Nursery 51: A 50s atomic inspired nursery

 When my husband, Eric, and I found out we were having a boy (Victor), we were ecstatic to transform our guest room into a fun and vibrant space where our son could create, explore and imagine. 

custom mural

chalkboard wall

vintage touches

handmade felt pillows

accessories

When we were discussing the nursery, my husband mentioned that he really wanted a mural. For fear of the “cheese” factor, I did not. After some convincing, I eventually came around.

To create a modern mural, we followed a few simple rules.

1.  A cool and personal theme. Since we live in a mid-century home, we decided on a 1950s atomic theme with the Portland skyline being invaded by UFOs!  And since we both share a love for architecture, we wanted to incorporate some of Portland’s iconic buildings and landmarks (the St. John’s Bridge, Mt. Hood and Union Station where daddy works as an engineer.)  We also included some special places in Portland that we have grown to love (i.e. Bantam Barbershop, the Hollywood theater, Toro Bravo, etc.).  
2. A muted color palette.  For several reasons. First, to keep things simple. Incorporating a lot of colors would create a very busy and overwhelming space. Second, to keep things modern. We chose to do the majority of the mural in a gradient of grays with some key elements highlighted in vibrant colors. The beam of light over the crib was done in an electric green. The mini hot-rod was done in a bright orange. This allows your eye to focus and be drawn to certain areas of the mural, rather than leaving your eye bouncing around the room searching for a focal point. A dark chalkboard wall anchors the space and provides the perfect place for photo opportunities and messages to our son. As he grows older, he will be able to utilize it to draw and create his own works of art.
3. Clean lines and composition. We started out with a few sketches of the mural and played with the scale and composition of all the elements until we were satisfied. We used painter’s tape and card stock to create very straight, clean lines for all the buildings, which contrast nicely with the organic aesthetic of the clouds and the mountain. We did the mural in layers starting with white, building up the clouds, sky, mountain, buildings, bridge, etc. ending with the colored elements and other details. We used larger rollers for the bottom layers, and mini rollers for the building layers. Painters tape, exacto knives and a lot of man (and woman!) hours were essential in creating the building and detail layers.

      Here are a few process photos: 

Because we are mid-century enthusiasts, we wanted to incorporate some vintage touches along with some modern pieces. Both the dresser and the rocking chair were excellent Craigslist finds, while the crib (Target), rug, drapes and light fixtures (Ikea) we purchased new. We opted for a dresser rather than a traditional changing table because it will have a longer life in the space. I found a modern changing tray from Muu kids which holds the changing pad and anchors to the dresser.  Vic’s room has an enormous built in closet which stores all his blankets, hanging clothes and toys, leaving the center of the room clear for playing. For a personal touch, Eric and I handmade a few felt pillows in the shape of a space ship and aliens.  We accessorized the space with a few artifacts that we have gathered through our travels and homemade gifts we received from friends and family.

We are both so pleased with the way the nursery turned out. We look forward to watching Vic grow up and we hope that the space stimulates his creativity and imagination.

Nursery 51 has been featured on Apartment Therapy and is soon to be featured on HGTV's new remodeling website! Check out the links below:

http://www.apartmenttherapy.com/victors-atomic-alien-invasionmy-room-169228

http://www.apartmenttherapy.com/cheerful-childrens-rooms-a-look-at-happy-modern-172887

http://shannoneileenblog.typepad.com/happiness-is/2012/04/an-atomic-ufo-nursery.html

Annie Wise owns a small interior design company located in Portland, OR. All photographs courtesy of Annie Wise. Visit her website at www.anniewise.com.

Mid-Century Ranch Bathroom Remodel: Framing and Sheetrock

These projects always take longer than you think. Our first problem arose when we installed our bath and it happened to be about an inch and a half too short. Since it's probably not a real good idea to have large gaps in between your tub and the walls, we had to nail furring strips to all of the framing to reconcile the difference. Problem solved.

Next, the shower and bath faucets that we ordered from lightinthebox.com (never again) took 3 weeks to be shipped. They were then seized at customs and held for several days somewhere in Germany. The helpful staff at lightinthebox told me to call the German customs office to see if I could speed up the process. Ridiculous. We had been holding off on sheetrocking until the mixing valve arrived so we could modify the plumbing. Meanwhile, we framed in the shower niche and reinforced some other areas in which stuff would be hung. We added the new outlet and finished all our electrical work...and we were still waiting. 

