Young House Love

Home Decorating & DIY Tutorials

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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

  5. Steph Reiner says

    Ahhhh what a teaser!!! I can’t wait to see how it develops!! I’m due in June and we’re planning a shared nursery for my daughter and the new baby. I can’t wait to see what you guys come up with! Hint: I’ll probably steal some ideas since I’m already in love with that rug and we have the same wood floor/light paint combo in the room already.

    P.S. I loved how the cabinets turned out!

    Reply

  6. jamie says

    We just started working on our nursery too! Which led to me having to clean out my craft/art stuff that was in there — goodbye half a pant leg of stone washed jeans I saved for a craft back in 1994…. Sigh. Blog post (stone washed jean photo included) here

    Excited to see where you guys end up!

    Reply

  7. Rebie says

    Love it! I’m curious what is the dimension of the room? How do you know the proper size rug for a room? I’m decorating our nursery now and not sure what is the right size rug to purchase for our room which is 11×14.

    Reply

    • YoungHouseLove says

      We had recorded the dimensions of each room on our blog in a floor plan post about 7 months ago (oh the perks of having a blog, haha) so we could look it up in the store while standing there ogling it to be sure it would work. Having a few feet of floor space on all sides of the rug seems like a nice amount, so we’re not sticklers for a certain formula, you just don’t want it to be too long, or too narrow, or too crowded, or too small (like a little postage stamp in the middle of the room).

      xo
      s

  8. Krissi says

    Seeing this for some reason makes me for the first time miss my baby bump (my 2nd baby – and last – is 3mths old). Our first was a boy and I chose a primary colour scheme of mustard yellow – and did a bit if a circus theme. It’s nice to steer away from traditional blue. Nurseries are so much fun, enjoy!

    Reply

  9. Albita says

    Exciting! I too have a little girl (2 1/2 yrs old) and we are expecting a boy in May. Thanks for sharing this post! I have had some ideas floating in my head about colors to use for our little one and finally felt inspired over the weekend with some pics I saw on decorpad. we’re going with white, aqua and gray with tiny accents of that pale lime green. I’m really into grays now and I like bright summery colors since i live in new england and the colder seasons arent as cheery as summer/spring. SO keeping the room light and bright helps difuse the gloomy winters! :)
    All i see out there for boy room decor/inspiration pics online is navy blue frog green and brown with that mustard yellow as typical boy colors and they dont appeal to me. I can’t wait to see your finished product! Good luck and I hope everything comes together in time. I know it will because you all are very organized (especially the list maker! LOL) and focused! It’s wonderful that your pictures inspired you to make a room around that art!!!
    GOd bless ur family and thanks for all the wonderful tips and information!

    Reply

  10. Lisa says

    Rug is amazing! Been on the hunt for ages and haven’t seen one we’ve liked as much as this one..Do you happen to know the model name of it? Will check our local Home Goods but doubtful it’ll be there…fingers crossed!

    Reply

  11. Stephanie says

    Oh man, for some reason it is so sweet to use something you already love in a nursery for a little one. It means so much more than a catalogue assembled room (although those spaces are beautiful). I designed our girl’s room while pregnant and had each thing down to a science. Our son came along next and it was fun because I converted a guest room that I always had a hunch would become a boy nursery one day. We kept the neutral grasscloth wallpaper, cream wool rug and even the floral pattern drapes (although I now call them manly “vine” drapes haha). I have to say it turned out handsomely and the best touches are the relics of the guest room that just so happen to “work”. Your boy’s room will be precious. Can’t wait!!!

    Reply

  12. Steph says

    I’ve been waiting for this post! Looking forward to the follow ups. I’m working on a nursery right now for our first! So exciting. I’m due in April too! Can’t wait to get some inspiration from you guys. Question-the intercom? looking thing?…did you paint that? The reason I ask is because we have an old outdated heat thermostat and air conditioner, that’s built into the wall, and I’m considering painting them white. I think they might have to be spray painted in the spring though.

    Reply

    • YoungHouseLove says

      We have just left them alone for now, but we’d love to either replace them with an updated iPod sound system or something, or just remove them and spackle so there’s not a big box there. As for your big box in the wall, I would totally paint it to blend it in if it has to stay!

      xo
      s

  13. Annalea says

    I LOVE that bike print . . . and can’t wait to see how the room evolves!

    One caution: once on a mothering forum we were talking about crib sheets (I know, right? It’s a bunch of sleep-deprived new moms whiling away the hours of nursing and rocking and up-all-night with a baby. lol) and one mom posted how they got some black, white & red sheets that were supposed to be good for baby’s brain development. (The might have been Baby Einstein, or something.) Anyway, she said she would NEVER do it again, because her baby spent hours with gaze locked on those sheets, staring, then pawing, then eventually trying to pluck the shapes from the sheets. She didn’t realize until the plucking stage that it was the sheets that might be keeping her little guy awake. Naptimes were abysmal until she swapped the sheets out for something with more soothing colors.

