More babies getting keys to the mansion

A custom nursery
A custom nursery

Finding a few spare square feet, much less an entire room, for a new baby has long been a challenge for New York City families. But some well-heeled parents with space to go-around are ditching the concept of a cramped single-room nursery for entire baby-centric complexes.

Busy with careers that often keep them out late, these high-power parents are redesigning their entire homes for the benefit of their young children. These home-nurseries are getting souped-up with audio-video systems in every room that allow parents to check in on their child from nearly anywhere, stimulating wall colors throughout the house, and even complete interior redesigns for live-in nannies.

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In fact, a 2013 second-quarter survey by the American Institute of Architects reported that 26 percent of 300 respondents saw a spike in demand for au pair/in-law suites, up 10 percent year-over-year, according to the Wall Street Journal. And if an additional in-house nanny suite is simply not an option, then parents are renting separate apartments nearby or in building to keep help close at hand, Cliff Greenhouse, president of the Pavilion Agency, a household-staffing company in NYC, told the Journal.

It goes without saying that this kind of custom-designed attention to detail doesn’t come cheap. Bespoke nurseries alone can range in cost anywhere from $5,000 to well over of $50,000, Nina Takesh, co-owner of Petit Trésor, a Los Angeles-based boutique, said. [WSJ]Christopher Cameron