Annalisa Thomas of Oilo shares tips on Baby’s Nursery and Oilo

We had the opportunity to interview Annalisa Thomas of Oilo.  Oilo is Co-founded by a mother-daughter duo, Annalisa Thomas and Dorte Anderson—Oilo offers the modern mom a fresh new approach to high quality, designer-level contemporary nursery and home décor without the designer price tag.  Thomas is a former art director and graphic designer and Anderson, an interior designer with more than 25 years of custom interior design expertise.  The design history between this tremendous duo is outstanding. I love the modern style of Oilo’s collection—the colors are beautiful and the symmetrically shaped designs are just PERFECT!  Annalisa is such a sweetheart– she is sharing nursery tips with us all.

 Love!

Now, I’ll stop blabbing and introduce you to 1/2 of the creative genius of Oilo and mother of two adorable babies…

Annalisa Thomas

You and your mother are both co- founders of Oilo.  How do you make things work considering you and your mother both have a history in design, do you ever differ in design opinion? 

Definitely. But I feel like it pushes us both in directions we probably wouldn’t have explored had we done it alone. And when we both finally love the same design, we know it’s a winner.

Would you attribute the contemporary style of Oilo to your graphic design background?

I think it definitely has influenced me. I studied graphic design in Switzerland for a semester and fell in love with their simple graphics. My mom was also born in Denmark, so I’m not sure if it’s already in my blood, but I love Scandinavian design. Its sleek clean lines have always appealed to me.

Many celebrities love the modern sleek style of Oilo for their baby’s room; Oilo is perfectly priced for everyone to enjoy quality bedding for their children’s nursery.  Do you have a favorite collection that would work for parents who are a bit more traditional but want a little more of a modern edge?

I’ve seen a designer use the cobblestone for a more traditional room. The designer used an iron ornate crib and heavy drapes and the crib set looked amazing. You see many designers doing this right now—adding a modern product with a more eclectic or traditional piece to give it a new vibe. I love it!

One of the first things parents are asked is “What is the theme of your baby’s nursery?” is it necessary to have a theme?  If Grandma just needs you to have a theme how can you work in a theme with a little Oilo style?

When most people hear the word “theme” they immediately think of their great aunts scrapbook pictures of rooms decorated with bunny rabbits or elephants bordered along the ceiling, but a theme does not have to be full of characters. Many people don’t realize that picking a color palette derived from white sand beaches or nautical sailboats can also be a theme. You’re just doing it without throwing cartoons in everyone’s face.

Safety is key when planning a nursery for your baby do you have any tips on making sure baby’s nursery is free of danger and how does Oilo ensure safety?

We have a safety page on our site that informs mothers of crib bedding safety. Although we offer blankets, we made sure to call them “play” blankets so moms know they are only for “play time” not for the crib, where there is a higher risk of suffocation in young babies.

For parent’s who cannot paint their baby’s nursery what suggestions do you have to bring in color and life to plain walls?

I’m not a crafty person, nor do I like to spend the money on hiring someone to come paint, so I rarely paint rooms from the original colors I picked—which is usually a neutral color so I can easily swap a room from an office, to girl’s room, to a boy’s room if I choose. That being said I use art, bedding, contrasting furniture, accessories, drapes and multiple textures to spice up a room. I never let a boring wall color get me down. If anything I feel like it’s an opportunity to do more with everything else.

Oilo has some of the most gorgeous glider chairs I have ever seen, why is it important to have a glider chair for those new parents who don’t know…. yet?

Getting a good glider has been my best purchase yet. When you are a first time mom you don’t realize how much time you will be spending in a glider. My friends and I were just laughing about how 10 hours of each day with a newborn is spent feeding the baby, so it’s no wonder you don’t get anything done! So you may as well come to terms with it and get comfy. Get a comfy, easy-to-clean glider, like Oilo’s and load yourself with books, magazines, lots of water (I never knew nursing could make you so thirsty), a snuggly blanket, and a good nursing pillow, because when that newborn arrives you will quickly realize this spot is your new home! {agreed!}

Then before you know it that newborn is not so tiny anymore, but a busy, busy toddler who won’t sit still for more than two seconds, except at night when they are so exhausted from their toddler exploring day, which then you can squeeze in a few more cuddles while rocking them to sleep.

If you had to give a new parent one tip when planning baby’s nursery what would it be?

Pick three things you absolutely love then slowly build around those items, making sure everything coordinates along the way. It sounds too simple, but it works every time.

What a pleasure to have Annalisa share these wonderful tips!  I encourage you all to please go check out

www.oilostudio.com and connect with Oilo on Facebook and Twitter.

What does your baby's room look like? Theme or no theme?