Enchanted Tiki Nursery

My wife and I did a Tiki themed nursery for our new baby daughter, Sydney. I asked Paul at Pariarts.com to make an "Enchanted Tiki Room" sign for the room, which came out great. Here are some pictures of the sign and the room. Thanks Paul for the great sign!

The room isn't completely finished yet. The last big project is to make a faux thatched roof that is going to go over the window seat to make the whole window seat area look like a little tiki hut. If anyone has any suggestions for plans to make a faux palm thatched tiki hut roof, I would welcome any suggestions.

[ Edited by: joefla70 on 2005-04-18 20:04 ]

[ Edited by joefla70 on 2022-03-20 16:16:13 ]

[ Edited by joefla70 on 2022-03-20 16:17:04 ]

[ Edited by joefla70 on 2022-03-20 16:17:41 ]

Although I had to Copy and Paste the URLs to the address bar, I liked what I had seen!

At first I thought the nursery was decorated with small red X's thanks for the tip, looks swell!

[ Edited by: naugatiki on 2005-04-17 11:08 ]

Funny, but once I looked at the pics one by one via cut and paste then went back to the post the pics were there. Until I refresh. They must be getting pulled from my Temporary Internet Files folder.

Anyway, it looks great! Just don't put any scary Ku statues in there. Make sure you show us the updates.

Ummmmmm lotsa red X's!

BEAUTIFUL photos! I right clicked on the red Xs and chose "view image" and could see them all just fine.

The sign is GORGEOUS!

I majored in interior design and graduated recently. Before I moved to Ft Lauderdale, I worked as the personal design assistant for a design firm that mostly did decor for nurseries. Back then my former boss was (still is!) on a tv show for decorating nurseries, and I would help her out with the designs and the filming and such. It was so much fun! I loved assisting in designing these nurseries! So I actually have quite a bit of experience in interior design and nursery/childrens room design, professionally speaking. And I really like what you've done here!

Have you ever considered a very colorful mural for the walls? My nephew loves the ocean, and I did an underwater scene mural in his bathroom. It feels like you are inside of a submarine, and there is a round portal looking out into the ocean. Its filled with wacky colorful fish. He LOVES it! Its so vivid and the colors are so bright and happy and juicy. :)

If you want to do something like that, of any scene at all, and you need tips as to how to do it or what to paint, etc... please feel free to send me a pm and let me know!

Great job so far. Very nice! :D
Mahalo for showing us these photos! That sign is INCREDIBLE. Enjoy! :)

~L

Sydney is a lucky little lady.

Thanks Unga, Tikilicious, Kono, and Astro.. and everybody else for their kind words. I was able to see the pictures on my home computer, but when I tried to see them at work, I only saw those little red Xs. I'll try re-posting the pictures tonight. I think the problem is that I usually post pictures on shutterfly and this time I posted them to ofoto because that is where I have been sharing pictures of the baby.

Tikilicious... my wife and I thought about doing a mural early on, but neither of us are that artistic! That is why I had pariarts make the sign for us. It never ceases to amaze me just how many wonderfully talented artists there are in the TC community. After I first discovered the pariarts site, I knew that when the time came to do the nursery I would have them do a sign for me... and they did not dissapoint! I think that the only other major thing we'll do is make the faux tiki hut roof for the window seat.

I (not my wife) has definitely been the one who has gone overboard on the project. If it were up to me, I'd have the walls covered by alternating panels of tapa cloth and palm thatch matting... kinda like the interior of the Mai Kai... and do a palm thatched roof.

The room is definiately a work in progress... and will probably never be completely done. Whenever I see something to add... or something that gives me another idea, I'll probably do it. I'll probably add to it here and there like as if it were a mug collection. I almost bought a blow fish the other day when I saw it at Beach Place on Ft. Lauderdale Beach. My wife says (and its probably true) that the nursery is more for me than for the baby! Hehe. Its just been so much darn fun working on it! I'm going to the Mai Kai this thursday for my brother's birthday, so I'll keep my eye open for some more ideas. :)

That, is a fantastic nursery!
Our guest room, which will be the nursery, is going to be my project. Your pictures have inspired me to throw caution to the wind, and add some tiki in there! Maybe a bit of lounge-ey stuff too. It won't at least another year before the first one is on it's way, so I've got lots of time. Best to do it before I'm pregnant. At least the painting part.

Thanks for posting the pics! "view image' worked for me.

You're welcome, TikiWahine. I'm glad I could be an inspiration. If you want to exhange ideas, feel free to send me a PM or email me at [email protected]. I also did a tiki bathroom for the guest bathroom next to the room we made the nursery.

