How Basketball Couple Diana Taurasi and Penny Taylor Created an Eco-Friendly Nursery

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It’s been mere weeks since Diana Taurasi won an eco-friendly Olympic gold medal (this year’s prizes were made from recycled electronics) with the USA women’s basketball team, who beat Japan 90-75 during the championship match at the Tokyo Games. It’s the fifth gold medal Taurasi has brought back to the Arizona home she shares with Penny Taylor, a two-time Olympic silver medalist herself (with team Australia).

The new Olympic medal isn’t the only recent addition to the basketball power couple’s home. The WNBA stars married in 2017 and are mothers to three-year-old son Leo Michael Taurasi-Taylor. They’re now preparing for the arrival of their second child, a daughter due in October.

“Our home is very contemporary, with clean lines and concrete floors. We wanted to ensure we softened the space in the nursery with a variety of fabrics,” Taylor tells AD. They were eager to ground the room in sustainability, conscious living, and inspiration from Arizona’s natural landscapes.

Taurasi and Taylor with their son, Leo. Behind them is art by Whitney Schlander.

A piece of art called Rise II hangs above the West Elm x PBK Mid-Century 6-Drawer Changing Table.

“Our inspiration for our daughter’s nursery was a piece of art by local Phoenix artist, Whitney Schlander, who incorporated all the beautiful colors of the Phoenician desert and sunsets,” Taurasi says. “From there, we chose a neutral and calm palette to complement beautiful midcentury furniture.” The result is full of dusty pinks and calming white.

Taurasi and Taylor turned to Pottery Barn Kids to help. The Olympic athletes have been vegan since 2015 and were set on creating an eco-friendly, toxic-free environment in the nursery. “We’ve greatly evolved over the last several years, and the environmental and compassionate reasons for being vegan have become a huge part of our lives. Every choice we make is based on the principles of doing the least harm possible,” Taylor says. She adds that they’re not perfectly sustainable and learn every day how they can have less of a negative impact.

To the left of the West Elm x PBK Mid-century Convertible Crib is the Modern Wingback Swivel Glider Recliner.

Pottery Barn Kids fit the bill, offering a number of products that are organic, sustainably sourced, fair trade, and handcrafted. Fair Trade certification ensures that products are made ethically, that workers’ environments are safe, and that they’re paid adequately. Plus, Williams-Sonoma, Inc., the parent company of Pottery Barn, is a top-10 global leader in the use of responsibly sourced wood.

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The Pottery Barn Kids collection in particular offers an assortment of non-toxic and vegan-friendly decor items, which are crucial in children’s bedrooms to support healthy growth and avoid unnecessary exposure to dangerous chemicals. The Greenguard certification of items such as the Naturepedic Breathable Two-Stage Organic Crib Mattress means that the product has been third-party tested and verified to be low-emission.

Embellishments in the room reflect the nature of the landscape. The Cirrus pendant lamp’s gentle curves are reminiscent of sand dunes, and the West Elm x PBK Modern Icon Mobile calls to mind an art installation in the desert.

“Pottery Barn Kids made it easy for us to put together a beautiful nursery without compromising style or quality,” Taylor says.

A key theme in the nursery is reading—nap and bedtimes always involve a book, so the couple wanted to have a cozy space where they could read to their children. The family looks forward to snuggling up for story time on Taylor’s favorite part of the nursery, the Greenguard Gold Certified Avalon Daybed. “It’s a great place for us all to rest and relax,” she says. And on the acrylic shelves lining the walls, Taurasi and Taylor’s new little one already has a great collection of inclusive children’s books, such as Pink Is for Boys by Robb Pearlman.

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