Design Details with Interior Designer Alex Yeske

Design Details with Interior Designer Alex Yeske

Los Angeles-based interior designer, Alex Yeske, shares how she tailored her signature aesthetic to the nursery and the design details that were core to capturing that vision.

Nursery corner with antique dresser, canopy crib, and upholstered glider

How has parenthood influenced your design lens and how does your signature aesthetic show up in the nursery?

Thank you so much! My design style has always been a mix of beauty and function, but since becoming a parent myself, I am now much more aware of the needs for a kids' room or family home. Durable and easy to clean fabrics are key in a nursery!

I love to incorporate antiques and vintage pieces into my designs and that was no different when it came to designing Charlotte's nursery. The Namesake pieces sit beautifully with her antique dresser and vintage side table.

Alex Yeske holding her daughter Charlotte

How did you discover Namesake and as a designer, what do you love about the brand?

Nursery corner with antique dresser and canopy crib

A friend of mine introduced me to it after they got a few pieces for their son's nursery. I love that the more traditional pieces feel like a natural extension of the furniture styles I gravitate towards.

As a designer, I also love how many color and material options there are to choose from and incorporate into any style room.

What was the initial vision or feeling you wanted the room to have? What key pieces or elements guided this vision or feeling?

I wanted the nursery to be a very calm room with soft tones of blues and greens. We have these colors throughout our home, but they needed to feel softer and girlier in her room. At the same time, I didn't want the room to feel too childish, so I wanted to source pieces that felt like a natural extension of our home and aesthetic.

Were there any constraints (room size, layout quirks, existing pieces) you needed to design around?

Charlotte's room is quite narrow so the layout was tricky and took a bit to figure out! Her dark wood dresser is a large, deep piece, which needed to feel balanced in the room.

Tell us about your mood board. What textures and finishes make the space feel like “you,” and how did you balance beauty with durability and baby-friendliness?

Fabric and finish swatches: soft blue florals, checks, and neutral textures

Bedrooms that feature a mix of soft floral patterns and paler tones of blue and green always inspire me. I knew I wanted to incorporate a mix of finishes for the furniture—painted wood, dark wood and rattan—as that is a signature of my aesthetic.

I'm a big believer in using beautiful, elevated pieces in kids' rooms and teaching them to respect and care for them, as well as adding performance functionality where possible!

Having antique and vintage furniture in kids' spaces is so forgiving. They are already preloved, so they are inherently more durable.

You chose the Crawford Pillowback Recliner! Such a great choice. What drew you to this piece?

You also reupholstered the Crawford in your own fabric! Can you share a little more about this decision and process?

The simplicity of the Crawford Recliner is really lovely and it can work in any style of room. And the skirt that elegantly hides the swivel/glider parts is a detail I appreciate.

When we decided to keep the walls neutral in Charlotte's room, I wanted to bring in some color and pattern and the Crawford chair was the perfect way to do it.

I partnered with a textile designer to create a custom color-way of one of their floral patterns in the soft blue color I was searching for. And to top it off, I had a vintage textile remnant that I used to recover the lumbar pillow.

Crawford Pillowback Recliner reupholstered in custom soft blue floral fabric

Why the Liberty Crib? Which features and functionalities sealed the deal?

Liberty Crib with gingham canopy, patterned pillow, and stuffed animals

The Liberty Crib has beautiful details that feel similar to an antique piece of furniture. I also appreciated that the color wasn't a stark bright white—it's a soft neutral ivory that worked perfectly with the color scheme for the room.

I also love the scalloped trim on the shorter sides of the crib—I appreciate that subtle feminine detail.

What's your mix of new vs. vintage/antique in the room and do any heirlooms or pieces carry a story? How did Namesake fit in with these pieces?

I spent so much of my pregnancy hunting for the antique and vintage pieces that ended up in Charlotte's room. Some of them were harder to find than others, but in a way, it's one of the first things she and I did together.

The Namesake pieces feel right at home alongside all of these special finds. They all complement each other and work together to achieve the original design inspiration.

New

  • Namesake Recliner + Fabric
  • Namesake Crib
  • Rug
  • Lamp / lampshade
  • Canopy
  • Cabinet/bookshelf

Vintage/Antique

  • Dresser
  • Mirror
  • Side Table
  • Footstool
  • Abstract artwork
  • Lots of items in her cabinet!
collage of room details

How did Namesake fit into your overall concept and which brand qualities ended up mattering most to you as a designer (comfort, design, safety, finish options, reliability)?

All of the above! But I would say the combination of the design & finish options as well as comfort were the two most important aspects to me. The warm white finish of the crib matches my aesthetic perfectly. I wanted a beautiful, yet super comfortable chair for all the hours we'd spend in it with our little one and the Namesake chair is all that and more.

Which elements of your nursery will transition as your child moves from newborn to toddler and beyond?

We are excited to say that everything will transition well with her as she grows up! I know that the chair will be used for years and years and since the Liberty Crib becomes a toddler bed, it's not going anywhere either! I really hope she will want to use her dresser in her own future house one day!