Nursery tour

The nursery is done enough – meaning it feels like a cozy space for me to spend time and it has everything we need to care for the baby girl on the way.

There are still a few gaps I’m hoping to fill in – some before the baby comes and some after. But as a start, it’s in good shape.

All of the furniture is from Aaron’s nursery except for the new chair, which is the Hagen glider from Best Chairs. I haven’t nursed in it yet (obviously!), but it’s really comfortable. And I think it meets our goal of a comfy nursery chair that will eventually transition to our family room.

Paul painted the dresser and changing table (actually a repurposed bookshelf that my grandfather made years ago) a fun turquoise color.

You’ll also notice second small chair next to the crib. When Aaron was born, I found that family and close friends would often keep me company while I was nursing, and usually ended up sitting on the floor. This time around, I want to keep an extra chair in the room to make them more comfortable.

The curtains were a joint effort between Paul, my mom and I. (Note: It’s not a good idea to plan a project that calls for measuring and pinning on hands and knees when you’re eight months pregnant.) The fabric is a fun dandelion print I got on sale, and I’m totally happy with how it brightened the room. I wanted to hang curtains across the closet as well because our closet doors are like guillotines for baby fingers. And since I’m storing a bunch of household items there, I wanted to hide the inside.

Now for some details:
The paper lanterns hanging over the crib are from Ikea. We don’t have any overhead lights in our house, and I find these to be the easiest most economical way to light up room. I also scored the cute mobile over the crib at a local consignment shop for five bucks!

Over the changing table is a small white shelf that holds powder, diaper cream and other diapering necessities. The baskets below have diapers and wipes, towels and wash cloths, and swaddling blankets.

Next to the glider, there was an awkward space created by a heating duct that was set in the center of the room. I’ve never been able to make good use of it before. But last month, I got the idea to put in shelves that would look (almost) like built-ins. Paul picked up some cheap white planks along with some brackets from Lowe’s and cut them to size.

Now the space holds a basket of nursing supplies for me and toys for baby. (Realistically, the toys will initially be to entertain Aaron while I’m nursing.) There’s also some books, a clock and a small light (both from Target) and a few decorative items. The small light is connected to the switch next to the door, and it’s all I’ll use when I get up at night to nurse.

On the floor is also a small stool that Aaron can use to peek into the crib, and another toy to keep him busy during feedings and diaper changes.

I also have to mention to photo hanging above the dresser, which is a photograph of drops of dew on a spider web in front of a flower. I fell in love with it at an art fair maybe 10 years ago, but we’ve never had a place where it really fit in our house. I’m excited to finally have a room where it fits in perfectly.

So, what’s missing? Most notably, an area rug. I have ordered one from an Etsy seller who makes custom-braided rugs out of recycled t-shirts. The bad news is that she’s backed up until early May. The great news is that she custom dyes the rugs to match your decor. I think it will be worth the wait!

I’d also like to add some more decorative elements, like some garland using this pattern from The Purl Bee. And my mom is embroidering a special wall hanging as well. But if nothing else gets done before baby arrives, that is a-okay. We are ready for her!