Sailing Off... to Sleep

Parents: Tiffany and Billy Brigham

Kids: Bowen, 1 month, and Harper, 21 months

When Tiffany and Billy Brigham of South Burlington were expecting their daughter, Harper, they created a bedroom
for the ultimate girlie girl, with plaid curtains, white wicker furniture and a hot-pink rocking chair. But for their son, Bowen, born last month, Tiffany didn’t want anything “too
blue or boyish.” Instead, they threw color coding to the wind and created a nautical-inspired nursery.

In the six months before her due date, Tiffany — a speech-language pathologist with a passion for interior design — combed the web and local stores for furniture and décor. And then the DIY began. She and her husband refinished a $180 dresser they found on Craigslist, for example, and followed a Pinterest tutorial to paint beige and white stripes across one wall.

“It was good teamwork,” says Tiffany. “My husband is the muscle, and I’m the visionary.”

The couple painted and sanded the Craigslist dresser to a sun-beaten blue and added drawer handles made from metal boat cleats.
Tiffany refinished a pair of oars — bought at HomeGoods as part of a coat rack — and decorated them with confetti stars saved from her wedding.
Following YouTube directions, Tiffany and Billy created the monkey’s-fist rope knots that function as curtain ties.
Woven baskets on the changing table, bookshelf and floor neatly store diapers and laundry.
A wooden sailboat mobile hangs above the crib.
Bowen’s name is spelled out on the wall with block letters and a life preserver.

This article was originally published in Seven Days’ monthly parenting magazine, Kids VT.