Pepper Design Blog

Guest Bathroom Sneak Peek

I’m letting the cat out of the bag a little early on this one… because I can’t stand the anticipation any longer.

We officially won’t break ground on our new guest bathroom until March, but that hasn’t stopped me from numerous trips to Lowe’s and plenty of mock-ups to design a brand new, sweet little modern bath for our visitors (and Olivia, it will officially be Liv’s bathroom as we plan to have it accessible via the hallway as well as her bedroom).

Sure, we still have the old-kitchen-turned-office to finish, the nursery-that’s-75%-done and the brand-spankin’-NEW-kitchen (oh poor new kitchen with its teeny tiny details that just won’t wrap up) – but why not dive into this amazing project that will leave us one bathtub closer to a clean and modern space for visitors to enjoy?

And we don’t currently have a bathtub as our current bathroom’s tub is broken (aka so old it has stopped working all together). And it’s been over a year. And I’m a bathtub person. And I’d so desperately like to sooth my tired body in one that I’m willing to halt all other projects if necessary (though it’s not and they won’t) to add one to our home.

Can you believe Olivia’s four weeks already!! Just for fun, here we are getting coffee with a friend.

I could stare at that yawn for hours.

Project Nursery: Rocking Horse Love

Look what arrived in the mail!

Ever since I spotted the little wooden rocking horses in several of these nursery inspiration rooms, I decided I’d love to track one down for Liv’s room, too. There’s just something about an old-fashioned wooden rocking horse that is the iconic symbol of a kids room (besides the fact that it’s soo adorable).

And a modern, plastic version won’t do. It needs to have that vintage, antique feel that stands the test of toy time (I’m not a huge fan of the box store plastic toys, anyhow.)

I did a bit of Craigslist searching and even some antique shopping but only came across pricier, not-for-kids collector models. Wooden rocking horses are not easy to find!

Then a friend, knowing I was on the hunt, sent me a link to Zulily – a daily deals site for moms, babies and kids (just like Gilt and One Kings Lane, but for the babes!). KidKraft was one of the featured sellers for the day and they had the perfect wooden rocking horse for $32.99. Sold. (I found the same rocking horse on Amazon today as well – ironically it’s called the Modern Wooden Rocking Horse).

Liv doesn’t take much interest in it now, but I think she’ll love it here in a few years.

She helps me out a lot in the nursery these days – and by helping out I mean she finds a comfy little nook and passes out while Mom compares fabric swatches and organizes bins of clothing & toys.

I’m considering painting the horse a complimentary color (but not matchy matchy) to the curtains, which are in the same palette as the wall animals. Perhaps a more saturated tone? Or maybe I’ll leave it white?

Decisions, decisions. Until then, it’s back to creating those curtains!

If you’re catching up on Project Nursery, here’s a link to the fabric board, curtains part 1, new pendant light, vintage wall art addition, changing table makeover, nursery wall striping tutorial, painted animal project, the initial inspiration board and the before picture posts.

Project Nursery: Prints & Patterns Part 2

The Thibaut swatches have arrived! I feel like a kid in a candy store amidst all of these beautiful prints. Olivia was overwhelmed too.

After laying out a variety of different color ways, it quickly became clear that a coral, tan and brown palette was the way to go. The strong, saturated colors (mixed with a few softer pastels) would help to feminize the space while complimenting the colors of the wall animals.

Left to right: Pearl Trellis in brown, Baltic Stripe in pastel, Malibu in peach, Pearl Trellis in coral, Coco in natural, Malay Ikat in beige,  Metropolis Stripe in brown and Times Square in brown.

Now which to choose for the curtains…

I knew which fabric that I thought would look best lining the windows… and I was so happy when Liv agreed.

Thibaut’s Baltic Stripe – Pastel on Cream it is!

Now I’m off to pick up some lining from Joann’s Fabrics today to get this party project started.

If you’re catching up on Project Nursery, here’s a link to the initial fabric board, vintage wall art addition, changing table makeover, nursery wall striping tutorial, painted animal project, the initial inspiration board and the before picture posts.