Young House Love

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Planning Our Little Boy’s Nursery

Yeaaaaaah, baby – it’s nursery time! Pun most definitely intended. The last time we shared a shot of this room (in this post) it was looking like this. Totally newborn ready, right?

Nursery Now

We started on Clara’s nursery in February and she was born in May, so it felt right to get moving in there now that it’s January (since the barnacle is due in April). We’ve had so many ideas swirling around in our brains for the last month after finding out we were having a boy, that waiting a hot second before running in there and going to town has been nice because the projects and ideas that we truly love have had a little time to float to the top.

We’re leaning towards using bold green along with graphic black & white (although we’re sure almost every color of the rainbow will end up in there in small doses) and we’d also love some natural elements (wood furniture, woven baskets, bamboo blinds, etc). As for the mustache doll, Clara picked one out for her brother at a craft sale we went to recently, so he’s just in there for fun, along with the same green alligator toy that Clara played with as a baby.

Nursery Ideas

The whole green accent color idea actually came from the bike prints that John framed in rustic homemade wood frames for our last house’s sunroom. Here’s a detail shot of those awesome rich-wood frames…

Bikes 11 After Frame Close

… and here’s my favorite shot from that post. For obvious reasons.

Bikes 12 Makeout

We think they’ll make for awesome large scale art in the nursery, and from there we can layer in things like a black and white striped bench, a neutral rug, bamboo blinds, built-ins to flank the crib that are spaced to accommodate a twin sized bed in between them (longwise) – or even a full-sized bed (widthwise) for when the barnacle is older and no longer chilling in a crib like a villain angel.

So our starting point for the room is definitely that bike art, but our first purchase for the room actually snuck up on us. We were in HomeGoods and saw this big 100% wool rug, and something about it just had us at hello.

Rug In Store

Even Clara was smitten.

Rug With Clara

Within five minutes we were checking out with it and stuffing it into the car. It’s an 8 x 10′ 100% wool Martha Stewart rug by Safavieh and it retails for $800 but it was marked down to $399. We liked that it was soft (not scratchy) and had a cool pattern on it that was somewhat subtle (so it won’t compete with other bolder patterns, like a thick black and white stripe on something, for example).

But the room was hardly rug ready, so we had some cleaning up to do when we got home with it. After we put all that stuff where it really should go (either in other closets/rooms/or the storage room) it looked a lot better – and we were able to take our traditional “us in the room before we start on it” photo.

Us In Room Final

We did one of them in Clara’s nursery before we started on that back in 2010 (apparently I automatically pop up onto my tip-toes whenever I’m in a picture next to tall John).

Nursery Paint Before Pic

And then we snapped this one when we were done, so we’re planning to do that in the nursery here as well. It was fun to compare how my bump changed after three months, and sort of hilarious that I “popped early” and just seemed to stay that big – well I grew a little more – in the last trimester).

Nursery Belly Pic2

Here’s the nursery now with the rug in it. It’s looking pretty big here since it’s shoved up against that side and back wall, but we think once we center it and load in the room it’ll hopefully be great.

Rug In Room

We’re loving everything from the tone-on-tone pattern to the nice wool feeling underfoot. Just ignore those unpainted walls and that half-constructed crib…

Crib Angle

Rug close up. Hubba hubba.

Rug Detail

So there’s still lots to do, but it’s progress! We’re sure our to-do list will continue to evolve as we go, but here’s a first-thought brain dump for ya:

  • clean out the room
  • paint the walls and ceiling
  • address the window (bamboo blinds + blackout curtains?)
  • get a rug
  • add built-ins to each end of the long wall so the crib (and a future bed) can nestle between them
  • add sconces to the sides of the built-ins
  • create some sort of slatted or trimmed out wall between the built-ins for interest?
  • get the ceiling wired for an overhead light fixture (none of the upstairs bedrooms have them)
  • find an armchair for all that late night nursing
  • redo the closet for little clothes (paint it, add a second hanging bar, cubby storage, etc)
  • maybe even paint the closet door a fun color like Clara’s?
  • add chunky crown molding
  • bring in a dresser/changing table (we’re 80% sure we’ll use the wooden hand-me-down from John’s dad that’s currently in our closet)
  • build custom shelves (since John did this for Clara, he’d like for this to be a tradition)
  • make a woodsy little cuckoo clock (since I made one for Clara, I’d like to make a charming little rustic one for the bun as well)
  • make a mobile
  • hang art (at least one or two prints will have a sea-faring reference, thanks to Clara’s baby boy nickname of “The Barnacle”)

