12/04/2012
Design Home Run! Shalena Smith on Tamera's Vintage Baseball Nursery
Interior designer-to-the-stars Shalena Smith of Gaga Designs is responsible for new parents Tamera Mowry-Housley and hubby Adam's Napa and L.A. nurseries. You already read about the vintage Americana-themed nursery in the Napa home; now, get all the scoop on the vintage baseball-themed nursery in the L.A. condo as well as how to recreate elements of the celebrity baby room on a budget!
What challenges did you face with this nusery?
There wasn't a lot of space in the L.A. condo. The room that I transformed wasn't tiny, but it was kind of Adam's room—it was his man cave. That was where he felt like he could relax, read books and go on his computer. My challenge was to make the room still feel like it was Adam's room. I had to maximize space.
What's the look and feel of the room?
As far as the look of the room, I wanted to incorporate the same colors that existed throughout the condo. Tamera and Adam have these dark doors in the L.A. condo, so I incorporated that same color by getting a coffee crib. However, I made the other furniture white to brighten up the space. At the end of the day, it's a baby's room, so we I didn't want it to be superdark. By mixing the colors and combining the existing colors with some white, I was able to lighten up the room. I also made the space a bit bigger by putting cream on the walls and a sky mural on the ceiling. I was inspired to do the sky mural because the nursery is right off the balcony. I topped off the mural with a beautiful, customized baseball chandelier. It has baseballs on it, which brings me to the vintage baseball theme. This helped make the space feel a little bit like Adam's.
Tell me more about the vintage baseball theme.
I titled the L.A. nursery "Angels in the Outfield," which is funny, because every time I would say that, Adam would say, "It's 'Giants in the Outfield." He's San Francisco Giants fan; not a Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim fan. But the idea of doing the sky mural was based on the movie. Plus, I wanted to make the space very calming. Even though it was a baseball theme, I incorporated linen and velvet fabrics into the room so that it still felt elegant and masculine. Adam's going to be very comfortable in that room. I also put baseball books beside the upholstered chair so he can chill and read his baseball things when the baby is there.
We all know Adam loves his antiques. Which of his things did you incorporate in the room?
From the man cave in Napa, I took a baseball clock, bobble head autographed John Wooden plaque and a couple mitts that Adam used to play with. He had artwork in the condo that was titled "Pitch Curve" and one that had authentic baseball cards in it that I kept.
How did you choose the furniture pieces?
Tamera and Adam had an existing day bed that they wanted to keep in the room. I was all for keeping the day bed. It had a trundle underneath. I got rid of the trundle and replaced it with baskets for storage. I felt this was necessary because there was such limited space and the room had to serve different purposes. I also customized a changing table for the nursery. It had a removable tray top so that later on, it can be used as a dresser. I definitely kept it mind storage and longevity when I picked the furniture. Since Adam didn't want to give up his closet, I also put in an armoire, which had a garment rack and drawers. Of course, there's the cofee crib and upholstered chair.
You also want to personalize your nursery. You don't want it to just be staged with furniture. When you're designing a nursery, it's important that it grows up with the child and that it's practical to the parents' style and taste. The truth of the matter is, the nursery is really for the parents right now. Until that baby starts talking and voicing what they like, the parents can do whatever they want. Tamera and Adam's L.A. nursery reflects their personality, their love for each other. The quote that is displayed in the room is John Wooden's "There is nothing stronger than gentleness. Tamera and Adam love that quote. Furthermore, since Adam used to be a professional baseball player and played all through out college, I surprised him by hanging a jersey that was custom painted with Housley and the number 40, which was Adam's number.
A really cool and inexpensive way to get the look of a celebrity nursery is with wall hangings, like the one that spells the word "love" over Tamea and Adam's crib. Those add that celebrity style to the nursery.
Keep the baseball theme very subtle. I think that makes it more elegant instead of being all baseball stuff—have baseball bedding, but don't overdo it. That way, if your baby grows up and he hates baseball, it's so easy to replace the accessories. You could replace the accessories with football or Ninja Turtles stuff.
What did Tamera and Adam think of the room?
They were elated; they were so happy. We even had some of the baby clothes already hanging in there, and the only thing that was missing was we didn't have a plaque of Aden's name, which was a secret at the time. I kept a space available for that, so that when the time came, they could put his name up.
Shop exact items from Tamera and Adam's L.A. nursery on Smith's GaGa Designs website.
Catch all new episodes of Tia & Tamera Tuesday nights at 9/8c—only on Style!
