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."

click to enlarge

• Matthew Thorsen

• 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.