A Joyous and Peaceful Easter to All!

Have a wonderful weekend!

Posh Nursery #2 - Blue

Here we are again!

Let's say a little prince arrives in the royal household this summer!  What is prettier and fresher looking than a blue and white color scheme!  Nothing, really!  And blue and white is one of (if not the most!) coveted color combinations in interior design......it works anywhere and everywhere!

And actually, this particular scheme and look could easily be unisex.........just as beautiful for a little princess.  Simply by changing the ride on toys to something girlier, it becomes a gorgeous girl's room.  If it was for a girl, I might switch to a soft floral fabric instead of the blue ticking, but not necessarily.  Everything else could remain the same.

When planning these moodboards, naturally I have the Kensington Palace apartment of William and Kate in mind, as that will be their homebase.  So, I am keeping with this very traditional look as I think the palace rooms might expect that...........you know, pure English country and comfort.

As for the artwork in the nursery, it's always fun to go with animal art and in the case of this Salvador Dali elephant giraffe, some whimsy is welcome, as well.  

I imagine the rooms at Kensington Palace are fairly large, so a lot more artwork will be required, but this piece is just an example of the direction one could go in...........

It's been reported that Victoria Beckham collects Damien Hirst art for her children's bedrooms and that little Harper has some Hirst butterfly art in her room.   Why not buy original art if you can afford it?  It's another lifetime investment and an instant heirloom. Remember, we are talking about 'very posh nurseries' here for people with unlimited incomes.

Speaking of unlimited incomes, Kate has proven over and over again that her style is not always about money - she has shown it is about comfort, sensibility, practicality and fun!  Whatever she comes up with for a nursery, I know it will be tasteful, warm, functional and a wonderful environment for her and her new little prince or princess!

I have one more posh nursery to come!  It will be completely gender neutral and gorgeous!  Be sure to check it out!

The Moodboard!

This furniture from Poshtots and Art for Kids is really beautiful with the chest and armoire long-term investments......solid, beautiful and will last a lifetime.  And the crib is just too beautiful to resist!  The upholstered, tufted head and footboards are just added comfort.

This is pretty special, I must say!

Isn't this a stunning chandelier?  Another perfect item for a regal nursery.

A necessary table lamp........beautiful colors.

A large damask area rug.

This is such a comfortable looking nursing chair for Kate.....the blue ticking indicating the cushion could be used for the window treatments, as well.

This child's chair is perfect for a little prince!

Love this elephant giraffe by Salvador Dali.  The elephant accessories are a nod to Prince William's work on behalf of saving the elephants and preventing poaching of these magnificent animals.

Some ride on toys and great art.

How about some original dog art - this piece by Mary Sparrow Smith.   It adds color and charm and what better time to start teaching children compassion and love for animals, but in the nursery.  Same as reading......you can never start too early!

Topiaries are a nice addition to any room!

White roses!

And more white roses!

And when the little prince is old enough, he's going to need a roadster to get around those long palace hallways!

Poshtots, Artforkids, PetitTresor, Art.com, Google

SpoiledRottenToo, Unitedbmonline, Steiff,

Mary Sparrow Smith Art, Salvador Dali

Carolyne Roehm florals

Posh Nursery #1 - Pink

This moodboard represents a pretty monochromatic scheme - not a lot of high contrast here.  While I'm not sure Princess Kate would be much of a 'pink' fan for her little princess's room, if she were to choose  it, the softness of the tone would be important.

Kate is so traditional and low key, I suspect she might choose something completely neutral......but, one never knows and she may surprise everyone!

Pink Moodboard

Soft pink Versailles furniture collection

Ivory and soft pink bassinet

Trumeau mirror in ivory and gold

Ivory change table

Nursing chair to be upholstered in pink toile fabric shown below

Small child's settee

Soft pink toile fabric for window treatments and nursing chair

Large flokati rug

Soft pink lighting with crystal and shine

Gold framed bunny sketches or nursery tale art

A large original painting over the crib, such as a Laurence Amelie tutu shown above

A Georgian doll house from Dragon's of Walton Street, London

Plush cuddly toys and rocking lamb

Plush toys

And always - fresh flowers

All images above from Art For Kids, Petit Tresor, Poshtots

Spoiledrotten, Bograd, Dragon's of Walton Street

Carolyn Roehm florals

Royal Baby Nurseries

With the upcoming birth of a new British royal baby, and the first in many years, the blogging and decorating world has been abuzz with guessing who the lucky nursery designer will be.  Word has it that English designer, Stephanie Hoppen, is the chosen one.

