Courtesy of: Strong in the Family’s photostream at Flickr

Question: Dear Maite,

My husband and I are expecting our first baby, a girl, and are completely at odds about the nursery.  He’s an engineer and I’m an artist, but it’s he who’s gone gaga with all the frilly girly stuff – lacy curtains, wallpaper with fairies,a shocking pink dresser with changing table on top.  It may be the morning sickness, but just looking at this stuff makes me sick to my stomach.  We need a middle ground.  Help, only four months to go.

Nauseated

Answer: Dear Nauseated,

I’m sure you know the key to a successful marriage is compromise, and you being an artist opens up a unique opportunity for you and your husband to design something you both like, and will make the room really special. A bright garden growing on one wall – hydrangeas, tulips, peonies you name it would look dazzling and feminine. As for the dresser/changing table you certainly want to look a quality piece of furniture that will last a good  eight or nine years.  If you get something basic you can always change the knobs with hand painted fairy knobs. Moulding around the drawers can be also painted pink or shell.  This is all easy to strip and paint black and purple  when she hits that age.  Again, you  need quality all wood drawers and tops, that can be refinished. With all the mold and bacteria and dust in our homes today I recommend plantation shutter for the windows, and hard wood floors. Get a nice curtain rod, and let your husband have inexpensive frilly lace panels to soften the shutters for a few years.   There are lots of cute, inexpensive rugs that I’m sure you and you husband can agree upon.