In 2003, we co-founded The Art of Everyday Living, a home and lifestyle consulting company that combines healthy, green living, Feng Shui, life coaching, and interior decorating. We began by helping our clients recognize that making a home isn’t only about creating beautiful surroundings, but also includes designing a healthy, comfortable, well organized home that supports their needs and enhances their life. Over the years, we witnessed the positive effect our suggestions had on our clients’ lives, as well as our own.

 

When Laura learned she was expecting her first child, she soon began preparing her home for her baby’s arrival. She started decorating and arranging her house to create a comfortable, healthy and beautiful room for her son, as well as an organized space that would best support her and her husband’s transition into parenthood.

 

The importance of creating a healthy, green nursery hit home for Laura when she visited a closet where she was storing many of the new furnishings, toys and linens she had bought for her son. When she opened the door she was overwhelmed by a horrible, chemical odor. Her first thought was that her husband had spilled paint thinner in the closet when painting the room. However, she soon discovered the smell was the result of toxic fumes being emitted by the baby’s new furniture, toys and mattress. Common sense told her the fumes couldn’t be good for a newborn, so she began doing some research. Her research confirmed her suspicions and inspired her mission to create a healthy, earth-friendly nursery.

 

Little did we know just how much time and research creating a green nursery would require! Even with Alison’s help, it took months to find healthy, green (and stylish!) versions of everything she would need—from a PVC-free bathing tub to organic wool puddle pads to fragrance-free diaper creams, to a solid wood crib with a non-toxic finish.

 

Laura learned firsthand how overwhelmed new parents can be by the amount of stuff they’re told they need just to care for their baby, and when she added on any attempts to be green and healthy this feeling just grew exponentially! Realizing just how time-consuming and confusing the process can be for new parents, inspired us to write our book, The Peaceful Nursery, and create our nursery consultations. We hope our experience and research remove any stress from the process and make creating a nursery an enjoyable, special time for you and your family.

 

-Laura and Alison