Nursery Decorating with Fireplace (longish)

[ThreeofUs]

Hi, All--

My current obsession is getting a nursery ready for DS#2 by September. In my old house, that means a room with a fireplace in it.

It's not a big room: about 13x17. Decorating it has me in a bit of bind; three windows and doors, a radiator, and a fireplace make for limited configurations. Here's the best schematic I can draw, where FM is the fireplace mantle and dots are floor space.

____w w___r_
|...................|
w .................\ door to hall
| ..................|
| . ___FM___ .\|
\ .| door to closet
door to bath


I think I'm going to have to put the crib against the fireplace (the fireplace was bricked up ages ago, so no drafts or other such problems). The walls are not insulated - and it's impossible to insulate without building new walls - and the windows are about as drafty as you'd expect for 100-year old double-hungs.

But what to do with the fireplace? It has an extremely intricate mantle - think craftsman meets greek key - and it's painted milk-chocolate brown.

What do I do with this? Do I try to paint or sponge over it - in itself a chore? Do I leave it brown and paint a tree top over it?

Any ideas about decorating would be welcome!

Thanks--

[BeachBum]

I think I'd just leave it painted brown. What I'm envisioning is a pretty brown :) but if it is ugly, then I'd go in and paint it white to freshen it up. Or if you were painting her room pink, then you could go in and paint it a darker pink on the same strip or apple green depending on your level of quirky. Regardless, I'd treat it like a feature, not like something you wish wasn't there.

Another idea is to "insulate" the window on the left wall with blankets and such and use fabric like a canopy, or backdrop to the crib to hide how you packed the window, then put the crib in front of it. I'm envisioning something that looks like panel drapes, but wide enough to be a background for the whole crib.
I don't have drafty windows, or live in a cold climate, so that may not work.

For more money of course you could get one of those oval cribs that is meant to be centered in a room.

My ideas might be too weird :), but if you think any of them might work I'll help you think through it more.

[misshollygolightly]

Hmm...I'm inclined to agree with the PP--your best bet (assuming the mantle is pretty as is, just a little awkward for a nursery) is probably to leave it brown. Fortunately, brown seems to be very trendy for baby decor these days! I've seen lots of pretty sets that combine blue, sage, or pink with brown. Maybe you can integrate the mantle and your nursery decor by putting some coordinating photo frames or small stuffed toys on the mantle. If you have a digital camera, maybe you could upload a picture of the mantle and add it to this thread--it might help elicit some more helpful responses. Good luck!

[ShanaMama]

Is replacing one or both of the windows an option? If they are truly drafty they'll affect the temperature of entire room, not just that spot. If you replace them you could put the crib on one of those walls.

[kijip]

I love the tree idea. You could even make it a family tree or something by arranging family photos "on" the branches. If you get a crib or a bedding set with some brown in it, I would think it would really work. I also like putting the crib there because it is an extra layer of baby proofing (blocking the hearth from view). If you can't replace the window, window quilts or something are in order. Good luck.

[ThreeofUs]

Thank you all so much! I had no idea that brown was a good color - goodness knows all the trim in that room is a pretty chocolate brown that would go great with the restful blue or sage I'll be painting the room.

Not painting the trim would save me a world of aggravation and time.

I really appreciate your good ideas.

[ThreeofUs]

Love the ideas on a family tree - sounds fun!


window quilts

But this sounds interesting. What the heck are window quilts?