About Stephanie
Founder
Tired of spending countless hours creating Pinterest boards in the hopes of pulling together a room that your kids will love? If you're a soon-to-be momma or current super parent trying to juggle it all while creating a toddler friendly space with whimsy that is unique to you, then you've found the right place.
Hi! I’m Stephanie. That’s me in the photo with my husband Tim. Not pictured is our 7 year old dog-child Rupert. The cutest french bulldog you’ll ever see. I’ll sneak in a few pics of him in the blog every now and then, so you can meet him there! I’ve been an interior designer for 14 years. From model homes, to residential interiors and founding Rockabye Mommy in 2012 - specializing in healthy nursery & children’s room design. My vast array of experience has led me here, to Rockabye Mommy. And to helping you.
You’ve landed on my site, so I know you take your kids room designs seriously - and so do I! You have a vision and ideas for the most perfect and dreamy space but need that expert design guidance to help you bring that vision to reality, right? But have you thought about how to create a safe and healthy space for your little one? This is one of the most important aspects of designing home environments especially in kids spaces, yet it’s one of the most overlooked. Even if you consider yourself an expert when it comes to decorating, you may not be sure how to go about creating a healthy space.
“Your little ones will spend countless hours sleeping
and playing in what’s supposed to be their safe haven,
so doing what you can to keep toxins to a minimum is incredibly important.”
After being in the Interior Design industry for 14 years, I realized that taking the toxic load of the materials we specify into consideration isn’t standard practice. What?!?! Yeah, I know. In fact, up until four years ago, I didn’t really consider this myself. It was only when I decided to take a deeper look into my own health, that I started to examine the elements affecting our indoor air quality and other factors such as food and body products that can be affecting our overall wellness.
My goal as your designer is to create the most healthy, safe, magazine-cover-gorgeous and cozy environment (YES you can have it all!) for your most important people to thrive in. Trust me, I know the thought of this type of research can be stressful and most certainly an overwhelming task. We all value time and know that looking after your kids is a full-time job in itself. This is why you’ve landed on my page, even if you didn’t realize it at first. Learning how to create safer, healthier environments for ourselves and our loved ones is something I know each and every one of you can, and will implement if you have the knowledge and tools.
I love designing interiors and each new project is a chance for me to create something unique & special. Finding one of a kind items is always a goal of mine because your space should be nothing short of amazing. With this blog, I will bring you useful information, and lots of decor ideas and inspiration to help on your own design journey, whatever it may be. Be sure to join the list below so that you never miss a post!
A huge thanks for following along and I look forward to connecting with you all.
xo - Stephanie
Rockabye Mommy - Where posh meets practical.
Frequently Asked Questions
Why are NON-TOXIC & natural products so important?
Most major retailers and online furnishing shops aren't yet using toxin-free materials, resulting in end products that may contain high levels of Volatile Organic Compunds (VOC's), or Semivolatile organic Compounds (SVOC's) such as acetone, benzene, formaldehyde, toluene and flame retardants that offgass into the air we breathe. Volatile organic compounds are any materials made up of carbon, hydrogen, and potentially oxygen that can easily evaporate into a gas under very low boiling points. This makes it possible for them to evaporate under normal indoor temperature and pressure. Depending on the exposure and chemical makeup, they can harm your health. These toxins can bring on a range of short or long-term conditions from mild nasal irritation, allergies, headaches and nausea, hormone disruption, to serious respiratory and central nervous system issues. According to the EPA, Americans on average spend approximately 90% of their time indoors where the concentrations of pollutants can be 2 to 5 times higher than outdoors. Poor Indoor Air Quality (IAQ) can be attributed to items like building materials, and everyday household items such as furnishings, air fresheners and cleaning products we have in our homes. The effort of reducing VOC's in our kids rooms should also apply to our entire home. However, if you are just getting started, let's take baby steps (no pun intended) and start in our babies' rooms. Paying attention to product ingredients is key. If you are health conscious with the foods you eat, then the same principles also apply to your home furnishings. Let's choose to shop wisely from companies that are taking the right steps to produce safe, non-toxic products for our families.
What is offgassing?
Have you ever wondered what causes the smell that we associate with new products? Whether it is a fresh coat of paint, new carpet, mattress or piece of furniture, you have probably noticed that some manufactured goods typically emit a certain smell when we add them to our homes.
In most cases, the cause of this smell is off-gassing, and it happens when the new products that you bring into your home release potentially harmful chemicals into the air. Knowing what materials your household items are made of will help in determining what is potentially offgassing.
Common sources of offgassing in household items: furniture finishes, paint, upholstery, curtains, carpet/rugs, mattresses.
Where do you find the unique furnishings you use?
With 12 years of experience under my belt, I've developed great relationships with numerous trade and retail vendors so I always hear about new products before they actually come out. I'm basically "in-the-know" because this is what I do! I love finding new, awesome products so I attend the trade shows regularly to keep my product library up to date not only with childrens room essentials, but also with what's hot in regular furnishings so that I can continue to design unique, sophisticated rooms for you! I also work with some super talented craftsmen and artists that I keep in my back pocket for those special, customized items. This is just one advantage of hiring a professional designer - you'll have access to items that your neighbor doesn't.
Aren't products on the market REQUIRED TO BE tested for safety?
Most of us would assume that this would be the case. However, the laws in place do not require manufacturers to disclose all chemicals being used to produce their products, nor are they required to be tested for environmental safety or toxic effects on the human nervous system. This is why you'll still find products on the market using dangerous chemicals like, phthalates, formaldehyde, benzene and toluene. Completely mindblowing right? So what this means is, the responsibility has been placed on you, the consumer. We need to be proactive in reading product and material labels so that we are fully aware of what chemicals, if any, products are made with so that we can make an informed purchase.
What are some common safety hazards in a nursery?
Adding decorative items are a great way to add personality and style to the room, but you'll want to keep a few things in mind:
- Take everything out of the crib when your baby is in it to avoid any chances of suffocation.
- Make sure to anchor your dresser, nightstand, bookshelves or floor mirror to the wall to ensure they won't shift or fall.
- Move any decorative items to a higher shelf or table top when your baby starts crawling.
- Try to eliminate any sharp corners on furniture.
- Add outlet covers to your outlets.
- Be sure to store your baby care items out of reach of your child.
These are just a few tips to ensure a safer space for your little one. Check out this post here from professional babyproofing service, Boo Boo Busters, for more info.
How can I consult with and hire Rockabye Mommy?
My Services page gives a breakdown of design and consulting options available. An understanding of the service you are interested in is all we need to start the conversation. Together we will evaluate your goals and budget to come up with best plan. Follow the links on my services page or email your inquiry here.