Sounds great! If you dont want to put anything on the walls after all, may I suggest something? You so dont have to do it, its just a little suggestion. :) I think great for a baby's and child's room! Consider a juicy color on the walls. Something fruity colored. A juicy kiwi green, or pineapple yellow, or papaya orange, or guava pink... something that really pops! The white walls are putting a break on things I think... and if you arent artistic enough to do a mural and dont want to hire an artist to come do one, just painting all the walls a really succulent and juicy color will really complete this room. :) In fact, you have so many interesting visual elements in the room ALREADY, that I honestly wonder if a mural wouldnt make the room look TOO BUSY, if you know what I mean? Perhaps one solid color throughout is the way to go. Is there a reason why the walls are white? Do you rent and not own the space, or something like that? Just curious. :)

I only suggest the vibrant color on the walls (I use paint from Walmart! Its like $9 a gallon! When I worked at my former firm and we had a budget for the tv show per baby room, we saved money by using walmart paint). Honestly, everything else looks amazing! And your idea of a thatch roof over the seat is PERFECT. I LOVE this room!

Have fun at The Mai Kai! I may be there too, you never know. I seem to practically LIVE there lately, it seems. Its the delicious danger of living so close to it. :wink: lol! Did you go to Tiki Torch Nights last Thursday? If not, boy did you miss out! I hope you go next time! It was FANTASTIC! Tiki Kiliki really outdid herself! (as usual! shes amazing! lol!)

Sydney is beyond lucky to have a daddy like you! :D

And just so you know, being an artist and decorator, I am working on products all the time to sell. And two weeks ago, I started working on BABY PRODUCTS! (tiki themed of course!) I am still developing them, but they are decorative items like lightswitch plates and little framed images for the walls, perhaps some onesies... I love tiki babies! Perhaps I need to donate a little something to Sydney's room, hmmm? A little decorative gift for her nursery, courtesy of Tikilicious? :wink: lol!

KEEP HAVING FUN WITH THE NURSERY! ITS FANTASTIC! :D And hugs for Sydney!
~L

Ok, I tried to fix the pictures. I hope it worked.

Tikilicious: Thanks for all of the great suggestions, Lenore. To answer your question, the reason why the walls were that color (they are actually a cream color, but look white-ish in the pictures) is because I had the whole house done that way when I bought it. It is a textured finish that was trowled onto the walls. Before I bought it, the entire house was wallpapered with grass cloth from the 1980s. What a pain in the ass it was to get it down. The previous owner even put the wallpaper on the vaulted ceiling, if you can believe that!

I didn't get out to the Tiki Torch Night last week. Actually, I have never actually met anyone from TC in person (except for the time I unexpectedly ran into BigBro at the Mai Kai a few months ago). I didn't even know TC existed until last spring. I actually discovered it while I was searching online for ideas, music, decorating tips, etc. for a "co-ed wedding shower luau" that we were throwing for friends of ours who were supposed to go to Hawaii for their honeymoon, but were not able to go. So, we figured we would bring Hawaii to them. I had SO MUCH FUN planning that party in the months before it, that I really got into the whole tiki thing much more than I had already been. It was about that time that I started going to Mai Kai a lot more than I had in the past. I never realized what a special thing we had here in Ft. Lauderdale... and that I was taking it for granted! It was at that time I learned about TC and all of the events, like Hukilau. I REALLY wanted to come out to Hukilau last year, even though I did not know anybody, but unforunately I was a little too busy putting hurricane shutters on my house and my parent's house that entire weekend! I was surprised to later learn that the Mai Kai still opened up for it. I used to go to Mai Kai all the time for happy hour. (love those 2 for 1 rum barrels!). But with the arrival of the baby, the wife and I don't get out too much anymore! I fear my happy hour days have come to a screeching halt! But maybe we'll see you there this Thursday night or some other night we can find a baby sitter.

I would love to see the decorative items that you are working on... both the baby and non-baby items. It never ceases to amaze me how talented the artists are on TC as I peruse the "Creating Tiki" section of TC. I hope to see your items there soon.

Thank you for your kind words about the room. I'm glad you liked it. That means a lot coming from an artist such as yourself. I will definitely keep your suggestions in mind as I tinker and add too the room. :o) Hope to meet you and Steve soon.

Joe

JOE! Is the picture of Sydney new? I didnt see it before! Steve and I think she is absolutely BEAUTIFUL! What gorgeous eyes she has! WOW! No wonder you are making her a room fit for a tiki goddess!

