Ben & Gus's Excellent Adventure: A Nursery Built For Two

When one of my best "besties" found out that baby number TWO, was going to be not one, but TWO more boys, we had a serious call to action. With the summer pushing forward, we have just enough time to execute a master plan in time for an early fall due date.  

Mom Eleanor is a global marketing executive and a local Charlotte, NC media heiress.  Her father was WSOC-TV News Anchor David Hains and her little brother is the nationally recognized  hip hop artist DJ Complete of Styles and Complete.  Father Jamie Rodway, is a Canadian national, Charlotte transplant and present day  entrepreneur. After twenty years in racing, most of them as an executive at Roush-Fenway, Jamie started his own excellent adventure, The Rodway Company.

Although their three year old son Max was next in line to the larger guest bedroom, Max will now get a "big boy" room makeover in his existing nursery; and the present guest bedroom is in the process of being converted into a nursery built for two.

The large room, the homes original master bedroom, has two windows and plenty of wall space, but just one closet. With storage as our number one priority, Eleanor and her contractor worked to design a custom built-in with tower wardrobes and a connecting changing table/dresser. Standing in my kitchen, we decided to add floating built in shelves to make room for baskets and collectibles.  The built in and floating shelves will be painted a dark mossy color. Most likely Benjamin Moore's Cos Cob Stone Wall , which takes it's name after a favorite New England spot of mine.

Eleanor's contractor just happens to be a master craftsman, so we are using  him for custom everything, even the cabinet hardware. Basic pipe fitting will be cut to size in order to create the oversize cabinet pulls for the wardrobe doors.

The surrounding walls will be a lighter almost "putty" version of the cabinets. The spindle like Jenny Lind cribs, a gift from the grandparents, will face each other on opposing walls. Neutral bedding and a textured crib skirt will lend to the northern rustic theme.  An existing glider from Land of Nod will find itself on a new adventure in the twins room. Updated with a cozy sheepskin throw, it will make the perfect resting place for rocking the twins to sleep.

An ode to Mom and Dad  and the overall inspiration for the room will be the (hopefully vintage) Canadian and North Carolina Maps hung respectively above the cribs. The rest of the color scheme will find it's inspiration in the hues of the maps.

We have lots more to do, so stayed tuned over the next couple of months, because Ben & Gus are expected to start their excellent adventure soon enough!