FRIENDS OF THE KUOTES
When writer and content creator Jenny Cipoletti–the founder and author of Margo & Me–approached our Design Team about helping her create a dream nursery for her first child, we knew it was a partnership made in heaven. Margo & Me is a lifestyle blog all about effortless elegance and delicate femininity, with content focused on style, beauty, and travel–so the overlap between our brand and Jenny’s couldn’t have been more perfect.
With every project Jenny and her husband, photographer Freddie Cipoletti, take on, they breathe new life, inject style, beauty, and art–in short we saw so much commonality between their vision and aesthetic and that of Kathy Kuo Home–namely the fact that she finds deep inspiration in French sensibilities and beauty in small details.
“I am a self-confessed Francophile who landed on fashion and interiors as my vehicle of expression after a creative journey that began in middle school when I lived in Europe with my family. Ever since, I’ve been fascinated with creating my surroundings to be reminiscent of the creative masters I discovered there,” Jenny told us. “From the marble sculptures of Michelangelo, to the oil paintings of Renoir; the elaborate and ornamentation details of Baroque and Rococo have always held a special place in my heart.”
Jenny and Freddie moved into a cozy and newly renovated single-family brownstone with a backyard in Van Vorst Park, the historic downtown district of Jersey City, last September, and they had a room in mind from the get-go that they envisioned as being a nursery as they grew their family.
“When we first viewed the brownstone, I knew almost immediately which room would become the nursery. The space has these three, beautiful large windows with the original molding that face the treetops of the park so there’s lots of greenery outside that we wanted to invite in,” Jenny explains.
“The light in the room is magical, so my goal for the nursery was for it to feel soft, sweet and inviting like a secret garden up in the clouds. To bring the garden in, I knew I wanted the space to feature a vintage floral print wallpaper. I searched for months to find the perfect print and ended up sourcing this from a Polish Designer, Dekornik.”
When choosing decor elements to set the mood and create a calming oasis for her new daughter, Lucy, Jenny kept her French aesthetic top of mind at all times and chose pieces that complemented the room’s unique and historic charms.
“I’ve always been drawn to spaces that boast a Parisian flair with a quintessential old New York City vibe, this place couldn’t fit the bill more. Each of the rooms are large airy spaces with high ceilings that get hit with a very romantic and soft afternoon light. The large plank red cherry hardwood floors, subtle architectural element of the original arch and wood finials makes the space feel very organic,” she notes. “With each piece in the space, I wanted it to feel sophisticated yet unfussy. The home faces east to west, which means we get beautiful direct sunlight in the kitchen in the morning and a dreamy, romantic light in the living room in the afternoon, creating the perfect setting for an afternoon aperitivo. The space consists of mostly creams, golds, and Sienna browns.”
In addition to crafting a beautiful vision and plan for how she wanted her baby’s nursery to turn out, Jenny also ended up finding herself preparing for a new baby and designing a nursery in the midst of the global COVID-19 pandemic. Thankfully, Jenny and Freddie stayed safe and healthy, but they also realized that working with the Kathy Kuo Home Design Team could be a secret weapon in making sure their nursery turned out perfectly, despite the challenges of the pandemic.
“I always imagined I’d be shopping at my favorite boutiques to finish off those charming little elements and planned on visiting a few furniture stores to test out gliders. Being that it’s a bigger purchase, I wanted to make sure that I was going to love the way it felt,” Jenny says.
“But once the pandemic hit, all of those plans changed and I was having a really hard time navigating how to finalize these key pieces in the nursery. It was at that time when I had reached out to Kathy Kuo and her amazing team to help guide me in the right direction. With having completed so many nurseries in the past, I really trusted that they knew the right designers and brands I’d love. I can’t tell you how grateful I am to have had their expertise guiding me through design during this time!”
Apart from Jenny’s inspiration mood board, our Design Team based the overall color scheme on the existing floral wallpaper she had as a backdrop for the crib. From her walls, we drew hints of blush pink, moss green, and ivory and incorporated those as accents through decors, pillows, throws, and rugs.
“Because the room was particularly large with a unique layout, Jenny had originally imagined the space with custom-sized carpeting. However, after considering lead times and style, we decide to go for this soft oversized hand-loomed wool rug with botanical motifs that is consistent with the rest of the space, and layered it with an ivory Sheepskin fur rug by the crib to make up for the lack in length of the rug and to create a small break between the accent wallpaper and the main rug,” explains Sally Guo, Kathy Kuo Home nursery designer.
