One Sweet Makeover: We're Blushing Over This Baby Girl's Nashville Nursery

By Southern Living
Leslee Mitchell
Nashville-based Tori Alexander transforms a drab over-the-garage room into an adorable nursery fit for a queen.
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Strange Space Transformation

Courtesy of Tori Alexander

Following the exciting (and somewhat unexpected news) of a new addition, Rebecca Rutledge called on designer Tori Alexander to transition an awkward guest room above the garage into the soft and whimsical nursery of her dreams. Having struggled to find the perfect solution for the angular space, Rebecca reached out to Tori with a white flag. Rather than trying to work around the angles, Tori decided to embrace them. “A long-time fan of ‘tented’ ceilings, I knew exactly what I wanted but almost didn't bring it up out of fearing Rebecca would hate the idea. To my great delight, she was 100% on board…now I just had to make it happen,” said Tori.

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Go For It

Leslee Mitchell

Rather than trying to work around the angles, Tori decided to embrace them. “A long-time fan of ‘tented’ ceilings, I knew exactly what I wanted but almost didn't bring it up out of fearing Rebecca would hate the idea. To my great delight, she was 100% on board…now I just had to make it happen,” said Tori.

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Every Detail Counts

Leslee Mitchell

Not only were the hand-painted stripes the perfect touch of femininity for the space, but they worked overtime to conceal challenging areas such as duct work and rooflines. A vintage swivel chair and ottoman were reupholstered in Pindler blush velvet for use as a glider.

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Starting Point

Leslee Mitchell

Inspired by its delicate lines and touches of lavender, blush and spring green, Tori used Carlton V fabric on Euroshams as the inspiration for the nursery design. From there, a blush daybed from Ballard Designs keeps the room light and feminine while providing comfort for late nights with their new addition. The finishing touch was a pair of white diamond pique shams with pale pink applique monogram by Matouk.

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Perfect Spotlight

Leslee Mitchell

A JM piers lantern is the crown jewel of the room. Leaving no detail behind, Tori hand-painted touches of gold trim to the white lantern as a nod to the stripes on the walls.

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No Detail Forgotten

Leslee Mitchell

After agonizing over the painted stripes for weeks, there was still something missing. “It finally hit me in the middle of the night…tassels!” Tori packed up her (kid’s!) paintbrushes the next day and headed over to the Rutledges. “I tried not to over-think it as I painted that first tassel. It took a few approaches, but I fell into a groove and knocked them out in one day.”

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Continue the Scheme

Leslee Mitchell

Adjacent to the nursery is the sweetest powder bath. A fresh coat of pink lacquer, a quick swap of mirror and lighting breathed new life into an outdated adjacent powder bath. “I source local art whenever possible. Here, Kayce Hughes’ circle painting was the perfect exclamation point for the space.”

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A Little Vintage, A Little Modern

Leslee Mitchell

A framed vintage scarf greets you at the top of the stairs. Tori used an acrylic frame to modernize the vintage statement piece.

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