If what is being reported is to be believed, she is also the chosen designer for William and Kate's Kensington Palace apartment.  What a great assignment!  I can only imagine the world of nursery decor she would be exposed to while working for the royal family.

I've done a little research on high end nurseries, and I can tell you it's been a real eye opener for little old me down here on the east coast of Canada!

Today, I want to share some very posh items and room ideas I've come upon and tomorrow, I will begin to share my own moodboards and color schemes that I have come up with.

Some of the following items will be completely over the top (OTT) and some so expensive that only the likes of Beyonce and Jay-Z could afford to indulge.

Speaking of Jay-Z and Beyonce, let's start with a show of some of the items they have bought for Blue Ivy........

How about a $5,000 baby bathtub covered in swarovski crystals?

Then there is the $600,000 solid gold rocking horse.

Oh, and let's not forget the $15,000 swarovski crystal encrusted Carla Monchen highchair.

And then there's the $20,000 hand made, custom crib from Poshtots.

You get the picture - when money is no object, you can be OTT.........and drip with bling!!

Then, there is really beautiful classic furniture that will last a lifetime and remain in a family's home for generations to come, such as the following:

A gorgeous baby armoire from Art for Kids

A very traditional crib from Poshtots - $8,000

And we must consider the decorating styles to choose from - will it be English country, traditional, shabby chic, modern............look at a few of the different styles below:

A nicely outfitted, traditional nursery from Art for Kids.

An antique ivory collection would work well in the palace and I could see Kate going with something like this!  Very neutral and traditional.

A more spacious nursery with room to play....very traditional.

How about shabby chic?  All white and pink with roses?

This looks like a palace bedroom, but the very low bassinet isn't really practical and even the cradle seems low.

And one more totally decadent, but exquisite piece.

This is so decadent!  For £7,000 you can have this beautiful bassinet with swarovski crystals on the antique lace skirt.  From Dragon's of London.

Now that you've had a taste of the possibilities out there, what do you think Kate would choose?  Will it be a unisex nursery with neutral tones, a girl's, a boy's, light furniture or dark furniture?  We may never, ever get a glimpse of the completed royal nursery, but, in the meantime, we can imagine.

I have a feeling the royal nursery will be elegant and low key with very soft tones.  Tomorrow, I will show you a very delicate pink and ivory moodboard.

Until then!

Art for Kids, Poshtots, Dragon's of Walton Street

Happy Thanksgiving!

Hi Everyone!

It seems like forever since I've blogged, and at the same time, this year has flown by.....where did it go?

First of all, thank you so, so much to all of you who have so kindly sent notes to me regarding different posts.  It means a lot to me to hear from you.

I mentioned to you (a long time ago) that I was working on decorating a house in Guysborough, Nova Scotia, (which is over 6 hours from here by car and boat - one way!) and believe it or not, it was finally finished in early September when the family moved in. Since then, I've been back again for a photoshoot as the house will be published in East Coast Living magazine in their winter issue - January, I believe.  Because it will be published, I am unable to share any photos at this time, but I will update you later.

Besides getting through the hottest summer on Prince Edward Island in history(!), I've become glued (addicted?) to Pinterest!!!!!  I can't stop myself from looking at all those fabulous, fabulous images of everything imaginable.......I have so many interests I no longer concentrate on decor only and it is so much faster to peruse whatever subject you want info on at any particular time!  Please check out my boards at www.pinterest.com/kayfurlong.

In the meantime, to all of you who are looking forward to our Thanksgiving weekend, enjoy!  And to those of you in the rest of the blogosphere, have a wonderful weekend as well!

Until the next time!

Regards,

Kay

Welsh tea room

Daily Mail

English Country Beach Cottage

This charming cottage is a total reflection of the homeowner, designer Podge Bune (love that name!).

Podge has lovingly collected and curated her belongings over her lifetime and lives with not only her beautiful collections, but her most meaningful.

To see more of this shingled home at the beach and to read an interview with Podge, check out Housebeautiful.com

Enjoy and have a wonderful weekend!

All images via House Beautiful