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Studio AF founder Ariella Fried’s biggest renovation revelation came when she was trying to figure out how to refresh the dated, dark wood wet bar in her Los Angeles ranch. “Then I realized I could just gut it,” recalls Fried. “Sometimes, when you see a space with a certain feature, you think it has to be that way. You get stuck and just want to replace what is there.” Catching her oversight early, she put down the bar blueprints and started a new sketch—one for a playroom. Fried wanted to create a dedicated space for her two-year-old daughter, Claire.
The designer took a similar approach with Claire’s nursery, which was a full-on office when she and her husband bought the home. But this time, she didn’t scrap everything. “The built-ins were the best find, because custom millwork can be so expensive these days,” she shares. “I tried to preserve as much as possible.” While some rooms require a totally new perspective once you have a child, others just need a little tweaking. Read on to learn more about how she made both spaces toddler-approved.
The No-Commitment Playroom
A perk of the bar-turned-playroom is that the space is connected to the living room—Claire is never out of sight when Mom and Dad are relaxing—but tucked away enough that her toys don’t take over. “We can still use the living room to entertain, and we didn’t have to compromise on furniture,” notes Fried. In her kiddo’s corner: a thrifted rocking chair (a free sidewalk find), cozy shag rugs that are perfect for the crawling stage, and a colorful smiley face print (it’s actually images of wet paint bubbles) by family friend and artist Aaron Axelrod. Now that the bones of the nook are essentially three blank walls, the spot can serve as a reading corner or just an extension of the living area in the future.
The Bookshelf–Turned–Baby Station
Given there was no reach-in closet in Claire’s nursery, Fried sought to use every existing drawer and shelf within the existing built-in storage. First, she had the structure stripped, sanded, and painted in Ammonite by Farrow & Ball, removing and patching outlets and lock keyholes in the process. An unexpected bonus? The many oddly sized cubbies proved great for baby essentials. “I found a way to have a compartment for everything,” she says. Diapers, wipes—it all fits perfectly, even the trash can. Claire’s most special garments hang on a $10 tension shower rod underneath a shelf, nixing the need for a separate freestanding wardrobe or armoire altogether (at least while her wardrobe is this tiny).
The Adult-Approved Shade of Pink
The one thing Fried gutted in the nursery was another unnecessary built-in bookshelf across the way. Afterwards, she replicated the circa-1940s molding on the rest of the walls so it looked like it had always been that way (she chopped off a sample piece from every detail in the room and had it matched by a woodworker). Next up: Coating the walls in Setting Plaster, also by Farrow & Ball. “Everyone who comes into my house, the first thing they ask is, ‘What color pink this is?’” says Fried. The dusty shade, which has a hint of yellow in it, doesn’t feel babyish, so it can evolve with Claire’s bedroom decor as she gets older.
The British-Inspired Bathroom
The Jack-and-Jill remodel happened on a tight budget; Fried didn’t want to spend $20,000 on the space, so she found a way to make it appear new without putting in a ton of work. Along with a fresh countertop and new mirrors, Fried also replaced the floor tiles, opting for 1-inch builder-grade white hex tiles. Then she swapped the vanity drawer knobs with inexpensive wood ones from Lowe’s and painted everything the same color. “It feels very English,” she says. “I tried to simplify and not overdo it.”