Designing the perfect room for your little one is exciting, but it can also present unique design challenges. John Elliott Interiors is the best interior design company at the Lake of the Ozarks and we love helping you with every design aspect of your home. When planning a nursery, it's important to keep a few concepts in mind as you come up with ideas. Read on to learn more!

Safety Concerns

One of the most important aspects of a nursery's design is the security of the room.

Temperature & Airflow

Make sure the room you choose has adequate ventilation as well as efficient heating and cooling capabilities. Babies can have a difficult time regulating their temperature, so it is important to keep their space at a consistent and comfortable temperature. It has been suggested that having a ceiling fan directly over a baby's crib correlates with a lower risk of SIDS (sudden infant death syndrome) due to the increased airflow directed toward them.

Fire Safety

It is important to have a fire safety plan in place in case of a fire. Be sure the smoke detector in your baby's room is working properly and always has well-charged batteries installed in it. If the nursery is not on the ground floor, make sure to have a secure roll-out ladder or some other method of escape from the room in case a fire blocks you and Baby into the nursery.

Choking and Fall Hazards

At first, your little one will be completely dependent on you to move about, but soon they will start crawling, rolling over, and grabbing for everything within reach. Help keep them safe by limiting the number of small items in the room that could fit into their mouths. It's also a good idea to not hang heavy art or decor above the crib. You never know what might shake them just enough to come loose from the wall and fall into the crib, causing injury.

Keep it Simple

Simplicity is your friend when designing a nursery. If the room is crowded with too many decorations, then the room could quickly collect dust that will be hard to keep up with while also caring for a newborn. It could also be overstimulating for your baby to be surrounded by a lot of clutter or several bright colors when you're trying to get them to nap or go to sleep for the night. Choose a neutral, soft palette for the walls that can help soothe your little one. A gender-neutral palette can also serve you well for baby number two. Simply change out the decor to go with a new theme for your baby's new sibling.

Plan Ahead

It can be hard to contain your excitement once you know your family will be growing very soon. You may want to run out and start buying every cute decoration and charming piece of furniture that you set your eyes on. Instead, take a moment to plan with your significant other how you want the room to look. Choose the overall theme and color palette before heading to the store. That way you won't end up with several competing color schemes or vastly different wood stains.

Interior Design at the Lake

John Elliott Interiors is up to any design challenge you throw our way! We are the best interior design company at the Lake of the Ozarks, and we love helping you design the home of your dreams. If you are expecting a new little one in 2020, contact us to get started on a picture-perfect plan for their nursery. We can't wait!

Designing shelving accessories can be difficult for amateur or DIY decorators. Do you have a bookshelf that has been looking a little drab or cluttered? John Elliott Interiors is the best interior design company at the Lake of the Ozarks, and we have great tips on how to accessorize the shelving in your home. Read on to learn more!

Combine Similar Materials

 Use Odd Numbers

Color Coordinate Books

 Use Passions as Your Guide

 Go Big

Interior Design at the Lake

Remodeling your house is a wonderful way to bring new life into your home. It can also be a tremendous stress on you and the other members of your household. A home renovation can be dirty and noisy, so if you plan to live in the home during the remodel, you can expect some level of discomfort. It can help to have a trusted team in your corner so you know that the ultimate product will be everything you dreamed. John Elliott Interiors is just such a team! We are the best interior designers at the Lake of the Ozarks, and we have your back. Read on to learn some of our great tips on how to make the most of your home renovation!

Make a Plan

Once you’ve made the decision to remodel your home, it can be hard to wait for a full plan to be developed before you start digging in. But planning is an important step. If you get started without thinking ahead, you could end up with a disjointed design or a layout that doesn’t quite work with the structure and flow of your house.


Determine which parts of your home you want to redesign and consider all aspects of the design that will need to be addressed… Plumbing, electric, overall layout, furniture placement, painting, etc. Once you know everything that the remodel needs, start calling contractors to set up appointments. This could be the sticking point between a good renovation and a bad one. Imagine the two contractors you want to use are only available 6 months apart. If 6 months is too long of a time frame, you may need to consider other contractors or adjust your plan.

Keep it Tidy

As the renovation gets underway, there will be a lot of dust, construction debris, and other clutter that will start to take over your home. It is important to hire a contractor that values cleanliness and finishing the job completely. The last thing you want to end up with is an area that is remodeled, but also full of construction debris that has spread throughout the other rooms in your home as well. If you are remodeling on your own, be sure to use tarps and remove trash at the end of each day to prevent the mess from piling up and getting out of hand.

Plan for the Unexpected

Even if you have the perfect plan detailed out to the smallest penny, minute, and nail… Something will go wrong. There will almost always be a wrench in your plans that you will have to adjust for. For example, when you knock out a wall, you may find pipes that have to be relocated. That is why it is so important to allow yourself extra money in the budget and extra days (or possibly even weeks) in the timeline.


Every time a hitch comes up in your plans, take a deep breath and think of how much you will love the final product - it will all be worth it! Take a break when possible and go out of town for a weekend to get away from the construction dust and stress.

Keep Communication Open

Communication is the key to good relationships, right? That is also the case between clients and contractors. Be open and honest about what you want from them so they know what you expect. The clearer your communication, the more likely you are to be happy at the end of the process. It’s important to have a solid contract that communicates what happens if either party does not meet their end of the agreement.

Home Design at the Lake 

John Elliott Interiors is the best interior design company at the Lake of the Ozarks and we have a lot of experience helping clients redesign their spaces. Once the bones of your remodel are complete, be sure to contact our expert team at John Elliott Interiors to help create a beautiful design that helps make your dreams for your home come true.

What Needs to Change?

Why have you decided to redesign your home? The motivation behind your redesign is a great place to get started on finding new inspiration. You know you hate the couch in your living room, but why? Is the material hard to clean and stuffy? Is the color drab and drawing the room down? Is the shape out of style? Finding the places in your home that are driving the new design is important so you know which fresh new direction your instincts are taking you.