Desperate Housewives Star Turns to Charm City Designer to Furnish a Dream Nursery

You may not expect any roads to wind from Wisteria Lane to Charm City, but the route is more direct than you may imagine.

 

Desperate Housewives’ Marcia Cross, who plays red-headed, perfectionist housewife, Bree Van de Kamp,turned to Baltimore’s Bratt Decor to help design a dream nursery for her fraternal twin daughters, Eden and Savannah, born in February. Bratt Decor furnished the approximately 250-square foot, lavender painted room with a fusion of shabby chic and contemporary styles.

 

“Marcia is from Boston. She enjoys the New England clean look. Her husband, Tom Mahoney, is a modernist,” explains Bratt Decor President, Mary Bauer, accounting for the blend of tastes reflected in the nursery. 

 

“She was very kind and honest. She was just a very nice person. There was no celebrity attitude at all,” says Bauer of Cross. “Her husband was so giggly and thrilled. They were just lovely people.” 

Bauer says Cross learned about Bratt Decor and had her assistant request more information. Bauer sent some materials and a month later traveled to Los Angeles to meet the new parents before the twins arrived, to get a sense of their style and to map out a strategy.

 

Cross and Mahoney went with Bratt Decor’s timeless Dick Collection in all white. “The Dick collection has really clean lines, no ornamentation at all,” notes Bauer. The twin cribs stand on either side of a floor to ceiling window, so little Eden and Savannah can get their vitamin D. There are coordinating changing tables, a nightstand, and an armoire. To add a modern touch to the classic armoire, Bauer adorned it with big, hand-painted, pastel polka dots.

The proud parents also purchased a scalloped pink table and chair set, an overstuffed glider in a buttery yellow and white gingham, and many accessories. Their total tab – just over ten grand.                       

 

“The nursery is absolute heaven,” says Cross.  “It is without question the most beautiful room in the house!”

 

Bauer realizes most people may walk by the Belvedere Square shop that she and her husband Stephen opened back in1995 and have no idea of their long list of celebrity clientele including Courtney Cox, Heidi Klum and Seal, Uma Thurman, Denise Richards, and photographer Annie Leibowitz. 

 

“It’s hard for people to believe that right in local Belvedere Square there are designers that work with all the big names on TV,” says Bauer. “When they learn about it, they are really shocked.”   

 

Lance Armstrong was among one of the couple’s first well-known clients. “We started to get them through the stores that carry our line,” explains Bauer, adding some celebrities prefer to work with Bratt Decor directly instead of ordering through other channels.

“I think it would surprise people to know how they’re so much like regular people,” shares Bauer, adding that when she arrived at Cross’ home, the actress herself answered the door. “They’re just very approachable and normal.”

 

She points out that her celebrity clients have the same emotions as any other mom-to-be. “When they’re pregnant and they’re nesting and trying to put their things together, they’re just like everyone else. They’re vulnerable. They’re looking to you as an expert to help them,” says Bauer, who gets a kick out of seeing her designs in the media spotlight. Bauer recently was interviewed for an Access Hollywood segment that showcased Cross’ nursery.

 

Just as they enjoy seeing their designs showcased, Bauer and her design team must spend a majority of their time keeping their lips sealed and avoiding any leaks, until their clients give them the green light. “It’s a really big deal for these stars when it comes to their children. Their privacy is huge, even more so than themselves.”