We come into contact with some lovely ladies here at Rock My Family but I can confirm that Coral, founder of Velveteen Babies, is officially one of the loveliest. And talented to boot! Her Velveteen Babies brand creates the most beautiful bunting and mobiles, all lovingly and painstakingly hand-sewn and stuffed.

When I found out I was pregnant with Jenson I knew I wanted some animal bunting for his nursery and I fell head over heels for the characterful little guy that appears on the Velveteen Babies mountain bear bunting. He now has pride of place hanging above Jenson’s bookshelves and if I have my way the little bear will still be there when Jenson’s a teen.

But enough about Jenson and I, because today’s post is all about Coral and her little girl Willa’s beautiful nursery.

What was Willa’s room like before the makeover?

We moved to this house back in late summer last year, so inherited some seriously questionable décor. (See the slider above for the ‘before’ picture). The room has belonged to a teenager previously and was painted acid green, and had a royal blue carpet. Needless to say, it was all ripped out immediately when we moved in!

Did you have a theme in mind when you started decorating her room?

I had collected up lots of blush and grey accessories prior to moving house, and I knew I wanted to create something timeless and magical, feminine and pretty. I wanted to create her something that would grow up with her and suit the room once we eventually swap the cot for a bed.

Were there any challenges along the way?

We had to lay a new floor and put in a new radiator – basically start from scratch. My main challenge was to conceal the side of her window. At some paint the previous owners built a bedroom extension, and the way they chopped up the rooms mean that the window sits right next to the wall with no space between. I solved it by buying a new curtain pole and buying some linen curtains from La Redoute – as they are pulled back during the day it hides the awkward shape perfectly.

Where are the furniture and accessories from?

I wanted furniture that had a slightly vintage feel, and originally I was going to source some retro furniture and paint it soft pastels, but I just don’t have enough time to embark on projects like that at the moment. I found the perfect wardrobe and chest of drawers from La Redoute which are a soft grey, and they work perfectly with the scheme.

Her cot is basic Ikea – I would much rather buy a fabulous bed when the time comes rather than spending lots of money on her cot. The bedding however, is beautiful and in soft pastel floral Liberty fabric from Coco&Wolf. I’ve popped cushions in different textures with it from Numero74, Marjorie Minnie and Colette Bream.

Her grey velvet flat bunting that runs across the room and her linen canopy are by Numero74, and her cot mobile is one of mine from my business Velveteen Babies.

What are yours and Willa’s favourite parts of the nursery?

Willa loves her bed, and looking at the glittery moon that hangs from her canopy which was from Little Cloud, and her silver moon cushion from Marjorie Minnie. She also has metal suitcases which store her Maileg mice (from La Redoute) and fancy dress and she loves opening and closing them, and climbing on them! She is still very little so I expect she will start to appreciate the smaller details as she grows up.

My favourites are her amazing wallpaper by Hibou Home. I have never chosen wallpaper for any of our rooms before, but I fell in love with it, and I’m so pleased with how well it works. I am not a fan of ‘feature walls’ so we papered the whole room in it.

My other favourite is her vintage peacock chair that I found from a seller on Etsy. It has some lovely cushions on it from Camomile London and it adds a more bohemian feel to the room which I wanted to achieve.

What are you most proud of in the nursery?

I love the wall with the Mrs Mighetto prints, and a few other treasures that I’ve hung up together over her chest of drawers. It gets the most beautiful light during the day and really looks magical along with her 1950’s ballerina jewellery box and a wonderful lamp I found at Smallable which has a silver deer inside a glass jar.

Do you have any tips for decorating when there are little people around?!

Take them elsewhere! Luckily my parents live close by, and Willa slept in a travel cot in our bedroom whilst we were laying the floor and wallpapering. If that’s not an option then just take it easy and don’t get too stressed if it takes longer than you expect.

Where do you get your inspiration for your garlands from?

I have a love of children’s design and interior trends which reaches into everything I encounter. My children are crucial to my process too, they generally have clear ideas, and colour is an important factor too. At the moment there’s a trend towards warm minimalism so I like to reflect that in my designs and colour combinations.

I tend to steer clear of things other people will be making, and I retire designs when I see that it might be something thats getting saturated, such as Unicorns. I first made a Unicorn garland back in 2014 but retired it in 2016 as I wanted to move to the next thing. It may sound silly but I think I have a good instinct now and I enjoy the design process.

Which are your favourite kids’ interiors brands?

So many!

Hibou Home make the dreamiest wallpaper, Wonder and Rah for prints which also nod to design trends as well as appealing to children, Coco& Wolf for amazing bedding, Tilly & Cub for the best storage and play baskets, LaLa Loves Decor for room accessories, Never Perfect Studio for wall hangings in the best colours and Little Cloud for sparkly pretty things.

You can find Coral on Instagram here.

{STEAL WILLA’S STYLE}