When I started thinking about and planning Alisa’s nursery, I knew that I wanted a neutral, calming space. Technically, this is the baby’s room, but let’s face it…it’s designed more for mom than it is baby. I mean, the baby doesn’t really care and mom is in there a lot so we need to appreciate the space, right? 🙂
My inspiration for her nursery started with the pair of ballerina prints above the crib. I had seen them at a local vintage market that I often go to and when they went on sale for 40% off, you know that I snatched them up! That was long before Alisa was even thought about. Don’t you just love the paneling in the room? That was already there when we bought the house. We just painted it a pretty creamy white. That’s actually the name of the paint – Creamy White by Benjamin Moore.
I need to make a disclaimer here. ***The pillows in the crib were just used as props for this picture.***
The crib is this one from Target and can convert into like twenty-five different versions so Alisa will probably be sleeping in it for the rest of her life. I kid, I kid. Who knows if we’ll use it in her “big girl” room. I’m kind of wanting something different.
Moving on. There were existing cabinets in this room when we moved in. Although they were original to the house, they were old and not in good condition. Prepare yourself for a couple of before photos…and ignore all the JUNK…we had just moved in and this was the junk room. Obviously.
Yikes. I knew I wanted those things out, but we weren’t sure what the floors looked like underneath. That’s why I decided to go with built-ins in this room. It was a good decision because the floors underneath were in horrible condition. I LOVED the idea of built-ins anyway so this was the perfect application.
We got several quotes for the built-ins and, needless to say, they were EXPENSIVE. Way out of our budget. So I went to designing them on my own and recruited my husband and a friend of ours who owns a local frame shop to do the carpentry work. We built them in five sections – two base cabinets, two shelf pieces, and one long piece for the counter top.
Once built and installed, my pregnant self painted and finished them. Nesting for sure. I meant to put some knobs on the cabinets, but never got around to it. They look and function just fine though. I’ll think about adding knobs later.
They are simple shaker-style cabinets with plenty of counter space. I knew I wanted the middle section to be our changing station and that has worked out fabulously. I designed it in such a way that it could be used as a desk later. There’s an opening there in middle part where the curtains are which is the perfect spot for a chair and computer. Right now, those curtains hide the trash can and laundry bin.
Also, in the above picture, you can see the chandelier. Can y’all believe that chandelier was hanging in the carport (of all places!) when we bought the house? It had a dome-shaped bowl in the middle part that was cracked so I just removed it. The frame of the chandelier is wrought iron and made in Italy. It has these cute flowers and leaves on it…very whimsical…so I thought it would go great in this room! I just spray painted it with my favorite gold spray paint. It turned out great!
I also used that same gold spray paint on the handles when I refinished the vintage French Provencal dresser. Here’s a before pic:
Since I am writing this post like two years after I re-did the dresser, I don’t remember the paint color. You have my word that I’ll do better with paint colors in the future! 😀
I also made the mirror from a terrible framed picture that was in the storage room at my old job. Like no before picture because it was just that hideous. I painted the frame and had a mirror put in by a local glass company.
At one point, I did have a rocker/glider tucked in here, but I sold it. Alisa never really liked to be rocked and I always put her down in her crib to go to sleep so we really didn’t use it that much. It was comfortable, but way to narrow to actually nurse in so I mostly wound up nursing her propped up on my bed or in our Ikea Ektorp chair.
Also, the rug in the pictures is the second rug that I had in the nursery. The first rug was a natural fiber sisal rug, but it was super rough. New mom fail…didn’t even think about a little human crawling around on it! You live, you learn. This rug in her room now is super cozy and soft. We both love to play on it!
Alisa is two now and not very “baby” anymore! :’-( When she transitions to a toddler bed, her room will probably be changing to more of a whimsical/vintage modern/I don’t know what you call it “big girl” room. I’m thinking a reading nook, place to do crafts and display artwork, nesting dolls, and a few more pops of color. I’ll do an updated post when that time comes.
So there you have it! Our neutral nursery for mom & baby. We have really enjoyed this room and love spending time in this calming space.
Thanks for reading!
ALISA’S NURSERY SOURCE LIST
- Wall color – Benjamin Moore Creamy White
- Bookshelf color – Benjamin Moore Swiss Coffee
- Crib – Target
- Dresser – estate sale, but similar options here and here
- Table + chairs – Sundvik table and chairs at Ikea
- Pictures above crib – ballerina pictures found at local vintage market and flower canvas from TJMaxx
- Pillows in crib – Ikea and make the other floral ones
- Chandelier – found (under our carport – ha!)
- Rug – Overstock
- Gold mirror – vintage
This is my first official post so if I missed anything, please ask in the comments below and I’ll let you know!
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