This may sound strange, but from the time I found out I was pregnant I was expecting to find out I was having a girl. For quite a few years, I had had a recurring dream about a baby girl, and I just. had this feeling that this was my baby girl from those dreams. Sure enough, we found out the kids were getting a baby sister! So when my design assistant/daughter Sofia and I started to talk about plans for the baby’s nursery, I knew I wanted it to feel dreamy, magical, and ethereal. We both love boho style but also like modern touches. And we loved the neutral toned nurseries we kept seeing on Instagram and design blogs, but we also wanted to make her room unique and special, just like we knew she would be.
Our first design boards (shown above) were close to what we wanted, but not quite there yet. The third board is definitely the closest to where we ended up, with the neutrals, light pinks, golds, and natural textures.
Just like with all of my designs, I started with an inspiration piece from which I could build a unified color palette. Early in the design brainstorming process, I found a beautiful rug from Boutique Rugs that I fell in love with. This rug would bring in just a bit more color like we wanted and had a gorgeous boho/vintage feel. From that rug, I pulled a light blush color that would be used in her bedding and a deep wine color that would be used in the draperies. I found a super luxe velvet quilt from West Elm x PBK (on sale, too!) and some thick, room-darkening. draperies from Wayfair that come in tons of colors and sizes.
As for her walls, I came up with a few creative ways to decorate. Initially, I had my heart set on an abstract painted wall mural like the picture in design board #3, but I realized that it was just not in the budget. So we bought some wall tiles off of Amazon and created a framed wall piece from the tiles (and when I say we, I really mean my husband’s mad skills made that come to life). We mounted a custom wooden name sign from 1801 and Co on the front of the tiles and added an antique crown on the top.
I knew I also wanted a little bit of gold in the space, so I bought a pretty gold mirror from World Market to hang over the IKEA changing table/dresser. The rest of that wall came together slowly, mainly because I had electrical connections available for only one wall sconce. I really wanted a sconce on either side of the mirror, but the time and expense required to make that happen didn’t make sense. So I designed around what I had! The result was an asymmetrical, fun grouping that came from a lot of trial and error. Balance in design is what really makes a space look pulled together, so I wanted to make sure I balanced the items as a whole look since there would not be symmetry in just the lights and mirror. I paired a few larger items (like the wooden shelf with marble inlays) on one side with more smaller items on the other side. I made sure I had some gold elements paired with neutral/natural elements here, too, and I brought in more of those blush tones by using some of her little outfits and bows.
The wall sconce was also a challenge for me because I was really looking for a specific size and look. The one I ended up with is from Shades of Light (my favorite online lighting supplier) and has just the right amount of antique silver and gold in it, The chandelier also needed to be a particular size, and while I adored the woven drum lights I was finding, I wanted something a little more modern. I found a great one from Amazon that is so funky and cute! I can’t wait to hold her under it and spin it around while she stares at all the little tassels.
I also hung a few wall shelves in another grouping to display some of the books that her room is packed with because I love reading to my babies! Sofia and I made a hanging mobile for above the bean bag chair with some fun sheer ribbon in those same dusty mauve tones and Capiz shells from Amazon. We are pretty proud of how this piece turned out, and it was fairly simple, too!
With the crib, I had my eye on a particular one early on from Babyletto that is GREENGUARD Gold Certified and am so happy that I went with it! It was easy to put together and the white + light wood are perfect. I chose a plain white flannel sheet for softness, and I couldn’t find just the right crib skirt so I used a blanket that I bought for my wedding! The glider is from Wayfair - it is so comfy and the fabric is a nice, chunky weave that seems like it should hold up well (fingers crossed!). I also found a large bean bag chair on PB Teen that matched the quilt fabric; I wanted to plan for some extra seating in her room because I anticipate that’s where we will all spend quite a bit of time. The wicker end table was a surprise find at Marshall’s, and I love it! I added in some other warm tones with baskets for storage, and the balance between modern gold touches, shades of blush and wine, and natural textures is exactly what we wanted. I finished up the space with cute blankets from Ikea and Little Giraffe, pillows from Home Goods, and stuffed animals passed down from the bigger kids, who are so excited to meet their sister.
And it feels cozy and dreamy and soft, just like we wanted.
