By CHRISTOPHER KAZARIAN
Inside Scott and Alecia Orsini Lebeda’s Mashpee home is a room that once served as an office, a space that was often used for the two self-described workaholics.
But that changed last year when the couple learned they would be having their first baby. Roughly five months into Alecia’s pregnancy, the pair moved their office downstairs and transformed the space into a baby room.
It gave them enough time to decorate and prepare the room for their son Finn’s arrival on February 6 of this year. It has a gray-blue-green motif with a mural of an ocean that Alecia’s father, artist Bill Orsini, painted on one of the walls.
“Because we live here on Cape Cod and are really connected to the ocean I wanted blues and greens,” Alecia said. “And I wanted a calming feeling, so my dad painted a big blue ocean with a silver moon on top… It is something that will grow with him. It’s not super cutesy like a typical baby nursery. It’s really calming and pretty. That’s what we were going for.”
Of course the room has the required crib, a hand-me-down from a friend, and a dresser, purchased off Craigslist, that has a changing table on top of it. Another important item was a chair that the couple purchased new because “we wanted a perfect, cozy spot to rock the baby to sleep,” Alecia said.
As for the downstairs office, Alecia said, “we’re never down there.” It’s indicative of the life-changing nature that comes with a baby.
“Knowing that we were going to be changing the dynamic of our family; it changed from doing less work in the house,” Alecia said. “Work has its place: it’s 9-to-5. We don’t take our work home. We now spend time as a family.”
For a family, no place may be more symbolic of that changing dynamic than the baby room.
Designing these rooms can be fun, exciting, and time-consuming. The earlier you start the process, the better. “Take time and start early so you can enjoy it,” Alecia said. “We got to clean everything out and enjoy the painting of the walls. It sounds silly but there was something really meditative in the building of the room.”
Tap Into Your Creativity
Prior to the arrival of his grandson Finn, artist Bill Orsini helped out his daughter Alicia and son-in-law Scott by painting this ocean mural in Finn’s future room.
Angela Hamwey, owner of the interior design firm Mackenzie & Company in Hyannis, said these spaces can allow parents to tap into their creativity. “I would do unexpected things in a baby room,” she suggested. “Not teddy bears but something unexpected, so it could maybe transition into a toddler room.”
At a home in Martha’s Vineyard this summer, Ms. Hamwey designed a room for a client who had two young girls. The room included custom bunk beds, white wallpaper featuring vintage orange life jackets, and a teepee that served as the focal point of the space. “It’s delicate and sweet,” Ms. Hamwey said of the design, which is featured in a recent blog on her website (www.designebymac.com). “You can use fun prints that aren’t too cutesy.”
As for colors, she said, “Always do light and bright, kind of neutral colors.”
Because you can never predict a baby’s sleep pattern, she said, parents should consider installing blackout lining on the windows.
Another recommendation she had was to ensure the room has ample storage. “Baskets, baskets, baskets,” she stressed. “Babies need a lot of stuff… Instead of having baby products in plain sight, it can be fun to organize them” in more aesthetically pleasing baskets.
Every family has certain items that have been passed down from generation to generation. Including these in your baby’s room can give it more depth and meaning. “I think if you’re going to do a baby room, you want to put in some kind of heirloom piece,” Ms. Hamwey said. “It could be a rocking chair from your grandmother or some member of the family; whether it is in great shape and you use it as is or you add an attractive pillow to it or have it painted to enhance the décor, an heirloom can be really fun to have.”
At Trendy Tots on Falmouth’s Main Street, customers will find everything from new children’s items to gently used ones. “Half the store is new merchandise, puzzles, games and a lot of nautical-inspired apparel since we live on Cape Cod,” co-owner Allison Baker said. The remainder is previously owned and includes baby equipment, toys, clothing, shoes and related accessories.
As to the necessities for a baby’s room, Ms. Baker said, “definitely a crib; a changing table; a baby sling is huge, a real must-have; and a baby bouncer.” She too said a comfortable chair for parents to nurse, feed and rock their baby is critical.
Ms. Baker has firsthand experience, having designed a baby room in her own house. She has a son, Cole, who was 6 months old when she opened the retail store five years ago with her mother, Nancy Baker. “Setting up the room, especially being a new parent and not knowing what to expect was definitely an exciting thing,” she said.
Often with that excitement, she said, comes the desire to get every item on the market. “Try to be practical,” she said. “We all get excited and think we need this, this and this. You don’t need all the fancy gadgets and things. You just need the basic necessities.”
One of those necessities that Alecia and her husband, Scott, quickly realized they could always use more of was diapers. “Don’t underestimate the amount of diapers you’re going to need,” Alecia said with a laugh.