    Soooo . . . while black/white is so crisp and awesome, you *might* want to consider keeping that especially bold, energetic prints out of baby’s sight when it’s time to sleep. I can imagine curtains with broad bands of black and white being just fine, but something with more movement and pops of color might be distracting? (I dunno . . . my own nurseries were always really soothing and quietly-themed: rental houses=blah. lol)

    Here’s the best of health, peace, well-being, and a beautifully safe and hitch-less delivery process for Sherry & the barnacle. :o) (I know it’s a planned C-section, so truckloads of peace and calm and love and well-being to the surgeon and nurses and staff, too!)

    Reply

    • YoungHouseLove says

      Such a great tip!! Clara sleeps in total darkness (even for naps thanks to blackout shades), but this is great to know just in case this little guy doesn’t do the pitch dark thing!

      xo
      s

  14. Jennifer says

    We moved in our house two weeks before our first was due and it was a mess. Her room was used as an office by the previous owners so it definitely needed some work! I’ll never forget how our friends all pulled together and helped us with that room. I chose this (cute!) yellow paint that I swear took five coats and no one complained. When our girl was born there were boxes everywhere but her room was done and beautiful. I still get teary thinking about it. I repainted when the second one came along and I think they wanted to hurt me :) but no one argues with a crazy pregnant lady!

    Reply

  15. Alivicwil says

    We bought a new (old – post-war) home in late November. With Christmas, and generous friends and family hand-me-downs, and post-Christmas sales, I think we have almost everything we need for our April bub… BUT the room needs work!

    We un-stuck the sash windows which had been painted shut (seriously – 14 windows, ALL painted shut by previous owners), and are now working on building fly screens for each of them (it’s summer in Australia, currently. Fly screens are a MUST!)

    The room has a newish built in wardrobe, but we’d like to add more shelving. I’m excited to sew some curtains, burp cloths/wipes, bibs and even cot sheets. We’re considering painting the wooden cot and change table we’ve inherited a glossy white. AND we need to paint the walls. (Turns out, the house wasn’t as newly painted as we’d thought it was when we bought!) All the walls are currently the same… They’re kind of neutral, and the doors/trim are an olive brown. It’s not offensive, but I’d like to brighten things up a bit. And I do like me a glossy white trim!

    I’m thinking of maybe a grey wall (with blueish tones in it?!). I want something that will work work a little boy, but that won’t age badly or exclude a girl. It’s a bit daunting though. This is the second home I’ve owned, but the other was brand new, so I didn’t paint a thing. My hubby’s never painted a wall before, so he’s a bit nervous about that, whereas I’m “stuck” on a colour for our first wall (and first little person!).

    I’m also working on some cross stitches as wall art. (Not sure they’re super boy-appropriate, but bub’s just gonna have to deal with it :p My mum made cross-stitches for me before I was born, and they’re going in his room, along with a couple of new ones. And I’m keen to incorporate some storybook characters, and probably some Totoro in the room, too.

    Sorry for taking up so much space!

    Reply

  16. Bethany Ann says

    Love that you’re going to do pops of green! That shade of green is my absolute favorite and I’m so happy it’s been popular lately… although it’s really hard for me to resit when I find a piece of emerald clothing, haha! Can’t wait to see how the room progresses!

    Reply

  17. Kajsa says

    In love with this whole post. Cute picture! Love that baby bump, and your design board is amazing. Can’t wait to see everything when the room is finished!

    Reply

  18. Charity says

    The hubby and I are expecting our first little one in May! A baby boy as well. We are officially getting started this weekend on the nursery. We are planning to do a subtle woodland theme and since neither one of us are fans of the super matchy matchy decor for nurseries we are going to be DIYing a lot for this project. I cannot wait to see your little guys nursery progress.

