Interior Style

The one thing interior guru Alex Walls learnt from designing her nursery

Article by Your Home and Garden

With her second baby on the way, Alex is picturing a beautiful dusky pink nursery. She reveals what she learnt from designing her first nursery for little Austen

I’m pregnant with our second baby and can’t wait for the day I can set up a nursery in our newly built home (which is still in progress) – a project that I am more than excited about!

I’m not one to wait for the gender surprise at birth. As soon as I possibly could, I went for a scan to find out what we were having. To my delight, we’re expecting a baby sister for Austen.

Then it was straight to the drawing board to start planning my dream nursery and – though I’ve always been quick to proclaim that I am not a ‘pink person’ – funnily enough, the colour I was drawn to was the subtle pink of Dulux ‘Opito Bay’. I’ve used it here, on the walls of my prototype nursery, styling it with my signature colours of terracotta and olive green, to create a beautifully earthy yet balanced palette.

I have learned one thing from my firstborn and that is young children don’t spend a lot of time in their bedrooms. Austen does all his playing in our main living spaces and just wants to be where we are. So when it came to choosing furniture, I kept it super-simple with just the essentials: a seat or daybed for me to lie down on for night feeds, and a bedside lamp for dim lighting. Everything else she needs will be stored in a wardrobe or drawers.

For the wall decoration, I gathered a bunch of faux foliage and flowers to create a simple and pretty arrangement, which will remain timeless as she grows.

Assorted faux foliage, from $10.99 a piece. Arnold Circus stool, $249.99. Bedside lamp, $169.99. Baby oil, $44.99. Baby balm, $39.99. Teether, $34.99. Icelandic sheepskin, $299.99. Blush cushion, $99.99. Olive cushion, $149.99. Round linen cushion, $149.99. Woollen blanket, $309.99. Cot sheet set, $139.99. Coco Chanel book, $22.99. Te Oka rug, from $799.99. All from A&C Homestore.

Cavalier Bremworth Transpire carpet in inspire, $530 per broadloom metre. Cot, $249, from The Sleep Store. Daybed, $1899, from Me & My Trend. Odell octopus, $109, from Father Rabbit.

Words and Styling by: Alex Walls. Photography by: Bayly & Moore.