How do you convey to your just born little one all the wonder that is in the world? For interior designer Bonnie Gonsior, the answer was inspired by a hot air balloon and a classic children’s book. The resulting theme is also fitting considering Bonnie is known for her lighthearted designs and, in fact, her studio is named On Cloud Desi9n. See the nursery she created for her son in the slideshow and learn more about her inspiration below.

This nursery is making us want to travel! Where did you start when designing your son’s room?
I wanted to design a space for our little gentleman that was a little outside of the norm from the traditional nursery decor, yet still keeping the room feeling youthful and bright. We wanted to inspire our little man to be adventurous, well-rounded and open-minded, which we hope will one day motivate him to explore all of what this beautiful world has to offer! The inspiration started with the vintage hot air balloon, which then evolved into the overall theme of the room, “Oh, The Places You’ll Go.” We found/created a couple of pieces with this saying from Dr. Seuss to really bring the concept all together. Luckily, Cal loves his room just as much as we do! When he gets a little fussy, it’s the room in the house that seems to calm him right down as he takes in all the sights and sounds his little sanctuary has to offer!

Good to have a happy “client”! How did having this room be yours change your process?
As a designer, I often work within a client’s preferences, but for this project, I was designing for a little man who I hadn’t met yet! In realizing that, we wanted the room to evoke a positive and ambitious vibe, expressing to him (even if subconsciously at first) that there’s a big world out there for him to explore! The small size of the room was the biggest challenge. I knew storage would be an issue, so it became important to have multiple purposes for items, such as having a duel storage chest/changing table. We also had to make difficult decisions on what items made the cut since there wasn’t enough space for everything! Ultimately, the daybed didn’t make the space as we went for more functional, smaller pieces such as the rocker, dresser and changing table/chest.

Thanks for sharing your nursery with us and congratulations on your first child! Has anything surprised you about motherhood so far?
I’m honestly surprised at how natural motherhood has come to me. The love for this new little human just takes over and you instantly have an instinct on how to care for him. Also, I never believed it when people said that your body adjusts to the lack of sleep, especially because I was the girl who needed at least 8 hours a night. But it’s true; your body adapts and you really do learn how little sleep the body actually needs in order to function through the day (and how much coffee helps as well)!