Clever, cost-savvy décor ideas to steal from Minnie Dlamini-Jones' nursery

Simone Incendiario of Bespoke Babies talks us through the design of the celeb's stylish safari-themed baby room

19 February 2021 - 06:00 By Toni Jaye Singer
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Mr and Mrs Jones are now Mama and Papa Jones having welcomed their firstborn child to the world in November 2020. File photo.
Mr and Mrs Jones are now Mama and Papa Jones having welcomed their firstborn child to the world in November 2020. File photo.
Image: John Liebenberg/Sunday Times

TV host Minnie Dlamini-Jones recently shared some adorable snaps of herself and her son, Netha Makhosini Jones, on Instagram to celebrate her first three months of motherhood.

After we’d finished gushing about how gorgeous the new mama and her “little king” looked, we started gushing about her nursery’s modern décor.

It was decorated with the help of Simone Incendiario of Bespoke Babies.

Incendiario said it was “exciting” working with Dlamini-Jones and her hubby, Quinton, who fell in love with the idea of a safari-themed nursery when they first visited her store in Woodmead, Joburg. She adds that mom-to-be was very keen that her baby’s room be “unique and something that had never been done before”.

Dlamini-Jones elaborated on her décor brief on social media: “I have two beautiful acacia trees (the FNB or Lion King tree) and I wanted to somehow bring the outside in.

“I wanted the room to be sophisticated, minimalist yet still young and fun. Our house has concrete walls and wood finishes, so I wanted the room to look like it belonged to the general aesthetic.”

With this in mind, Incendiario opted for a trendy neutral colour palette, saying that shades of grey, white and cream are particularly popular at the moment.

Beyond being stylish, Incendiario points out that the advantage of creating a neutral foundation for your baby’s room is that it's cost-savvy because it gives the scheme greater longevity.

It gives you the freedom to quickly and easily create a fresh look and feel without having to go to expense of redecorating the entire space. All you’ve got to do is swap out the accessories for new ones that reflect your child’s age and current interests, whether it be an obsession with cars or passion for unicorns.

“These accessories needn’t be expensive,” she adds, giving examples like cheap and cheerful framed art prints and vinyl wall stickers.

In the Dlamini-Jones’ nursery, accessories like the zebra-print cot bumper and oversized stuffed animals bring in the “fun factor” and reinforce the room’s safari theme, as does the “Lion King tree” on the wall.

This laser-cut acacia tree is back-lit with LED lights, allowing it to double as a night light. Once again, it’s the sort of décor element that can grow with Netha and remain in the room as he transitions from a cot to a “big-boy” bed.

Its atmospheric glow is reflected in a large mirror, which was already in the room when the Bespoke Babies team arrived. It was decided to keep it as mirrors are a clever and thrifty way of making small spaces look and feel larger than they are in real life.

A personalised rug was added to create a soft and safe place for Netha to play and learn to crawl, something Incendiario says is an essential for any nursery. Another is a feeding chair like the grey upholstered rocking chair and matching ottoman chosen for this nursery.

It’s well worth investing in a comfortable chair as this is where you’re going to spend most of your time for the first couple of months as you feed and bond with your new baby, she says.


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