By Karin Fabry • Photos By Caroline Johnson
Aidan Taylor loves her nursery room. And what little girl wouldn’t? Her parents, Jennifer and William Taylor, created a space that was both inspirational and cozy for their young daughter. The catch? The room was designed and decorated before Jennifer was even pregnant.
“We had been planning on having a baby,” Jennifer says. “So before things got too hectic, we thought we might as well go ahead and create a room that would be perfect for either a boy or a girl.”
When deciding on a theme for their future nursery, the Taylors got their inspiration from a Boyd’s Bear figurine. They immediately began picturing what the space would look like. To make their visions a reality, the Taylors enlisted the help of Laura and Darlene of Decorative Designs to create a one-of-a-kind mural that would later become the centerpoint for the entire design.
Upon entering Aidan’s room, guests are greeted by a huge smiling sun, a cow jumping over the moon, and of course, a dish and spoon on the run. The pale yellows and blues were chosen for not only their unisex qualities, but also for their soothing tones.
Over the course of two weeks, Laura and Darlene spent many hours at the Taylor’s home creating their work of art.
“We did the faux finish on the walls first,” Laura says. “We knew the furniture placement of the room, so once the finish was done, we began the freehand process on the mural itself.”
As a few added touches, the team also added a variety of colorful stars and several faux stuffed bears, complete with cow costumes, one that is almost an exact replica of a teddy bear Jennifer purchased for Aidan. The Taylors couldn’t be more thrilled with the outcome of their daughter’s room.
“The ladies did such a wonderful job,” William says, “especially since we didn’t give them any other direction other than to say we wanted a ‘cow jumps over the moon’ theme.”
“This will probably be Aidan’s room forever,” Jennifer adds. “She’ll be 18 years old and still have the room because we couldn’t imagine painting over it. It’s too beautiful.”
As a team, Darlene and Laura work efficiently together, building off each other’s creativity.
“The benefit of working with a partner is that we each have different ideas and bring something new to a project,” Laura says. “The best thing about what we do is getting to see the look on a client’s face when we create a room for them.”
The Taylors are already planning to have Darlene and Laura back to create another mural for their daughter’s playroom.
“I would love for them to add a huge tree that goes across the wall and onto the ceiling,” William says. “I think that’s something Aidan would love.”
I’m sure he’s right.
