The time has finally arrived for the nursery’s reveal! I’m really pleased with how it turned out, although the design definitely evolved over time. There are still a few little touches we’ll add in the future, but for now the room is ready for its new occupant.
We started with our bright blue second bedroom, which we’d left relatively untouched in hopes that we’d soon have a reason to set it up as a nursery.
I played around with a few different design schemes until settling on this one, inspired by the many colors of a square Safavieh rug we purchased from Overstock. My goals for the room were to:
- Create a bright space given there’s only one window
- Incorporate our love for travel
- Provide many opportunities for learning
- Make it a personal space that doesn’t look like it came straight out of a catalog
- Design it so that it could grow from nursery to toddler’s room with little effort
Mr. JC’s goals for the room were to:
- Ensure it looks like a boy lives there
- Keep it looking childish and not too grown-up
Here’s my final inspiration board:
With the animal art and travel-inspired alphabet cards on the walls, adding maps, wall decals, and monogrammed art may make the space look too cluttered. So for now I’m leaving those pieces out. Unfortunately the ceiling light I wanted uses compact fluorescent bulbs, which save on energy but can’t be put on a dimmer. So we bought another light from Home Depot but decided it was too bland. For now, the “nipple light” stays until a better alternative is found. The lime green geometric print I had in mind for the crib skirt and roman shade looked terrible against the Ben Moore Hawthorne Yellow walls, so we went with a more versatile navy & white color scheme instead.
Here’s how it turned out, starting with a “Keep Calm” print that I’ve been coveting for ages. I think it’s quite appropriate to put it at eye level on the outside of Junior’s door. After all, when he’s crying uncontrollably, it won’t hurt to be reminded to keep our cool.
Above the clothes rack, we added a sombrero and traditional Austrian hat belonging to Mr. JC. I’m so glad to have finally found an appropriate place to display them, and when Junior’s bigger I’m sure he’ll love trying them on.
We also moved two shelves from our living room to add some additional storage and display space:
The shelves hold some of my old books and toy Jeep. The Jeep was probably my dad’s attempt at getting me to play with cars (I’m an only child). Instead, it became the family car for the Weeble People that lived in my dollhouse!
My parents, Mr. JC and I did a lot ourselves to save money and achieve a look that’s not cookie-cutter:
- Made the roman shade and adjustable crib skirt
- Built the changing pad holder (similar ones retail for $130!)
- Created a colorful days-of-the-week clothes rack
- Jazzed up my old college bookcase with fresh paint and wrapping paper
- Added whimsical trim to an old lampshade
- Customized a basic basket for rattles and toys
- Made closet dividers
- Created travel-inspired alphabet cards
- Customized super cheap frames
I’m really proud of what we accomplished! All the time and effort was well worth it, and the nursery is now my favorite room in the house. It’s Whiskey’s favorite room, too – he loves to sleep on the rug every morning after breakfast.
Resources:
- WalMart (crib & dresser)
- Boston Interiors (upholstered rocking chair)
- Calico Corners (roman shade fabric)
- Lewis & Sherron (crib skirt fabric)
- Overstock (rug)
- JoAnn (various craft and sewing supplies)
- Michael’s (frames)
- Paper Source (wrapping paper for bookcase)
- Etsy (“Keep Calm” print and animal art)
- Container Store (hampers, drawer liner paper, and various organizers)
Given that today should be Junior’s birthday, I was hoping to reveal him instead of his room. But it seems we’ll all have to wait a little longer for that. Hope you all had a great weekend!
The room is just fabulous. You really did a good job personalizing it, and making it cute and fun for a little boy! I hope everything goes smoothly whenever Baby JC decides to make his arrival!!
What a great room for an awesome little boy!! OK now Jr. it’s time to come out and meet your adoring audience!
It looks adorable- great job! Now you just need the lil man
Happy Monday!
Super cool nursery – I’m sure he’ll just love it! The hats on the wall are just awesome – and inspiring! Matt has a couple that have been relegated to shelves…maybe I’ll do the same in Cal’s room! Hope your boy makes his appearance today!!!
It looks wonderful, Laura! I really love the rug and the artwork above the crib. Here’s hoping Junior makes his debut soon!
Awwwwwwww, it’s so cute. I love it! You did a fabulous job! J’adore the shade. And Junior will TOTALLY love trying on those hats!
It looks beautiful! And kudos to you for not doing the adorable, but not safe bumper pads.
@40daysof: Thanks! I actually forgot to mention the bumper issue. The pediatrician at our childbirth class recommended against them, so during the months when the SIDS risk is highest we’re forgoing the bumper entirely. When Junior is older, we have a “breathable” bumper that we’ll install to keep his extremities contained in the crib.
I love it! I was so excited to see the big reveal. The whole room came out terrific. Now if only Baby JC would come out to play in it. I’ll be thinking of you these next few days…good luck!!
Looks great Laura! I hope you’re doing ok in this heat. It’s tough, even when I’m not preggers!
It looks wonderful. I’ll bet that was quite a chore getting all of those pictures hung straight! My favorite parts are the rug and the window treatment. Best of luck Laura, hope all goes smoothing for you.
It’s fantastic! It’s so personal and creative — good job! The little one will love it when he arrives!
So cute! Love that rug. It looks great.
I especially love the bookshelves!
Displaying the covers of children’s books encourages reading and they’re covers are always so colorful and whimsical.
Great job.
That rug is fantastic. Really pulls the whole space together. Kudos to you for starting with the rug. I’ve always heard interior designers say that’s where you should start when designing a room and I think your space is a great example of why. Congrats!
The bed skirt looks fabulous! I also have the Graco Lauren crib. I just bought a bed skirt but it doesn’t fit well over those awkward bars that hold up the mattress. I was wondering if you used a tutorial to make your skirt. Thanks so much!
Hi Cindy,
The skirt was made in three separate pieces. We didn’t bother with a skirt on the back since it wouldn’t be visible. My mom sewed ribbons to it to tie the skirt to the metal part that the mattress sits on. We referenced a tutorial over at Urban Grace: http://blog.urbangrace.com/2009/the-nursery-diaries-chapter-5/.
Hope this helps!
Laura