because visually (even if you are not aware of it), it brings a room together. Once you have decided on what that element will be, just let yourself be creative. This is a great way to be eco-friendly and truly one of the things I love the most about creating children's spaces - this is the part where I get to go shopping for vintage items, re-use old furniture, or just simple make something myself. How? Let's see...

Mobiles can be a major element in a nursery and if you hang them from the ceiling you will have more surface and height to play with. I used in one of my projects decorative elements from a shop's window display that was being thrown out because it was from the last season's collection. Alternatively I had considered going to Michaels (or any other craft store) and buying materials to make one myself. You can buy little wood cutouts in the shape of animals, stars, etc, that you can paint, or buy felt and make little figures, stuff them with pillow insert filling and then hang them from the ceiling.

Following still my consistency element, for that project of mine, I cut the beautiful paper bags from that same shop and framed them in nice brown wooden frames. This is an easy, cheap and eco-friendly tip good for a lot of rooms - go through magazines and you will be surprised with how many images are worth framing. For another project, I bought 2 copies of a book of watercolors, kept one to read and cut my favorite watercolors out of the other one and framed them. If you look in second hand bookshops, you will find old children's books with beautiful prints, or even old posters.

Another great way to decorate walls is to display things that have meaning for you or your baby. You can buy a cork board and paint it and then pin items, photos and other mementos as time goes by. Soon enough, your baby will be making his or her own drawings so make sure you have room to display them. You can find old frames at vintage or consignment shops that you can re-use and add extra character to the room.

If your consistency element is a color or a pattern, a fabric garland can be a beautiful way to decorate the ceiling or the walls. Or just simply frame a swatch of two or three different fabrics that you like and will use, for instance in the bedding. I also like to incorporate a peg rack in most of my projects - it is very useful, it can be easily done and it can become a central element in the décor of your room.

If you do not have a lot of time and your budget allows, Etsy is a fantastic place to find beautiful decorative accessories, hand-made and safe for children. Just remember that the reason why these items are more expensive is that someone has taken the time and care to make something beautiful, not a machine or en masse, and that their time is worth money - just like yours is.

Click here to access last week's posting from Claudia, covering "Furniture" concepts.

Stay tuned for coming weeks when Claudia will be discussing more topics about eco-friendly children's rooms and nurseries.

Claudia Kalur is the founder of A Room for Frances, Nursery and Children's Room Design. She lives in rural Connecticut with her husband, Steven (an architect who specializes in green building systems), their 18-month-old daughter, Margot, and their doggy, Bayou.

Creating a Healthy Nursery for your Baby (and the Planet!) - Part V

Continuing with our insightful discussions with Claudia Kalur, a European interior decorator and founder of a Room for Frances, this week we are talking about eco-friendly Furniture. Great tips and suggestions! You can ask questions using the comments field here or on our Facebook page

Furniture - Part V
There are three main pieces of furniture that are fundamental in a little one's room: a crib, a changing table and a chair; and the choices are endless, in price and in style.
The most important of the three is the crib - and before we get to the eco-friendly options, you need to know that you should purchase a crib that meets the federal guidelines of the Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC). All new ones should meet and some even exceed the guidelines but when you "inherit" a crib, or purchase a second-hand one, you must pay special attention. These guidelines concern all safety related issues like the sturdiness of the frame and the width of the bars, so be sure to inspect it carefully before you use it.

So what is eco-friendly furniture? In short, it's furniture made from sustainable materials (from renewable resources, recycled materials, etc), free of harmful chemicals (such as certain wood preservatives and adhesives, lead paints, etc) and built in a resource-efficient way (for instance locally made furniture). The best choice is, of course, a piece made with a local hardwood, and by a local craftsman but often that is not possible or feasible. Luckily, today there are several options that are second best to that - just google "eco-friendly cribs"!
But there are a few things I would like to mention and that I think you should consider... The first one applies to EVERYTHING that claims to be green, sustainable, and eco-friendly and it turns out to be Made in China. Hardly green, considering the distance it had to travel and from a country that (in 2007) was responsible for almost 22% of the world's gas emissions, not to mention the destruction of their environment through water and land pollution. Yes, the USA was right behind it, with 19%, but quality control in the USA (as well as South-America and Europe) is much more reinforced and the distance traveled is a lot shorter (I am not even going to go into the humanitarian and political issues surrounding China!).
If your budget does not allow for a new sustainable crib, the alternative can be a second-hand crib, for instance. The advantage is, of course, that you are paying less than a brand-new piece, you are extending its life and, if it is not eco-friendly, it has already aired the VOCs for a while. Please be aware that you must (cannot emphasize this enough!) inspect the condition of the crib and make sure it is not more than a couple of years old.
As I have mentioned before, one of the best things you can do for the planet (and future generations) is to buy quality items, built to last, and extend their life as much as possible. This is particularly important when it comes to children because they grow so fast! If you choose carefully, all the furniture that you buy for the nursery can last for quite a while.
The crib - some adapt to toddler beds, and some even to double beds. Yes, I know, your child (or you) may not like the style anymore... but it can become a bed in a guest bedroom. The changing table - if it's a dresser, it will be useful for a lot longer. Better still, a vintage dresser can become a changing table and then a dresser again! The chair, even a rocker, especially if it's an armchair rocker, can remain in your teenager's room or be used somewhere else in the house.
If you can splurge on one thing, I would suggest the mattress - and I highly recommend choosing an organic one, like Naturepedic. However, if you cannot afford an organic mattress, please be sure to buy the mattress early on and let it air for as long as possible before the baby arrives and use an organic pad. A crib mattress can last you quite a few years if you move your baby from the crib to a toddler bed (they usually take the same size mattress), or if you have more than one child. If you always use a protecting pad, you will also be able to pass it on to someone else!

