Many adjectives can apply to a nursery. Sweet, practical, efficient? Sure. Elegant, luxurious, indulgent? Not usually. But it's the latter group of descriptors that Shannon Jernigan wanted for the room of her son, Cole.

The lavish design started with soft green and blue polka-dot fabrics that the Birmingham, Alabama, homeowner found irresistible. For Shannon, the fact that they were silks not the thrown-in-the-washing-machine cottons typically found in nurseries only added to the appeal. I like things dressy, explains Shannon, who worked with designer Jenny Edwards on the room.

Dressy Cole's room is, swathed in silks that beautifully harmonize with the silvery sparkle of the baby cups, rattles, and picture frames that accessorize shelves. The Bratt Decor crib gains added stature with flowing panels draped over wooden rods attached to the wall. The Roman shade above the window seat has gentle folds and layers that play off the poufy style of the treatment on another window. Opulence, though, didn't always trump practicality: the shades are lined to help prevent the sunlight that pours through the windows from fading the fabrics.

The design's cloudlike quality and the divinely serene palette support a subtle moon theme. The wall space above the window seat features familiar words, God bless the moon and God bless me, from a lullaby that Shannon's grandmother used to sing to her. After all, a child is a gift from God. Near the door, a painting that reads Once in a blue moon is another heartfelt sentiment for Shannon. That really does capture how I feel about the whole motherhood experience, she says. It is once-in-a-blue-moon wonderful.