“The floral and garden motif is also repeated multiple times throughout the room with the Bijou tree branch accent table, wall decors, and accent picture frames. Overall, we followed the architectural style of the space itself and Jenny’s personal design taste to create a whimsical French Country dream nursery for baby Lucy.”
From the initial Zoom conference consult to the fully finished nursery reveal, Jenny worked closely with our team to bring the room to life with the help of moodboards, custom schematics, product recommendations, and more–all with the goal of letting Jenny focus on the final weeks of her pregnancy while knowing her nursery was in expert hands.
“The KKH Design Team is truly a dream team to work with, I am so impressed with how beautifully they executed my vision–and in our very tight timeline too! After our initial Zoom meeting where I shared the space and measurements, they sent through stunning moodboards and precise schematics that perfectly fit in with the Parisian Garden theme I had been dreaming of,” she explains.
“There were plenty of options to choose from and their team was so supportive of ideas I wanted to incorporate as well which is very important when designing a space that is so personal and intimate. After finalizing each item, they placed all of the orders, taking all of that stress off my plate so I could focus on the baby in the final months of my pregnancy. Honestly, having one less thing to worry about meant so much to me and I am so thankful for their help and guidance during that time!”
When the nursery design came together, the result was nothing short of magical, and a reflection equally of Jenny’s French-inspired style and the need for baby Lucy to be comfy and safe. The best nursery designs are ones that feel like a sanctuary for mom and dad to spend time with their little one, and this French Garden nursery does just that.
“With the wallpaper as the foundation of our Parisian Garden Theme, it truly helped to inspire the rest of the pieces in the nursery. One of my favorite pieces that plays with the theme is the Kathy Kuo Home tree marble side table,” Jenny notes. “And the mirror reminds me of our trip Versailles where we wandered through the gardens for hours on end. Until we can one day visit again with our little Lucy, this room will be a reminder of my favorite gardens and hopefully hers, too, one day.”
Bringing together every special piece of this nursery, given the challenges that came up during the COVID-19 lockdown, at times required some extra ingenuity, but thankfully, the Kathy Kuo Home Design Team is always up for any design challenge.
“Despite delays due to COVID, which we know had to be so stressful for Jenny at the final stages of her pregnancy, Jenny remained patient for all of the pieces of the puzzle to come together. She was wonderful to work with because her style is so defined and she came prepared with great inspirational ideas,” notes Kathy Kuo Home Design Project Manager Emily Donald.
“From there, we were able to plan the space according to her best layout for functionality and then make sure all the pieces we chose complemented the darling wallpaper she already had picked out. We wanted to ensure that every piece we chose felt special and took into account a dainty and sweet European look. We are so thrilled with the outcome and hope that baby Lucy feels tres chic in her sweet nursery.”
At the end of the day, making moms and babies smile is the ultimate goal with any nursery design. Once every fuzzy throw rug and cozy throw blanket was in place and every au Francais decorative accent set carefully in its chosen spot, Jenny truly had a space she could feel fully happy and at ease with raising her new baby in! And she leaves other first-time moms with the following tip for making the nursery design and shopping process a breeze:
“If there’s anytime to consider hiring an interior designer, it’s for your baby’s nursery! Pregnancy is such a fleeting experience, a time that can be overwhelming with excitement, uncertainty, happiness and the list goes on. The last thing that parents should have to worry about is the nursery coming together in time for their baby’s arrival. We all know how stressful it is to start the design process, let alone source all the items, order, track and decorate. With an interior designer like Kathy Kuo, all of these things are done precisely so that you and your partner have one less thing to worry about and one more thing to get excited about!”
We couldn’t agree more! Remember to shop this look below!
Need design help? In addition to being a source for beautiful high quality furnishings and decor, Kathy Kuo Home has a team of professional interior designers that are ready to assist with all of your interior design needs. Our services provide multiple layout and design options that fit your style and budget for any room. You will work with a team of designers and project managers to help you truly love where you live.
Call (888) 908-3486 or email designs@kathykuohome.com today to get started!
Need design help? In addition to being a source for beautiful high quality furnishings and decor, Kathy Kuo Home has a team of professional interior designers that are ready to assist with all of your interior design needs. Our services provide multiple layout and design options that fit your style and budget for any room. You will work with a team of designers and project managers to help you truly love where you live.
Call (888) 908-3486 or email designs@kathykuohome.com today to get started!