We’re planning to document this nursery’s evolution exactly the same way that we did Clara’s: in real time as we go. We created hers over the course of three months and 17 posts (cleaning the room, painting the walls/ceiling, going shopping, crib hunting, adding curtains/blinds, getting a crib, painting & hanging a mirror, finding a chair, making a faux sheepskin, refinishing her dresser, adding drawer liners, organizing her closet, making a crib skirt, making a mobile, building nursery shelves, adding art, and sharing the full reveal when it was 100% bean-ready).

Clara Grid

So while we expect that many of the steps that we take will change this time (we don’t need a crib, but we want to add built-ins), it’s safe to assume that over the course of the next three months, we’ll probably share one or two updates a week as we go (along with progress in other rooms, showhouse updates, etc). We have a few loftier goals for this space (like built-ins, sconces, and chunky crown) so it might be down to the wire, but no matter what we hope to be done by mid April.

Oh man, it’s pretty crazy to think that in a few short months we’ll be a family of five (Burger counts!) with a former junk-room-turned-functional-bedroom for our littlest family member. I’m all grinny and hyper over here. Is anyone else working on a nursery? Do you have a big ol’ to-do list and a permasmile on your face? Or do you have memories of creating a bedroom for your little one that you’d like to share? I can’t get enough of that stuff.

Comments

  6. Brit [House Updated] says

    Such a great idea to use those bike pics! And that rug – awesome. Isn’t it fun to look at your younger and older selves and compare? I swear you two have not aged! Excited to see more nursery progress…

    Reply

  7. Heidi says

    I have to pass along some info – as we have a 7 year old girl and a 4 year old boy. You must must must add these two books to your arsenal at some point: Boys Should Be Boys by Meg Meeker and Why Gender Matters by Leonard Sax. They are both incredibly interesting reads!!

    Reply

  8. Maggie says

    The green swatch reminds me of the green in Goodnight Moon :) I was actually thinking it would be fun to play off of the elements in that room for a nursery, when I read it to my girl this morning!

    Reply

  9. kara says

    We’re working on our first nursery! Woo hoo Baby #1! Aside from waiting for a pouf/ottoman and the curtains to arrive (hopefully today) we’ll just be waiting until after our baby shower to fill in the gaps. We’ve got a lot of the big stuff taken care of like cleaning out the storage room, painting the walls, crib, and dresser. Can’t wait to follow along. We’re due at the end of March so we’re sorta, kinda on the same schedule.

    Reply

  10. betty says

    I seriously love homegoods so much. I was on the hunt for a clean-lined gray chair and found one there the day after Christmas. It was a calvin klein an was originally $699. That day, it was $359.. I still couldn’t bite the bullet. On New Years day, we walked by, the chair was still there, but it was now $249. I couldn’t pass it up, now its just waiting for the yellow side table, also at homegoods. I’ve become obsessed with those seeing them all over your house :)

    Reply

  11. Ellen says

    Wow -that is a beautiful rug!
    Funny little thing, Sherry. I have a photo with you guys from your book tour stop in Cincinnati. Tip toes in that one, too :)

    Reply

  12. Caroline says

    We have three of the striped bins in your inspiration mood board (from the container store). Love love LOVE them! They are as gorgeous, functional barbed amazing as they look! Can’t wait to see this room evolve!

    Reply

  13. Jennifer R. says

    So excited for this! We are currently working on conceiving our first… okay, not right this second, that would be awkward. We just painted our spare bedroom to be the future nursery because I didn’t want to paint while pregnant. So glad it is over. It is SW Spare White which is a super soft gray blue that should layer nicely for a boy or girl. Our hall and living room are SW Sea Salt and master bedroom is SW Comfort Gray so they all go together really well.

    I am so glad you are having a boy because now I get to come here for nursery ideas rather our little one is a boy or girl! Warm wishes for the health of you and the new little Petersik!

    Reply

    • Isabel says

      LOL! I am with you, also working on it but not right this second ;)

      S & J, love, love, love that rug and like everyone, am eager to see how the room progresses and take note of all the great ideas :) I have already made some very strong statements to the hubs about not necessarily wanting to go pink or blue in our future nursery. I think if we have a girl it’ll take a while to convince him the room does not have to be pink.