When it FINALLY arrived, we tore open the boxes only to find that the shower head was chipped. Guh. There was no way we were about to send it back seeing as it would delay the project weeks. Instead, we began the process of adapting our 50+ year old plumbing to a modern system. Ha. Twenty trips to home depot later we had all the right parts and put together the plumbing. We mounted the new shower pipe a foot higher so my 6'2" husband will actually be able to stand underneath it.  Then, the big test. While Eric turned the water back on I chewed off all my nails in anticipation, waiting to hear a leak....and...the silence was golden. It felt like the first time something had actually gone right. 

the tub is in!

framing in the shower niche

hardiebacker installed on floor

It barely looked like anything had been done at this point, but it was a very happy day when we were ready to install the insulation and visqueen barrier over the framing and get ready for sheetrocking! We had installed greenboard (mold/moisture resistant sheetrock) in our powder room. Messy but pretty easy to work with. However, we decided to use hardiebacker (cement board) around the shower which is a.) ridiculously heavy and b.) ridiculously impossible to cut although it claims to be "score and snap." This stuff was a NIGHTMARE to work with but will be worth it in the long run. Once the cement board was up, we test fitted the shower arm just to find it, very noticeably, drooped. We had to UN-INSTALL the cement board to fix the pipe. While Eric was fixing it, he accidentally hit the faucet, causing water to shoot out in all directions and soak the bathroom....and us. Wonderful. We sopped up all the water, made sure the pipes weren't leaking and reinstalled the cement board.

insulation and visqueen membrane installed

hardiebacker and sheetrock installed on the walls

starting to look like a room again! 

And...we're finally ready for mudding and taping! Yahoo. Unfortunately, this meant that we spent the next week covered in a fine layer of white dust from all the sanding. Not a fun stage. Especially when you don't have a shower to clean up. Hose showers work too...they're just not nearly as pleasant...especially in October. After the final sanding we inspected the walls to make sure there were no visible seams, nail holes or any other imperfections. We slapped on 2 coats of primer and voila...ready for paint!! 

three layers of joint compound and hours of sanding FINALLY done!

two coats of primer dry!  ready for paint!

More to come...

Mid-Century Ranch Bathroom Remodel: The Demo

Nothing like pounding holes in your walls and ripping out flooring to relieve some stress. Here's a few pictures of the demo.

Mid-Century Ranch Bathroom Remodel - The Plan

I just finished the design plan for the main bathroom remodel in our mid-century ranch. We weren't exactly planning on undertaking a project of this magnitude with a baby just around the corner and an enormous Halloween party to plan. But, that's the way life goes. A clog in the sink led to a hole in the wall, which led to the decision to just gut the whole bathroom and start from scratch. So here we are.

The culprit: 

Below are a few pics of the current bathroom.

The problem(s): 

1. Not enough storage! I'm sure all women can agree with me..we come with a lot of "stuff." Bottles and perfumes and make-up and hairdryers really take up a lot of space. We are planning to install an IKEA godmorgon cabinet with two very spacious drawers along with a medicine cabinet. In addition, we are adding a custom, double shelved niche in the shower. All my "stuff" will be neatly tucked away..out of site, out of mind. Yahoo!

2. No plugs. Our house was built in 1954, which I guess gives it a valid excuse for not having outlets in the bathroom. But, not a good enough excuse. I've grown rather tired of using an extension cord strung from the bedroom to the bathroom to dry and curl my hair. Nightmare. Time for a change.

3. Water damage. I mean everywhere. This bathroom was recently "remodeled" before we moved in...whoever did it had absolutely no idea what they were doing. We are rebuilding the shower with cement backer board and several kinds of waterproofing materials, replacing all the drywall with green board AND installing a bathroom fan JUST to make sure we don't have problems in the future. (I'm a little nervous about cutting a hole in the roof...might seek some professional help for that one)

4. Outdated.  Plastic shower surround? Yuck. Linoleum floor? Yuck. Brass hardware? Yikes. Time for a face lift.We are tiling the shower surround with modern, white 4x12 subway tiles and replacing the floor with a gray/silver honed travertine. We will be painting the walls a very subtle shade of gray and adding some bright pops of yellow for contrast.

The design solution: 

Here's the plan. Pretty, isn't it?

Now..time for demo.

Portland Farmhouse

Every so often a project comes along where you get to work on a design at its inception. So excited for my latest project outside of Portland. My clients are building a custom farmhouse on a 10 acre piece of property. The floorplan was pretty much in place, but the clients needed help making their vision of a northwest farmhouse, a reality. Wise Design will provide interior schematic design and space planning services, assistance in selecting all interior finishes, cabinetry/custom casework, fixtures, lighting, etc.

existing property

Mid Century Modern Hardware

Titan Escutcheon Plate, Rejuvenation 

First off..a quick vocabulary lesson. "Escutcheon" is actually the proper name from the little plate that surrounds your door knob. See how many useful things you learn in architecture school?

Rejuvenation just released a series of, to-die-for,  iconic mid-century modern hardware. I want this pretty piece (above) to bless my front door. With a hefty $228 price tag, I'll have to start saving my pennies...

Atlas Escutcheon Plate, Rejuvenation

Moroccan Inspired Living & Dining Room

I prepared a design plan for a client moving into a darling house in Multnomah Village. She loved eclectic furniture and wanted a Moroccan vibe in the new space. The interior was previously painted a grass green which was overwhelming to the eye. I chose to extend the blue from the kitchen into the dining room to create a focal backdrop. The rest of the walls were painted a warm gray, providing a neutral backdrop to set against all the fun furnishings. Enjoy!

living room: before

living room: after

proposed floor plan

living room rendering

living room furniture selections

dining room rendering

dining room furniture selections