Opposite page:

Elizabeth Fields designed a

cozy child's room for the

Cogan family of Bloomfield

Hills, filled with furniture

from Little Folk Art, with

stores in California, New

York and Chicago.

Top:

Cuddly stuffed animals

delight daughter, Dresden,

on her changing table.

Left

babies — not just her year-old
daughter, Dresden. The walls are
sorbet-green, and most accessories
go either way — except for girly
linens, a tassled floor lamp and a
pink cricket table.
Fields chose a white, Jenny
Lynn crib and an oval rag rug that
interweaves pink, green, yellow
and periwinkle. A changing table
tops an oversized pine dresser. A
floating shelf hangs above, one
hue deeper than the wall. Cogan
keeps stuffed animals, a tea set
and picture frames high enough
that Dresden won't hit her head.
"It's important to have a book-
shelf in the room to encourage
learning," says Fields. Unable to
find the right piece, she designed
her own with a scalloped top, yel-
low exterior, beadboard shelves
and green piping.
The piece de resistance is a vin-
tage, chenille-covered rocking
chair.
A nursery is one room home-
owners design all at once. Still,
stay true to your style, and follow
a realistic budget. "A nursery is
used a lot while you're in there,
but only for a short period of
time," cautions Fields.

Baby Room Rules of Thumb:

Mom, Teisha Cogan, and

daughter, Dresden, snuggle

on a chenille-covered

rocking chair. Dresden's

outfit is from Little Friends

in Franklin.

A

baby's room should be
soothing and comfort-
able for the parents,
advises decorator
Elizabeth Fields and new mom,
Teisha Cogan. If parents are com-
fortable, baby will be, too. The
pair had fun creating a "shabby
chic" nursery filled with furniture
from Little Folk Art, with stores

in California, New York and
Chicago, the company that outfit-
ted the baby room in Father of the
Bride II.
"You can't buy antiques to
code," says Fields, "so the next
best thing is nevv, old-looking fur-
nishings."
They wanted a neutral room, so
Cogan could use it for future

Spend more for quality linens of
washable cotton. "Less expensive
linens are shallow and thin."
Have a place to sit other than the
rocking chair. Cogan keeps a blan-
ket bench at the foot of the crib, so
her husband can be in on midnight
feedings.
Art enhances tone. Cogan hung
her great-grandmother's hand-
stitching and three, hand-painted
ballerinas in pink frames.
Make the smallest room the
nursery. It houses a small person,
and a large room can feel lonely.
Budget realistically — in 2-3
years, you'll move baby into a "big
kid" room that needs decorating.
A good chair is a primary piece;
comfort ranks higher than style in
the middle of the night.

STYLE AT HE JN • MARCH 2002 •

7