      On a totally different note, I was wondering if you would ever consider dong a post providing a little road map as to how you use Photoshop to preview design and colors. I am a frequent Photoshop user, but mostly for web purposes – image resizing, color balancing, etc. – so the few times I have tried to do what you do I have failed miserably. I know this could be cumbersome so I don’t blame you if you don’t want to do it, but just thought I would throw it out there. Thanks!

    • Isabel says

      Of course you would have already done that! :) I didn’t know you guys then so missed it when it was originally posted. This is perfect, thanks!

  16. Victoria says

    For my firstborn, I was overdue and antsy. I had been wanting to paint a mural on his wall, but had put it aside as a bad idea. But then, I woke up one morning, and got painting! I painted watercolor-ly images of children playing on the beach all over the room. They were climbing up on to the window sills, jumping off light switches, and peaking out from behind curtains. It was so much fun! It is still my favorite DIY. He arrived two days later :)

    Reply

  17. Kelly says

    Love the direction you’re going with the nursery-it’s something different and I adore that green. Totally in love with that rug too. We’ve been looking for something similar so now I know I need to stalk HomeGoods more often.

    Reply

  18. Wendy @ New Moms Talk says

    We’ve moves so many times since we were pregnant with our daughter who’s now 13 months (school and family related moves) that we’re just settling into creating her room.

    All the while, we’re anticipating adding another to the family and they’ll share a room.

    Last week we painted it Behr’s Tahoe Blue, as we wanted something a bit cheery/changing that complimented the open living/dining/kitchen space that ends at Susanna’s room.

    (Due to reality, her room has no doors. We’re looking to put in double Dutch doors one day, but the pocket doors that we inherited with the house were a nightmare with a girl who inherited her Daddy’s Special Forces genes!)

    In the end, this home will probably be a “second home” one day, so we’re looking to keep the nursery/Susanna/Susanna & future sibling room pretty simple and piney-woods-ocean cozy.

    Reply

  20. Kerry says

    I love the strong/happy green color! I also think navy/cream stripes would pair great with it, if you don’t have luck finding B&W. Have fun!

    Reply

  21. Lisa@Double Door Ranch says

    Most definitely squealed when I saw this was a nursery post. #noshame

    I’m so excited to see this room evolve! I don’t have a need for a nursery yet, but a girl can dream (and Pin compulsively on secret boards) right?!

    Reply

  22. Maddie says

    Awesome mood board! That emerald green is my absolute favorite color – love where this is going and I’m happy to share in your happy excitement! Also the tip toes = hilarious.

    Reply

    • YoungHouseLove says

      Just accents, so maybe the closet door could go bold green (like Clara’s pink one) and we could add a tailored green crib skirt and some more green art (like the bike art) and a green pillow or pouf?

      xo
      s

    • Michelle K says

      I had the same question lingering in my mind. I’ve actually painted an entire room an emerald/Kelly green. Loved it for the first year or two. Then I was over it. Love that you’re planning on bringing it in as an accent color. I bet you could whip up some bold color block curtains with the emerald green then big stipes of black and white or something! Or keep it light by adding a block of the Emerald green at the bottom…
      I can’t wait to follow along with the barnacles nursery! Love that Clara is holding the mustache doll in the photo!

  25. em says

    What fun! I loved doing my kids’ nurseries! I did not know the gender for either of my kids before they were born, so I did sort of half-completed gender-neutral rooms. When my second kid turned out to be a boy, I was really into retro boy things- cowboys and robots and such. So, I made him a retro cowboy lampshade. When I ordered the fabric, I got a bunch of swatches in cowboy prints, stripes, plaids, etc. So, I bought wooden letters to spell his name, painted them, and decoupaged scraps of the sample fabrics onto the letters. Three and a half years later, I’m still pretty proud of my little craft project.

    Oh, and for both of my kids rooms, I wanted them to have original, personal art (but did not want to spend a lot of money). So, I did paintings for each of their rooms that feature our dog. For my daughter, it’s a Warhol-ish portrait with brights purples and greens. For my son, it’s a farm scene. I am not a skilled painter at all, but I just call my style “primitive” and my kids think I’m a genius.

    Reply

  28. Sara says

    Oh, this is SO exciting!!! I cannot wait to see what you guys do there!
    I love how you always get on your tip toes next to John – I always do the same next to my fiancé! Congrats guy!!!

