Magdalene is a Sydney-based stylist who creates beautiful imagery for magazines, fashion and lifestyle brands. Since becoming a mother, Magdalene has branched out into styling nurseries and children’s bedrooms. Her latest project is inspired by her search for quality bed linen for her second daughters nursery, and so Go to Bed was born. Today we talk through Thea’s design style and how that translates into a functional nursery for her daughter to grow into.
TELL US ABOUT THEA, THE OWNER OF THIS ROOM
“Thea is quite chilled compared to her older sister Alexa (with whom she has a love/hate relationship!) She’s no pushover and even though she is quiet, she knows what she wants. The essential requirement was to create a functional nursery space for a baby to sleep and be changed whilst growing into the space over the years.”
TELL US A LITTLE ABOUT YOUR BUSINESS
“In 2019 I was putting together Thea’s nursery and I struggled to find affordable bed linen in fashionable colours. So that inspired me to start the brand Go to Bed. There were plenty of options on the market at a higher price points, but I wanted to create a high quality product that was more accessible.”
WHAT WAS THE BRIEF FOR THIS ROOM?
“The room was a blank canvas, so I had to start with the basics including good quality wool-blend carpet and a custom built-in wardrobe. For me, the most important part of designing a children’s room is to ensure that it’s comfortable and functional. First up is a good quality change station set up and a cot that could grow with Thea. I opted for the Leander Matty Change Mat and the Leander Cot, which I managed to source secondhand on Gumtree. That was such a great find because it also came with all the trimmings to be converted to a junior bed. The other important factor was to re-purpose existing furniture pieces from Alexa’s room – like drawers, a set of animal prints and a suede wall ladder. The challenge was to try and use them in a different way so that they could have new life in Thea’s room.”
WHAT WAS YOUR INSPIRATION?
“I am drawn to a simple and effortless style that is not over-done, with minimal clutter.”
HOW DID YOU SELECT YOUR COLOUR PALETTE?
“As I had existing furniture pieces that I re-purposed, I knew I wanted a Leander cot in the whitewash finish. So the colour palette was based on what would compliment these pieces. For this reason I went with a nude, earthy tone of Dulux Christobel Half.”
WHAT IS YOUR FAVOURITE FEATURE IN THE ROOM AND WHY?
“I am partial to half-painted wall! I did this in my first-born Alexa’s room because it’s something so simple yet when the right colour is used it can really bring the room together.”
WHAT WAS THE BIGGEST CHALLENGE?
“Working with a small space and ensuring that the choices I made wouldn’t make the room look even smaller!”
WHAT IS YOUR OVERALL FAVOURITE THING ABOUT THIS SPACE?
“I love the simplicity of the room. It is beautiful and functional.”
WHAT ARE YOUR TOP 3 INSTAGRAM ACCOUNTS?
I love following @joshandjenna @svpearce @dotandpop for their interior styles and following their journey.
RESOURCES
Change Mat – Leander Matty Change Mat in Rose, Cot – Leander Cot in whitewash, Bed Linen – Go to Bed, Wall Art – Babies Art Prints The Animal Print Shop, Basket – Neutral Basket in Medium from Olli Ella, Luggy – Olli Ella, Suede Ladder – H & G Designs, Wall Decal – Multi Pastel Terrazo Wall Decals from The Lovely Wall Co., Mirror – Bjorn Low Arch Mirror from Middle of Nowhere, Storage Crates – Aykasa.
Styling – Magda Liacopoulos
Photography – Sue Ferris
For our pick of 3 nursery must-haves check out this post
