
With Charlie being our second baby boy, I was so excited to have the opportunity to plan out another nursery space. (There’s just something about having a nursery room that brings out a level of serenity in the home.) For Charlie’s room, my priority was to make it feel unique and different from Luke’s traditional nursery but still incorporate a lot of hand-me-down pieces to save some money. My other priority was to set up the space so that it’s functional yet still feels cozy. I was able to achieve this by going with a more minimalist style and sticking to warm tones to brighten up a darker space.
As much as I wanted to have a main focal point/feature wall in this room I knew it would be a little challenging to set up because we have a door on 3 out of the 4 walls with an adjoining en suite bathroom. So instead I just focused on all the key stations and made sure the flow worked from crib to change table to library nook and nursing station.
Shop Smart Tips:
Before you start shopping and decorating your nursery, here are a few things to take into consideration:
- start with using what you have around the house before you buy new. (e.g. lamp, frames, mirror, shelves)
- sometimes a theme can pigeonhole you so don’t feel like you need to stick to one specific idea.
- focus on including meaningful touches instead of a theme. (e.g. family keepsakes, photos, furniture, toy box, etc.)
- going with a neutral palette can brighten a space, make it feel larger, and solve the issue of mismatched looks. Neutral items can also be passed on to the next baby no matter the gender.
- less is more – trust me, you don’t want to clutter up the space because once your baby starts motoring around it’s less you have to baby proof. Save all the fun accessories and toys for the playroom.
Room Details:
By using items around the house, from Luke’s old nursery, and receiving hand-me-downs from family, we managed to only buy 6 new things for this space. We bought a dresser, mirror, crib mattress, book shelves, change pad, and video monitor.
Paint Colour – Benjamin Moore – Smoky Green
Crib Bedding (Luke’s old bedding) – Restoration Hardware – Hand-Knotted Sheep (mist)
Crib – West Coast Kids (family hand-me-down from 2009 approx. $550) – similar here
Baby Monitor (new! not pictured) – Babies R Us – Motorola Comfort 50 5″ Video Baby Monitor
Crib Mattress (new! bought floor model to keep cost down $370) – Sleeptek Meuse Baby Innerspring Crib Mattress
Wall Shelves (new!) – IKEA – Mosslanda Picture Ledge
Dresser (new!) – IKEA – Hemnes 8 Drawer Dresser
Plush Toy Stacker (Luke’s old baby toy) – Pottery Barn Kids – Fun on the Farm Animal Stacker
Change Pad (new!) – West Coast Kids – Bebe Dorm Contour Change Pad
Nightstand (Luke’s old nightstand) – IKEA – Hemnes 2 Drawer Night Chest
Lamp (old dining room lamp) – HomeSense (from 2008 $79.99) – similar here
Mirror (new!) – HomeSense ($29.99) – similar here and here
Chair (previously Luke’s nursing chair, bought it from the “As Is” section on the PB floor for approx. $700) – Pottery Barn – Thatcher Upholstered Wingback Chair
Wicker Laundry Basket (spare bedroom laundry basket) – Target
Pouf (previously Luke’s) – Urban Barn – Marina Pouf (Linen)
Drapes (old dining room curtains) – Pottery Barn – Duping Silk Pole-Pocket Drape (Ivory)
Hardware (old dining room hardware) – Pottery Barn – Cast-Iron Finial Square
Prints of Provinces (gift!) – Moon and Sparrow
Silver Frames (old dining room frames) – HomeSense (from 2008 $12.99) – similar here or here
Animal Prints (from Luke’s old nursery) – The Animal Print Shop
Faux Wood Frames (from Luke’s old nursery) – IKEA
If you didn’t guess, this is my new favourite room in our home and I hope you enjoyed the little tour. I have such a passion shopping for home décor items and then tying it all together so that each room is an extension of the last.
Let me know if you have any questions or comments! 🙂
Have you ever considered writing an ebook or guest authoring on other
blogs? I have a blog based upon on the same ideas you discuss and would really
like to have you share some stories/information. I know my subscribers would appreciate
your work. If you are even remotely interested, feel free to send me an e-mail.
Keep on writing, great job!