A Nashville designer thinks pink for a stunning nursery in Nashville.
Designer Tori Alexander prides herself on creating “spaces you can live in.” Her design philosophy infuses each interior she creates for a delighted coterie of clients. “I design every space with the assumption that adults will spill red wine and children will spill juice…that being said, it can still be beautiful,” she says. Since she opened her firm in 2012, Alexander has lent impeccable design and strategic functionality into every home she touches. Her background in architecture brings another level of thoughtfulness and eye for layout and detail.
From a cozy cottage to a light and bright traditional, to a rustic cabin, she brings her unique grasp of color, pattern, and silhouette to create something fresh, something livable. It’s no wonder she has been celebrated by Southern Living, Today.com, and Nashville Lifestyles.
Her portfolio, which is a pleasure to scroll on her Instagram feed, is filled with rooms exuding color and classic design with a twist. One space in particular made us stop, a baby girl’s bedroom as we've never seen it before.
The sleep space, part of a traditional Cape Cod-style home in the Belle Meade neighborhood of Nashville, was all about making the clients, both big and small, happy. “The client gave me the details they wanted while leaving the space open to my own interpretation,” explains Alexanders. “I was told to create a space that was soft, timeless, and feminine, with dainty touches.”
We loved her modern take on the classic narrative, “pink for a girl.” Read on to see how created a bedroom and bath that is equally sweet and sophisticated, leaving plenty of room to grow and endure in style.
If this bedroom had a name, what would it be?
"Timeless, Whimsical Nursery.”
Pink is a classic color for a girl’s room. How did you make it feel fresh?
"I really let the space inspire me. It was a fairly complicated room, so I knew that I needed a sophisticated design to elevate the interior to its full potential. The most complex part of this room was the ceiling. It did not allow for the room to have an easy fix, such as a simple wallpaper. I ended up letting the complicated ceiling lead me to the hand-painted detail that makes this space so fresh and unique.”
How did you work with that unique architecture to bring out the best of it?
"I studied several examples of tilted ceilings, and I found myself constantly referring back to different stripe patterns. I was still unsure until the furniture arrived. With the furniture sitting in this unusual space, I knew that the ceiling called for a balancing element. Eventually, I listened to my instincts and homed in on a vertical stripe pattern. I had to play around with a lot of stripe weights and tassel sizes until I found one that had a positive impact on the space. By adding the custom, unexpected element of the hand-painted stripes, it both balanced the room and enhanced the architectural detail.”
There’s subtle, but effective pattern here, how did you approach it?
"The starting point of the entire room was the delicate floral pattern seen in the shams on the daybed. It launched the palette for the room as a whole. Although the client always knew that they wanted a pink theme, the specific touches of other colors had a high impact as well. For example, the French blue lamp brought out the pink and added a layer of depth to the space.”
There's such a great mix of different lighting throughout. Is this important?
"Layered lighting helps soften any space. With this being such a uniquely shaped room, it was important to have multiple options for lighting. On top of my appreciation for layered lighting, this particular client was also passionate about lighting, and really led the direction of the lighting selection in the space."
Tell us how you connected the bed and bath with pink hues.
"We commissioned all art for the bedroom and the bathroom in a pink color palette from local artists. I knew the focal point of the bathroom was the Kayce Hughes art piece, which tied in with the pink elements within the bedroom. However, it was actually the client’s idea to paint the bathroom vanity pink. I loved this touch because it added another connection between the two spaces.”
Can you share some ideas for recreating this look?
Try tonal
"Don’t be afraid to use tone on tone of the same color. Take some time to explore different shades within the same color family. When you are able to blend multiple tones of the same color in the same space, it instantly adds sophistication.”
Listen carefully
"Be aware of the space plan and energy of the space itself. The space plan is always the foundation of any good room, but if you can listen to the energy of the space, it will tell you what to do (just as the room told me it needed the striped ceiling).”
Mix it up
"It’s important to customize a space to your own taste and avoid using furniture from the same source. Using furniture from a variety of sources helps keep a space fresh and unique.”
“When you are able to blend multiple tones of the same color in the same space, it instantly adds sophistication.”
What other design decisions were important in designing this particular room?
"Whenever I design a nursery, I keep in mind how the space will transition as the child grows. In this case, we anchored the room around the daybed. This way, when she transitions from the crib to the bed, it already fits perfectly. We also were mindful to incorporate plenty of storage. We knew that, as she grew older, more toys and such would be coming into the room, and we wanted to plan for that ahead of time.”
Tell us a bit about the bedding you chose. Why was it right for this space?
"Matouk is right for any space, and I always knew that Matouk's Diamond Pique would be a part of this room. The crisp white of the coverlet and shams really grounds the daybed, which is the overall focal point of the room. Ultimately, the flexibility is unbeatable. And Matouk offers custom thread colors, which we used to pull the room together.”
You chose a monogram which is so surprising and wonderful. What do you think custom monogramming brings to a bed space?
"Based on its curvature, I knew this monogram style was perfect for this space. I frequently use Matouk monogram shams in bedroom designs due to the variety of options. With an abundance of monograms to choose from, my clients are always able to select something that represents their taste. The Matouk pieces provide a grounding element that allows me to mix in multiple other fabrics and patterns without it feeling too busy. Matouk monogrammed shams are a key part of my formula for the perfect bedroom.”
For more information on our monograms and custom capabilities, visit the Custom page on our website.
"The Matouk pieces provide a grounding element that allows me to mix in multiple other fabrics and patterns without it feeling too busy."