    Reply

  19. Jennifer says

    I’m currently in the process of designing my son’s ‘big boy’ room and like you am trying to keep his future needs in mind as well. When he was a baby I fell in love with the Monte range of nursing chairs but shipping and customs fees to Italy put it out of reach for me. They have some lovely pieces that would look really nice with your new carpet and can fit in with other rooms in the house when it is no longer needed in the nursery. http://www.montedesign.net/modern_nursery_glider.html#.Usx7SJorleU

    Reply

  21. Kavya says

    Hi Sherry,

    Wahoooo! This is the post I had been waiting for since you announced you are having a boy. We had a baby boy in May 2013 and I haven’t even started his room because he co-sleeps with us. Really hoping to get a ton of ideas (ahem* I will not copy the entire room! *cough cough*) Love your blog and I read every post a minimum of two times.

    xoxo,
    Kavya

    P.S: You are glowing :)

    Reply

  23. Meredith Jones says

    This makes me SO EXCITED! We just started working on our little man’s room over the weekend too! There was an “extra” window in the room that looked into that garage (used to be carport). I’d be scared if I was a little guy with a huge window looking into a dark garage! So the hubs took that out over the weekend and got it all patched over. Next is paint choosing, and lots of shopping for all the fun stuff!! WOOHOO go April babies! Can’t wait to see your buns room come together at the same time as ours! :)

    Reply

  24. Sydney says

    I obviously don’t remember how my parents decorated my nursery, but my mom DID let me take full decorating responsibility for my child/teenager room! I went hippie/flower child with some bold, bright flower printed coordinating bedding and bathroom wares. We also painted the room bright orange with lime green trim and lime green flowers stamped in fun places. My mom was a saint (especially when she had to repaint that room many years later when we sold my childhood house).

    Reply

  25. Maria says

    Ah! Was waiting for y’all to do a nursery post. I’m due in early April and spent my Christmas vacation semi cleaning out our nursery, painting trim and picking a paint color (we went the traditional route with a minty blue). We still have several things to get (this baby is our first) and though it’s semi stressful, I am loving it.

    Reply

  26. Abby says

    I’m so happy for y’all! A little boy will be so fun and I know that he will just love his room that can grow with him!

    xoxo Abby
    thepreppycoxswain.blogspot.com

    Reply

  27. Shanna says

    I love, love, love your rug! We were lucky to find a rug at rugsusa.com for 80% off back in September, and I see now that they are running a 70% off sale now (including free shipping)! Hooray for sales!

    Reply

  29. Tania says

    Yay nursery! I’m so excited to see how your nursery comes together – I’m due with a little boy in May, so am also starting to think about the nursery!

    Reply

  30. alg (amy) says

    YES — our due date is March 11 and I AM FREAKING OUT!!!!!! Our nursery mise-en-place is SO far behind schedule!!!!
    (Actually, in this townhouse we won’t have a separate nursery, so we’re starting the little gal in our room, then later she’ll share one with her big sis — which means un-doing & reconfiguring all the furniture/decor placement we had in place before we found out about our surprise miracle! OY! Say a little prayer for us!!!!)
    LOVE the rug, btw & think your whole color scheme/plan will turn out great. Can’t wait to see it progress. And the bike art in there will be perfect!
    PS — You look great, $herdog… and how hilarious about you standing on your tiptoes in pics with John — you totally do!!!

    Reply

    • YoungHouseLove says

      Aw thanks Alg! I can’t wait to see how yours comes out. I’m sure it’ll all fall together in those final moments. Saying a little prayer for you right now ;)

      xo
      s

  31. Stacey says

    Love the ideas! Our little one is due May 1, so we are starting on her room this weekend. The plan is green walls and a woodsy, animal-centric (lots of hedgehogs and foxes) theme. We can’t wait to get started!

    Reply

  32. Diana says

    You are making me so want to go to Home Goods. Never heard of it before I started reading here and we don’t have one…but I really want to go. And love the nursery plan!

    Reply

  33. Amy says

    So excited to follow along! We’re just starting to plan the nursery for our little guy as well, also due in April. I’m thinking of going grey, navy, white and yellow – with some fun pops of color in between. I put together the mood board below last week – but am still debating wall colors. Any ideas on something fun?
    http://www.pinterest.com/pin/181903272423269644/

    Reply

  34. Megan says

    I’m due to have a baby boy in June, and am just starting to seriously think about nursery ideas- so glad that you are also having a boy and I can get some inspiration from your little one’s sure-to-be-adorable nursery! Can’t wait to see your progress!

    Reply

  35. Christina says

    I love your ideas! Funny enough, we’re expecting our second, a boy as well at the end of march/early April (I’m due the 28th). Our first is a girl and she’ll be almost 20 months when her brother arrives. I’m just starting the ‘planning the nursery’ process. I found fabric I like for curtains last night! We’re going with blues, aquas, greens and a bit of brown.
    So exciting!

    Reply

  36. Shawna says

    Check out Brian Wildsmith’s picture books. The art in his books is really amazing. I’ve snagged a few vintage books and framed some pages from the books. Not for a baby…just for me!

