erena & Lily crib bedding: It’s the stuff that dreams are made of. This creative team is a favorite in the baby world for their beautiful textile designs and nursery decor.

We sat down with one half of the duo, Serena Dugan, for her thoughts on designing, decorating, and doing up the nursery.

The Cradle: In three words, describe the aesthetic of Serena & Lily.

Serena: Fresh, clean, tailored.

The Cradle: How did you get into the business of designing nursery collections?

Prior to meeting Lily, I was a decorative artist working with one of the big children’s furnishings companies designing original artwork for baby and children’s rooms, in addition to designing my own line of adult textiles. My personal design sensibility landed somewhere between those two worlds: I wanted to see baby bedding with a more grown-up, style-driven twist. When I met Lily, she owned a baby and children’s boutique and was desperately searching for the product that I had envisioned designing. We decided to partner and create what was missing in the marketplace.

The Cradle: What are the top things you take into consideration when designing pieces for your collections?

Serena: I consider:

• What our customers are asking for (colors, patterns, styling).
• Voids in the marketplace – I never want to repeat or imitate what’s already available.
• Color combination is critical – we need to love the colors, but then we need to consider if they suit their space and are "gender correct." Soon-to-be parents are very specific about what colors are appropriate for their little boy or little girl, and we have to be very sensitive to their vision, while pushing the limits a little bit.
• I always try to innovate. I try to push the boundaries of where we’ve been, what the industry as a whole is doing, and re-examine convention. For example, our new organic bedding collection includes hand wood-block prints in beautiful baby-friendly colors. The effect is beautiful… and no one else is doing it.

The Cradle: What long-term things should people think about when it comes to decorating the nursery?

Serena: I personally believe that the foundation you create for the nursery (for example the wall color, window coverings, or rut) should last well into the conversion to a big kid’s room. No one wants his or her furnishings to be disposable, so I advocate decorating that you can get some mileage out of. For example:

• Buy a dresser that has a removable changing table that can be placed on top, and then removed when baby is out of diapers.
   
• Choose a color palette for your nursery that can grow into their "big kid" room. Think of the nursery décor as the foundation for a room your child can grow into.
   
• If you’re going to decorate with a theme, choose items that are non-permanent and easy to trade in and out.

The Cradle: Okay, I’m a new parent about to start decorating the nursery. Where do you recommend I start?

Serena: I recommend starting with a focal point. Choose your one favorite non-negotiable must-have, and decorate around it. For some, that’s bedding, for others, it may be a modern crib that sings to you. Bedding or textiles make an easy starting point because it defines your style and your color palette. Your furnishing decisions will be greatly simplified once those elements (design style and color palette) are defined.

The Cradle: For some parents, decorating the nursery may be exciting, while for others it may be emotional. What advice to you have for expectant parents who may be feeling overwhelmed?

Serena: One significant reason that decorating a nursery can feel overwhelming is that all the parts and pieces are unfamiliar. They don’t know where to start. They should know that there are only four critical nursery necessities at the first phase: baby needs a place to sleep (crib), a place to feed (glider or rocker), a place to be changed (changing table or dresser with changing top), and storage. That’s it. The rest can be filled in as needed. Start with the four basics, and fill in around it. Keep it simple and don’t get overwhelmed!

The Cradle: Which pieces in your collection are personal favorites?

Serena: My personal favorites tend to be our strongest color statements. For example, our Alex crib set [photo at left] is navy, white, and strong-lime green. Every time I look at it, I feel like I see it for the first time because the colors are so fresh and dynamic. Our similar color statements evoke the same reaction.

The Cradle: Name a dream client whose nursery you’d love to decorate.

Serena: It would be someone with an amazing sense of style who is willing to take some risks and depart from convention.

The Cradle: What inspired your low-VOC paint line?

Serena: We received so many requests for the paint colors used in our photography (which we had custom-mixed to suit the bedding), that it seemed completely natural to introduce the colors in a great paint. With my background in color consultation, I knew how hard finding just the right pink and just the right green could be, so we introduced a very well-selected range of colors. The choice to make the paint base low-VOC, low odor, and scrubbable was simply the best and most responsible decision we could make when introducing the product. We try to put out the best in every category. Between this range of colors and the appropriateness of the product for a baby or child’s room, we felt totally confident in the introduction of the product.

The Cradle: Any plans for other eco-friendly items in your collection, such as bedding?

Serena: As a matter of fact, we are designing and developing a line of organic crib bedding right now! We have four fully organic crib sets in the works, which we’re all in love with. In addition, we are developing some gift items that are fully organic. Stay tuned!

The Cradle: Now that you’ve delved into furnishings as well as bedding, what’s next on your design agenda?