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Detail of baby quilt by Robin Mason of the La Plata Quilters Guild
Room to Grow
In Durango, nursery design is bold, adaptable and unique By Karla Sluis
Durango Living Writer
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hen it comes to nursery design, there’s one thing Durango parents don’t like: gobbledygook. That’s the term a local designer gives for over-the-top embellishments, such as cherubs or lacy, frilly fabrics. “I tell parents to avoid murals with age-specific designs,” said Jennifer Bennett Gross, owner of Artistic Edge Design in Durango. “Their kid may hate it in a couple of years. I keep things basic and adaptable, because it lasts longer.” The way parents prepare a baby room reflects Durango’s zeal for recycling and a sustainable local economy, according to store owners and designers. What’s popular here is eco-chic, adaptability and unique accents by local artists. Reducing and reusing is important to parents coping with a troubled economy, according to Joanna Tucker, owner of Sprout, an eclectic children’s store in Durango. Sprout grew up after Rocky Mountain Children’s Company, which was on Main Avenue for six years. “It had beautiful, high-end clothing, but the resale section in the back was more popular with locals,” said Tucker. “I needed to adapt.” She renamed the shop, moved to the east end of College Avenue (just west of Durango Joe’s) and added a resale division on the entire second floor, which includes infant through teen clothing, maternity wear, baby and child gear and furniture. “I see the same customers now two to three times per week. They say ‘This makes so much sense,’” said Tucker. As a parent of two daughters, ages 4 and 9, she understands how quickly children grow out of clothes and furniture. The artist and decorative painter Gross, who also has two young
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daughters, had a similar brainstorm around the concept of adaptability. As a furniture designer, she wanted to create a table with screw-in leg segments that could be added on as a child grew taller, from age 1 to 10. She created Addie’s Tables, a curvy design in real wood inspired by the shape of a snowboard, which can be purchased at Sprout. Two benches fit on either side and can seat six little kids, or four older kids, during playdates or parties. But the transformation didn’t end there.
Hello There designs by Chloe Marty features “Remember the Day” art prints that show all of the birth details. “One day, I needed the space in my living room, so I set one bench on top of the table and pushed it against a wall and said, ‘Hey, it’s a desk with a tier!’” said Gross. “It was a natural accident because my house was so small.” Tucker said parents want to stretch the dollar as their kids stretch out, too. “System furniture” that converts as a child grows, is becoming very popular, she said. A toddler bed with safety rails can adjust all the way up to the teen years with clever extensions such as legs, ladders, storage units and accessories. Beyond the basics of furniture, parents sometimes choose a theme. Sylvia Bedwell, owner of Kids Rock, said true to Durango’s roots, many parents like a West-
ern-themed, frontier-lodge look. Bedwell said she knew other local customers who did a child’s bedroom completely in Dr. Seuss style. One family even did a nursery using the look of Peeps candy. “It’s very unique here, as opposed to doing what everybody does. We’re one-of-a-kind people in Durango,” said Bedwell. Tucker agrees. She said metro areas like Denver tend toward very progressive look, but Durango is more laid back. “We’re more earthy. We don’t like a lot of frills. People want basic simplicity with clean, uncluttered look. It’s somewhat modern, but not super-Mod,” said Tucker. “We’re always a little bit behind the trends, but trends aren’t a priority here. We live in an outdoor world, with an emphasis on quality time spent with kids.” Local artists are well-represented at local children’s shops. Kids Rock has squeezable stuffed animals made from vintage chenille bedspreads. At Sprout, wall art is bold, colorful and whimsical, like an abstract ladybug or swirly trees. Quirky play toys, such as Googly Mooglies by Tess Jordan, or Little Happy Ones stuffed felt food by Sarah Bong, are both playthings and artful accents, Tucker said. “I think colorful, interactive toys are part of the design in a nursery. I like things kids can actually touch and play with, like puzzles and pull toys, as opposed to things that hang on the wall and can’t be touched.” Getting back to the no-gobbledygook rule, Tucker said a child’s style preferences will change, and that should be reflected in their surroundings. “You want kids to have ownership of their rooms, and have it be special to them,” she said. “My daughter has a piece of art that she made hanging up in her room in a frame. Every day she looks at it with pride and says, ‘I did that!’”
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