It’s all in the mix. So says the fabulous interior designer Celerie Kemble, who cites this helpful rule for putting a room together: you want a proportional mix of vintage, new, and custom. I would apply this same advice to the categories of art that every nursery needs:
-
Vintage—or in case this, case, “Collected”: a cherished family heirloom, such as a needlepoint, a framed handwritten card from a grandparent, or a framed segment of a family quilt, and to surround her with objects infused with the love of her family.
-
New: a piece by a contemporary artist, to support working creatives(!), and to include a work of art made in or around the year of your child’s arrival. This could be a marbled flower print by Morgan Elvington Walker, a silhouette by Willa Heart, or at The Letter Nest, this could mean a framed Alphabet Print in your theme of choice.
-
Custom: something uniquely customized to celebrate the baby’s name. This could be a Letter Nest Custom Name Print in a letter theme befitting your nursery, or a painted plate to display on a bookshelf. The child should see their name spelled in a number of styles and fonts; these letters form the contours of their identity, and engage them with the art of handwriting.
Understandably, many designers recommend finding “art that grows with the child,” that you won’t have to swap out as they age. This is exactly why I paint my watercolor letters with a sense of timelessness: shunning the typically loose hand of “whimsical watercolor” in favor of a more sophisticated, enduring style. When a viewer engages with the thoughtful details of my prints, they’re entering a moment of joy and learning as they unlock the hidden meaning of each letter.
A little bit vintage, a little bit new—and highly custom—artwork from The Letter Nest is designed to be enjoyed long beyond the nursery years.