    Reply

  37. Sarah F. says

    We’re expecting our baby girl in February (home stretch! 5 weeks to go!) and the nursery is finally coming together. It’s definitely evolved as we’ve gone. I originally wanted grey walls with lavendar and navy blue accents, but hubby fell hard for a subtle lavendar-grey paint so it’s definitely gone more girly than I had imagined. still so sweet though! White crib & dresser/changing table, grey glider chair, lavendar sheets and curtains, and just yesterday we finally found a soft rug in a solid grey. I’m still trying to figure out how to incorporate more blue (periwinkle or navy, not “baby boy blue”) to tone down the lavendar though!

    Reply

  39. J Bagley says

    I’m so excited for you guys! Love the rug and look forward to seeing how the room evolves.

    Sort-of unrelated question – I’ve been looking for accent chairs and I spied the armless ones in your “before” photo. What’s your take on comfort level of arm vs. armless chairs in a living room setting?

    Reply

    • YoungHouseLove says

      We have two of those slipper chairs (Dolce Lounge Chair from Target) for 7 years! They’re really flexible (can work in a living room or a guest room or wherever) and so neutral that they have served us really well. I wouldn’t want to nurse in one (it’s nice to have some arm support) or hang out in one for hours (I’m just too squirmy for that) but they’re awesome for a conversation area in a living space I think- although some people might prefer one with arms.

      xo
      s

  40. katalina says

    I have not read through the comments so I hope I am not repetitive.

    Love the nautical idea with the rug texture– bright green with indigo? I was trying to think of a neat color with that kelly green.

    also you could use the concept of the bike art–with a nautical theme and it continues from one frame to another. boats? sea creatures?

    love the photo of clara and the rug—so cute!

    Reply

  41. Tonya Saint Onge says

    Great post but is it rude to say my favorite part was the “chillin like a villian” reference? I love getting a peek at your lives but my favorite parts are the peeks at your personalities :)

    Reply

  42. Mel says

    I was admiring your rug in Homegoods…I think we shop at the same one on the Southside. (Not stalking you, but we live in the same town!) How funny! It’s a really pretty rug. I wished I had somewhere to put it.

    Reply

  44. Kate says

    I bought bamboo/wood levolor roman shades and then lined them myself with blackout fabric. All you need is a pair of scissors and a glue gun… and a few online tutorials. They are fantastic. My wood shades are pretty tightly spaced so I don’t even notice the white showing thru at all. Having the blackout right next to the window is much more effective than in the curtains.

    Can’t wait to see the room progress!

    Reply

  45. Susan says

    We had our fourth baby 9 months ago. Our baby always shares our room while they are in a crib so we didn’t really have an entire room to decorate. Plus, I’m definitely no decorator and have only recently discovered my own likes and started choosing things for my house that I love. Still I”m so happy with how Carmen’s ‘room’ turned out. I didn’t want to do any thing theme-y, more like the Scandinavian style that I’m always loving on Pinterest…but something sort of evolved on its own. Here’s a link to some pictures:
    http://medinasinbolivia.blogspot.com/2013/03/baby-room-with-color.html

    And then I got a little obsessed with making crib sheets, so you can see those here:
    http://medinasinbolivia.blogspot.com/2013/02/handmade-baby.html

    I’m looking forward to using some of your tutorials to help with the rest of the house! Thanks for always sharing your ideas.

    Reply

  46. Gwen, The Makerista says

    That rug is so beautiful! I love the pattern…it will go with just about anything but it’s certainly not boring. I look forward to seeing the transformation of this space! Kids rooms, especially nurseries, are always so exciting!

    Reply

  48. Alison says

    So happy for you guys and can’t wait to see the progress on little barnacle’s room. For my first kiddo (also affectionately named “bean”)–I painted horizontal stripes on the wall in 5 different colors with varying widths. And of course I waited until I was like 37 weeks pregnant so there I was climbing up and down a ladder with a 4 foot level, painter’s tape, and a paintbrush. Ah, memories.

    Reply

  49. Pamela Bertone says

    You look FAB-U-LOUS Dahling!!! Love the carpet for little man petersik’s room. Where’d you get it? If you say, “Home Goods” I’m gonna say, “No fair! They never have cool carpets like that when I go!!” Looking forward to seeing the room on completion; BTW, I’m stealing your, “All you need is love” idea. My neighbor ( a pretty skilled artist) was throwing out one of her paintings. I plucked out that bad boy and am adding some fabulous quote to it. I’ve already informed her that she’ll get the “before and after” photos, and I’ll forward one your way too. Thanks for the inspiration :)

    Reply

    • YoungHouseLove says

      Aw thanks Pamela! It was HomeGoods! Don’t scream. Haha! In return I shall say “no fair about your neighbor’s amazing painting that you nabbed for free!”

      xo
      s

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