NorvilleNursery_Native

Crib, Fitted Crib Sheet, Wall Art, Crate & Kids; Octopus Toy, Jellycat; Swivel Chair, Dobbin Street Co-op; Bookshelves, IKEA.

Left: Strand Pendant Lamp, Muuto; Elephant Table and Chairs, Favor; Vivlio Stacking Shelf, Skagerak; Kolong Wool Runner, Urbanara; Carrie Portable LED Lamp, Burke Decor. Right: Cutter Bench, Skagerak; Posters made by Amanda Jane Jones; Robot Monkey Rocking Horse, Monroe Workshop; Cutter Box, High, Skagerak.

Workshop Chair, Muuto; Workshop Table, Muuto; Hart Jute Rug, Revival; Constellation Explorer Print by The Municipal Prints Company, Schoolhouse Electric; Handmade Face Art by Amanda Jane Jones; Vintage Credenza, Spaced Out Studio; Chess Set, Collaboration with Amanda Jane Jones, Stock Home.

Reykjavik Daybed, Skagerak; Wave Stool, Gus Modern; Handmade Slide; Essential Play Kitchen, Milton & Goose.

“I wanted this space to feel fun and imaginative but refined at the same time.”

“We don’t have one standard playroom— every room is a playroom.”

Unable to find a fresh rocking chair or glider that didn’t look as if it belonged in an orthopedist’s office, Ryan decided to go vintage. When she saw this buttery-yellow swivel chair on local shop Dobbin Street Co-op’s Instagram feed, she snatched it up. “A lot of my friends follow the same vintage places in New York, so whenever I see them liking some of the same photos I like, I think: I have to buy it now,” she says. The checkered chair lends some visual interest to the corner of the white room, but more importantly, it also offers a comfortable spot for Mom and Dad to hang out. “In our last nursery, we neglected the inevitable, which is that sometimes we were in there late at night reading stories,” says Ryan. “I have bad knees, so I can’t always sit on the floor.”

She insists that a lot of good came out of those revelations, though, namely the freedom to mold the home into an intimate, family-friendly haven where creativity and fun have free rein. “White walls are getting a bad rap,” she says of the clean palette on view throughout the house. They suit her just fine, acting as a blank canvas on which she can display the kind of bright pops of color that have come to define her illustrations and designs, many of which grace the walls. “I have a high sensitivity to my surroundings,” she explains. “Being a designer, I totally appreciate a bolder style, but my brain works better in calming spaces.”  There’s also a practical element behind the aesthetic, given the Joneses’ three young children (Jane, 8; Miles, 6; and Wes, 2). “We don’t have one standard playroom—every room is a playroom,” says Amanda, noting the ubiquitous toys scattered throughout the house. “It’s more inclusive as a family that way, and more comfortable and cohesive as a lifestyle.”

Comfort Zone

Once all the nursery shopping was done, all that was left to do was wait—and prepare Ciel for his sibling’s arrival. “We’d say ‘baby,’ and he’d point to my stomach, and I would think: Oh, maybe he gets it. But then he started pulling up his shirt and saying ‘baby,’ so perhaps he didn’t,” Ryan says with a laugh. “I guess he knew something was going on.” She and Kyle welcomed the baby this month, officially making them a family of four.