Click here to access last week's posting from Claudia, covering "Lighting" concepts.

Stay tuned for coming weeks when Claudia will be discussing more topics about eco-friendly children's rooms and nurseries.

Claudia Kalur is the founder of A Room for Frances, Nursery and Children's Room Design. She lives in rural Connecticut with her husband, Steven (an architect who specializes in green building systems), their 18-month-old daughter, Margot, and their doggy, Bayou.

Creating a Healthy Nursery for your Baby (and the Planet!) - Part IV

Continuing with our insightful discussions with Claudia Kalur, a European interior decorator and founder of A Room for Frances, this week we are talking about eco-friendly Lighting. You can ask questions using the comments field here or on our Facebook page.

Lighting - Part IV

When deciding on lighting for the nursery (or any room, really), just think about the layout of your furniture and what tasks you will be performing where - this will tell you the kind of lighting (type of accent or ceiling) and how strong you will need it (task or ambiance lighting). However, when it comes to environmentally conscious lighting, whether you like using ceiling lights, or you're like me and prefer accent lighting - it is all about the bulbs!

While a few years ago, no matter how eco-conscious you wanted to be, the thought of using bright white fluorescent bulbs was enough to make you cringe, now there are endless options for softer or brighter lighting, less white or yellow, and in all sorts of tones that take your fancy. There are even bulbs that take only a few seconds to reach full power, instead of gradually, and now there are also dimming and 3-way switch fluorescent bulbs!

And seriously... there is no longer any excuse for anybody NOT to be using compact fluorescent light bulbs. Despite industry propaganda as to the modest mercury content of these bulbs, fluorescents are of modest risk even if broken but should be handled carefully none the less.  In fact, all sorts of fluorescents bulbs have been used for years (remember your school room?) and there was little industry concern of them until they became part of the greater trend towards energy conservation. Compared to incandescent bulbs, they now can emit a just as pretty light, they are dimmable (although these are more specialized and you may pay a bit more for a good dimming fluorescent), they are cheaper than ever, they last about 10 times longer, they save you 7 times as much energy (and money) and they produce about a 2000th of the carbon emissions. It's a no brainer!

As to what lighting goes where - I prefer accent lighting; it gives a cozier feeling, it is task oriented and you save energy by having smaller light bulbs on. We still have ceiling lights but I rarely use them. There are two table lamps in my daughter's nursery, each with a different wattage bulb, depending on the task that they perform: the one on the small table is for general lighting and ambiance, and has a warmer, yellower and weaker light; the lamp on the changing table is brighter and whiter (you want to be able to see what you're doing! To make it easier, if you can, have dedicated outlets for your accent lighting and place at least one switch by the entrance to the room. Another fundamental change is the use of dimmers - once you've used them, you will see how rarely you really need a full blast of light!
Lastly but not least - vintage lamps are a great way of being sustainable and they add so much character to any room (just make sure your wiring is new and safe!). Try also craigslist, fairs, eBay and estate sales in your area - you can find vintage, new or like news lamps and accessories for a much cheaper price and you are extending the life of these items - which the best thing you can do for your planet!

Click here to access last week's posting from Claudia, covering "Wall Treatment" concepts.

Stay tuned for coming weeks when Claudia will be discussing more topics about eco-friendly children's rooms and nurseries.

Claudia Kalur is the founder of A Room for Frances, Nursery and Children's Room Design. She lives in rural Connecticut with her husband, Steven (an architect who specializes in green building systems), their 18-month-old daughter, Margot, and their doggy, Bayou.

Creating a Healthy Nursery for your Baby (and the Planet!)

We are very excited to introduce Claudia Kalur, a European interior decorator and founder of A Room for Frances. Claudia will be our guest writer for the next 8 Mondays, providing amazing suggestions and tips on designing eco-friendly nurseries and children's rooms.

Thinking Long Term - Part 1
As you await the arrival of your baby, you will (like I did, I am sure!), start day-dreaming about the nursery and how to decorate it! This will be the room where your baby and your family will be spending many, many hours for the next few years, so consider eco-friendly options that will make the nursery not just a safe but also a healthy environment. It is a lot easier than you may think!
Before I go into more detail on the aspects of sustainably decorating a room, however, let me suggest to you one of the "greenest" things you can do when thinking of creating a space for you child (or any space, really): think Long Term.
Even if you plan on moving to a new house or simply switching your child to a new room later, think of ways to arrange your prospective child's room in a way that will evolve with them as they grow.
A wall color can be changed easily - wallpaper not so much. A changing table will have later use if it is adaptable to a dresser. Some cribs can become toddler beds and even a twin size bed. An armchair with a classic fabric or a slipcover, where you rest while your baby sleeps, or where you feed him or cradle him to sleep, can be used later on somewhere else in the house, including in your future teenager’s room!
Good quality furniture can be expensive, so make sure you can give it use for a long time. It is important that we adjust our thinking away from rampant consumerism and the purchasing of goods that are destined for the landfill after short use.
Therefore, don't just look forward in time, look backwards too - vintage, hands-me-down, antique and sometimes just brand new furniture and decor that someone else did not need or use are truly one of the best ways to be eco-friendly.
In all the rooms that I design my primary concern is this: how can I make this space grow with this child while providing him or her with a healthy, safe and balanced environment? It is my intent with this series of articles to share with you how I try to answer that question.

Stay tuned for coming weeks when Claudia will be discussing sustainable flooring, lighting and walls for children's rooms and nurseries.

Claudia Kalur is the founder of A Room for Frances, Nursery and Children's Room Design. She lives in rural Connecticut with her husband, Steven (an architect who specializes in green building systems), their 18-month-old daughter, Margot, and their doggy, Bayou.