We would love to meet up with you and your wife sometime for happy hour. We LOVE happy hour. :wink: My goal has been to try everything on the drink menu, in order to rate them and discuss them on my website I am currently creating. So we go for drinks often. :wink:

I really hope to see you at tiki torch nights AND the hukilau soon!

~L

PS: I have a present for Sydney I would like to give you!

Looks very nice.
I'm not sure if a small child will like those masks though....

That's GREAT!

My almost 2 year old daugher LOVES tikis. She doesn't find them scary at all, they're just funny happy faces to her.

She especially likes the tikis that sing!

I agree, Barkerbird!

I think as long as she is used to it, they won't scare her at all. And hey, if she thinks the tikis are scary, just wait until Halloween! Halloween is my other passion! And I'm not one of those people who decorates or dresses up as silly things for Halloween. Halloween is all about SCARY... like vampires, ghosts, witches, and wearwolves! Halloween isn't about dressing up as superheros or clowns (unless its an evil superhero or a scary clown!)

[ Edited by: joefla70 on 2005-04-19 11:39 ]

Lenore:

Yes, the picture of Sydney is new. I posted it when I fixed the links to the pictures. Thank you very much for the compliments. Hopefully her eyes will stay that blue color, but from what we've read, the eye color can change up until 9 months of age.. and sometimes babies who have blue eyes at birth wind up with brown.

We would love to meet up with you and Steve sometime too. Although I don't know if it will be for happy hour or tiki torch nights because the wife and I don't get out too much anymore now that our new addition is here. So, unless we find a babysitter for lil' Sydney... which might be tough on a weekday, it might just have to be on a Saturday night. But you'll definiately see us at the Hukilau --- barring any late season hurricanes! Hurricane season does, afterall, extend until November! unless But maybe on a weekend. In any event, we'll definately be there this Thursday night for my brother's birthday. I've you are there, I'll be the big guy with a goatee and probably a dark blue hibiscus Hawaiian shirt on.

I have to admit that the only drink that I usually get at the Mai Kai is the Barrel O' Rum .. but the last time I was there I ordered the Mara-Amu (Because I wanted to keep the mug!) Maybe next time I'll be more adventurous and get something different.

PS: Thank you for thinking of Sydney and offering her a present. That is very nice of you to do that. :)

How did I miss this thread? Awesome nursery - cool and not over the top and tacky.

When Sydney turns 21 does she get a tiki bar in her room?

Cool! BTW my little girl has the palm tree bear too! We call it "Palm Bear"! Clever, no? :)

Beautiful. EXTRAORDINARILY great job! Kudos to everyone concerned.

Thanks Procinema,

We've added a few more things to the room since those pictures were posted, and still have ambitions of making the faux thatched roof over the window seat area to make it look like a tiki hut.

Sydney is one lucky baby! My youngest (girl age 3) loves tikis and if she saw your daughters room she'd probably want to move in.

I know I'm late to this discussion but it all looks great, especially the sign.

... super...

Hey, I just searched for the thread on our baby room plans, because Aunty Bungy's story time thread made me think about Ben telling us in the baby room thread, about his mom and her 'pet' pelican, and then I saw Joe's posts about Sydney's room....and was looking at the pictures he had linked to! We'll have to post pictures of the mural that tiki-bot painted, we haven't done much since baby pineapple arrived, he's kept us rather busy! But this room is great!
mrs. pineapple

I am late to this discussion as well, but I just had to comment on your nursery and sign. Just beautiful!! I will be having a baby in 6 weeks; getting the nursery ready has been the most fun part of being pregnant. Of course, I went with a more traditional theme, puppies and kittens. Our living room is dedicated to Tiki Art and collectibles. I am sure your daughter will be an avid Tiki lover from the beginning!

I havent been on the forum much lately, so this may be old news, but I recently bought one of these tiki stuffed toys for my 2-year old, he loves it. You press the button and it plays jungle drums and chants tiki jibberish - there are four different styles, all say the same thing. There are also smaller ones that don't have sounds.

I got the purple drum guy- only $8.99

http://www.ronjons.com/ProductList.aspx?Category=Tiki%20Style&MenuGroup=7&SelectedItem=59&Page=1

[ Edited by: fatuhiva 2005-12-30 04:41 ]

Adorable nursery! Kudos to y'all for doing something different!

WHAT! No baby formula bar?

Nice job on the nursery! I'm talking my son into having a tropical themed room. Figured it was as good an excuse as any to buy more tiki stuff! He's into it, my wife likes the idea, so full speed ahead!!

Thanks everyone for the kind words. It is still a work in progress. I want to do a mural on the wall. I still haven't got around to make the faux thatched roof over the window seat. The best thing about it is that I can buy tiki items with the excuse that "its for the baby!" :)