    Reply

  29. Crys Wiltshire says

    So cute! We’re having a boy, due in April as well. I am starting on the nursery within the next two weeks. We’re going rustic farm theme. Can’t wait to see the progress of your little man’s space!

    Reply

  30. Teresa says

    John & Sherry,
    I had to laugh because I saw that same rug you bought for the nursery at the same HomeGoods recently and admired it. I have been looking for a gray/taupe color rug but in 8 x 11 so I passed it by lucky for you!

    Reply

  31. Gem says

    I was just wondering what had happened to those bike pics the other day! Glad to see that they’re gonna get used again and I’m always excited to see where you’ve relocated art from the first two homes.

    Good luck on the nursery progress – that rug is fab!

    Reply

  32. Gretchen@BoxyColonial says

    oh, wow, I LOVE that rug! Nurseries are so fun. I almost want to have another baby just so I can decorate one. And name the baby. Names and nurseries are my favorites. Not sleeping is my least favorite, though, so that will probably keep me from carrying through with this crazy plan.

    Reply

    • YoungHouseLove says

      Yes, names and nurseries and feeling kicks. Those are my favorite things. And that squishy little baby at the end of it all – but diapers and not sleeping… those are my least favorite I think.

      xo
      s

  34. Melanie says

    Eek! So exciting! I’m just starting our nursery (baby will be here April 8!) and I’m so pumped to actually get started! The nesting phase hit me early this time around, so waiting for the holidays to come and go has been torture! I LOVE the color you picked for the nursery. We actually chose that color for our master bedroom (the nursery will be navy), and I’m so ready to get it on the walls! We have painters coming next week since we sadly don’t have time to get it all done ourselves, and I’m positively giddy to have it finished so I can start decorating!

    PS- Sherry, you look great! You wear the bump well :)

    Reply

  35. Maureen says

    I am so excited for this!!! Just like everyone else is I am sure. I am so so so into old seafaring images like krakens with ships, etc., so I can’t wait to see what you guys do as far as that is concerned. And I love that you reference yourselves as a family of 5 with Burger. Sometimes I think that we are the only ones who consider our dog our second son. lol

    Reply

  36. Karla@{TheClassyWoman} says

    Great neutral rug! :) My baby was born in August and I had every intention of finishing her nursery but never did as she slept in a bassinet in our room. The walls are painted, crib is assembled, now it’s just onto the smaller details like installing shelves, hanging art and picking window treatments. My splurge item is a rug from Potterybarn, it’s $350 including shipping so I’m waiting on that which she doesn’t really need until she begins crawling and truly using her room. I’m hoping to be done before she begins sleeping in her own room in about 2 months. Your progress on your own nursery will keep me motivated I’m sure and give me a good kick in the pants. ;)

    Reply

  37. Janke says

    Ooooh, so exciting!!

    I’m due with our first little one in June, so we don’t know if it’s a boy or a girl just yet. Or if we want to know at all (although I’m most likely not patient enough to wait until June…). I’m so excited to see what you come up with for your new nursery and will most likely steal some of your ideas. But not to worry, we live in Germany, nobody will notice. ;)

    Reply

  40. Lisa says

    Oh yay!!! So excited to watch your little boy’s space transform. That green color along with the wood tones will look a-mazing.

    We made a number of things for our boy’s nursery, but my favorite was his mobile…I had my man make me some origami cranes in various colors and then I strung them up on a floral ring. We love it and my boy likes to swat at them before we lay him in bed. :) I shared his nursery on my blog almost a year ago…didn’t finish his room till my due date, lol.

    http://lisadunkin.blogspot.com/2013/01/nursery-reveal.html

    Reply

  41. Ellen says

    That rug is killing me. I LOVE it. I remain obsessed with emerald green though it’s no longer the color of the year. A green closet door with neutral walls would rock my socks.

    Reply

  43. Kristy says

    I just became a first-time Mom 9 months ago, and I LOVED creating our son’s nursery. I knew I wanted something fun, colorful, and non-traditional. Initially we didn’t know whether the baby was a boy or girl, so most of the elements we went with could work for either gender. Using an Olioboard during the planning process really helped me figure out what would/wouldn’t work! Here is the link to his room as featured on the Project Nursery website:

    http://projectnursery.com/projects/baby-fs-colorful-pad/

    Reply

  44. AlisonG says

    Did you say what color you will paint it? Wow that’s a lot of money for a rug, I bought a $99 one at Ikea. Besides, if I get tired of it, its not a big deal to replace it. Have fun with the nursery.

