By Keysha Drexel
Journal editor
When she and her business partner were approached to design a room for this year’s Inspiration Home Tour, Emily Rhodes said she immediately knew how they would go about putting together a nursery for the Birmingham Home & Garden magazine-hosted event.
Rhodes, who co-owns Swaddle in Homewood with Marisa Mitchell, said she took inspiration from the people who inspire what she puts in her shop.
“When we started planning this, we were really inspired by our clients,” she said. “That’s where we get all of our best ideas.”
Rhodes and Mitchell opened Swaddle, an infants’ and children’s boutique in downtown Homewood, about five years ago, shortly after Rhodes and her husband, Greg, relocated to Crestline from New York.
“Marisa already had two children when we first met and she struggled to find a place that offered one-stop shopping and really good customer service, so we decided to take that philosophy and open Swaddle to help parents make the best choices to fit their lifestyles,” Rhodes said.
Rhodes said she and Mitchell strive to make all the options out there for babies and young children a little less confusing to parents, especially new parents.
“The choices in that market can be really overwhelming, and if you’re talking about a first-time parent, they have enough on their minds without having to worry if a stroller is safe,” she said. “We’ve edited what’s out there in the baby world for safety and style.”
When it came to the style of the nursery in the 2014 Inspiration Home, Rhodes said she and Mitchell, like their clients, were drawn to design that would fit either a girl or a boy.
“Our clients have really been gravitating toward neutral colors and clean lines, and they are kind of staying away from things that are theme-y or scream ‘This is a girl’s room’ or ‘This is a boy’s room.’ They want things that are more gender-neutral.”
Keeping that in mind, Rhodes said she and Mitchell chose a gray shade for the walls of the nursery. Store and marketing manager Jessica Parris also helped design the room.
“At first, that might seem like an odd choice for a baby’s room, but gray is actually a great color because it offers a lot more longevity than a baby pink or a baby blue color would,” she said. “This shade of gray is something that would work for a child all the way through the teen years.”
That “grow-with-them” philosophy is also at work in the nursery’s furniture, Rhodes said.
“For example, instead of a traditional changing table, we chose a really great dresser and then put a changing pad on top of that,” she said. “Once the baby is out of diapers, the changing pad can be removed and the dresser will still be functional and useful.”
One of Rhodes’ favorite pieces in the Inspiration Home nursery is a glider rocker that sits in one corner of the expansive room.
“It’s a timeless shape paired with a contemporary fabric that later on would be just as easily at home in a den or living room,” she said. “It’s a great piece because it can be moved to another room in the house when the child gets older.”
As the mother of a 2-year-old named Philip, Rhodes said she knew that providing stylish storage was a must for the Inspiration Home nursery.
“There’s a lot of stuff associated with babies, a lot of things you need to have handy–from diapers and wipes to blankets and toys–but you don’t want the room to be taken over by that stuff,” she said. “That’s why we love these soft storage bins we used in the nursery. They’re easily accessible and can be moved anywhere around the room.”
The storage containers also offer a fun pop of color to the room, Rhodes said.
“They really do double-duty in that room because they are decorative and functional at the same time,” she said.
Color is also injected into the room by a pint-sized bright yellow metal table and two tiny matching stools. The yellow accent color also shows up in the bedding on the white crib.
A fuzzy white rug covers the reclaimed wooden floors found throughout the Inspiration Home, and a whimsical bookshelf that resembles a tree offers the perfect perch for toys and books. Floating white shelves near the glider and an upholstered ottoman in the corner of the room hold more fun accents in bold colors.
The nursery also features a spiral staircase leading to a loft area that makes an ideal indoor playhouse and keeps the downstairs area of the nursery clutter-free.
The nursery has its own private bathroom with gray subway tile in the shower/tub area, a white marble vanity and a large walk-in closet with built-in shelves.
“The whole room is done in such a way that it can easily transition from a nursery to a fun room for a small child to a total retreat for a teenager,” Rhodes said.
Rhodes said this is the first time Swaddle has been involved in a show house and said she’s excited about showing tour guests all that her shop and others in the Over the Mountain and Birmingham metro areas have to offer.
“I love the idea that you can furnish an entire house with beautiful, quality pieces that can all be found right here in our area,” she said. “It shows that you can shop locally and support local business owners, which boosts the entire community. We’re really honored to be a part of this project.”
Swaddle is at 2825 18th St. S. For more information, visit swaddleonline.com or call 870-3503.