    Reply

    • YoungHouseLove says

      Sorry I missed that first question (Clara’s in here chatting my ear off so I’m half-brained)! As for the paint color we have no ideas yet, but we’re thinking the bold green will be an accent (like on the closet door) so the walls will most likely be a soft neutral color. That way we can layer a bunch of colors on top of that as the little guy grows, according to his preferences (like we can in Clara’s room). Will have to hold up some swatches and see what sticks!

      xo
      s

    • YoungHouseLove says

      Thanks Alison! I’m still barfy (it got a little better and then got worse again) but I’m feeling him kick all the time now, which is so much fun. He’s a lovable little dude, even if he makes me toss my cookies. Haha!

      xo
      s

  45. rachael says

    Yes! I don’t want any more babies, but I think I will enjoy living vicariously through yours! Congratulations, you two…er…four!

    Reply

  46. Sara says

    We’re picking up our new hardwood flooring for our second baby’s room and tearing up carpet this weekend! I cant’ wait to finally get started on her room! We’re opting for a subtle aqua color for the walls and modern touches throughout, which is a bit out of the box for our house, but I’m excite to try something new. I can’t wait for it all to come together!! So excited to watch baby barnacle’s nursery transformation!

    Reply

  47. Jessica says

    I LOVE the color scheme. I used green, black and white for my son’s 2nd birthday this year and added in wood elements (like the bamboo) and it was great! I’ve continued to use a ton of the party decor as playroom art and can’t stop thinking of those colors. Bold green is just perfection and kind of unexpected! :) Can’t wait to see it!

    Reply

  48. Tricia says

    We moved into our house 2 days after my little guy was born, not exactly the plan but short sale being what it is we just kind of rode the coaster.
    The house need (and still needs) renovation, but the first project was to fix up the nursery. We had to take off faux brick froma wall, put up new sheetrock in its place, put down laminate floors and replace glass in a window. Then we painted it a soft gray. I got blue curtains to “boy it up”, a black crib and my childhood furniture. My brother gave us a “Soft Kitty” poster for our little dude and it was the perfect compliment to the space. We need to hang a few more pieces in there and a mirror and we will be done.

    Reply

  49. Lisa R says

    I’m now thinking of nursery designs for my first baby! Due in June! We are not finding out what it is so I want a cool and funky gender neutral nursery. It’s a little stressful looking for the right pieces, like a good dresser since there aren’t many places to shop around here that don’t look country. I want a brightly painted dresser so I may have to do a DIY if I can’t find the right one!

    Reply

  50. Jessie G. says

    I have a wool rug I got from Home Goods! I WISH it were soft but it is actually a bit rough. it is a beauty navy blue with a trellis motif. The white spots are soft, the blue part, not so much… I wonder why?

    What should I be looking for when getting/looking for a wool rug that is soft?

    And if any one know WHY in the world it sheds so much!?!? I vacuum it like nobody’s business and STILL wool everywhere

    Reply

    • YoungHouseLove says

      Wool and cotton are very funny creatures – sometimes they’re so soft and other times they’re scratchy (or partially scratchy like yours). I think it has to do with the fibers and how they’re woven/made. Even jute/sisal can be woven or braided in a way that makes one super soft (we had a nice braided one that was like horse-hair) while others are scratchy like brooms.

      xo
      s

    • Sarah K says

      I would LOVE to know the answer too! Same exact problem for over a year now!

      Love the nursery rug and can’t wait to see more updates. BTW my husband is 6’7″ and I’m 5’3″ so suffice it to say most of our photos are taken sitting down ;)

    • Emily says

      I was about to ask about the shedding as well! I have to vacuum every day and still feel like my 11 month old twins are covered in it!

      Sherry and John have you ever done a post on the differences in rug materials and what you look for? I would love to hear your thoughts!

    • YoungHouseLove says

      We just generally like 100% cotton or 100% wool. And seeing a rug in person if you can (and rubbing it on your black shirt to see if it sheds, haha) can help too! If it’s an online rug order I try to read the feedback to see if people mention anything like excessive shedding or it being scratchy/not soft.

      xo
      s

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