July 13, 2012

Baby Girl Nursery - No Pink In Sight

Hey all, Holly posted her boy nursery and has been on my case to post my girl nursery.  I love this room so she didn't have to try too hard to talk me into it :).   I have two boys (age 7 and 4), so I waited for a long time to decorate a 'girly' room.  I thought after waiting so long to get to use pink somewhere in my house that would be the easy choice...but it turns out I am not much of a pink girl.

  



It all started with this bedding.  I saw it in a fancy local boutique and loved it, but it was way out of my price range.  After a little bit of online searching I found it on Amazon for 100 bucks cheaper - hello!  For some reason, my husband didn't understand what a good deal it was - to him 100 bucks off of a lot of money is still a lot of money :).  But I promised if he would okay the bedding I would use furniture we already had for the crib and wardrobe, and find a girly changing table for cheap on KSL (our local version of craigslist).

I brought home about a thousand blue paint chips, and painted around ten sample shades on the wall before finding the perfect, girly blue.  That can get expensive, but for me it is usually totally worth it to buy a few $3 samples if it means getting the right shade painted on the wall the first time.  I fell in love with Frostwork from Sherwin Williams.  It was soothing (perfect for a nursery) and complimented my bedding without being too matchy.

I'm a polka dot lover, so that was my favorite element in the bedding. I decided to accent with those sunny yellow dots throughout the rest of the room. I started with the polka dot subway plaques hanging above the crib.  These are the easiest of all the plaques to make - and I love the antique look.  I had the perfect pic for the square Eleanor Frame in the middle.


I also used  the warm yellow color to paint my favorite piece in the room, a 100-year-old wardrobe my grandparents let me steal from their basement.  I called it years ago, if I ever had a little girl.  The wood was in bad shape, and I was worried that if I stripped it some of it wouldn't hold up.  So I decided to just go with the antiquey look and paint right over the top of the existing finish.  I lightly sanded some of the rougher spots first, but for the most part I just spray painted this baby as-is and then sanded the heck out of it so that the original finish showed through.  I LOVE the way it turned out, and love it even more because of its history - my Great Grandpa gave it to my Great Grandma.  I think its sweet that it now holds little onesies and dresses for one of their great-great-grand daughters.


Brooklyn's blessing dress hangs on the front (it was just too pretty to wear once and put away!), and I used our 16" B  and rectangle Eleanor Frame to make a statement on the top.  I also accented with books.  I love books, and have them all over my house.  New ones, old ones - they are in pretty much every single room.  For a baby girl nursery, I decided to use my favorite 'girly' books.  Maybe if she sees these early on she will grow up loving Jane Austen and Anne Shirley like her mama ;).



One of my favorite parts of the room was the closet-turned alcove.  I have seen darling versions of this all over the internet and was excited to give it a try.  This room is small, and babies have lots of stuff.  Being able to put the changing table in the closet was a great way to free up some space and I love the little area it created.  It made the square, standard builder room feel a little bit less 'buildery'.  My baby girl LOVES looking at herself in that mirror before and after diaper changes.  We added this glider/ottoman combo for all of those late night feedings.  That is a must have!



Last but not least, is the completely girly chandelier on the ceiling.  When I brought that home, my husband and dad looked at me like I was nuts.  They started to question why someone would put a chandelier in a baby's room (apparently they don't get on pinterest much), but then they saw the look on my face and decided not to argue with a super pregnant woman :).  Smart guys!  I love how it finishes off the space, and has a much bigger impact then the old 'boob light' that was there before.  The light fixture was $90 at Lowes and was definitely worth it.


All in all, the room came together nicely and makes me smile every time I walk in. It helps that there is usually a darling baby waiting for me inside...
Brookie Cookie, 6 months old

6 comments:

  1. I love this! So stinking adorable. :)

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  2. Cutest girl room ever! Love it!

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  3. Love it! You guys are so crafty and have awesome taste, and on a budget too! :)

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  4. You did a beautiful job on the nursery!

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  5. Love it! Especially the piece of antique furniture. Anxiously awaiting similar treatment for one of mine.....and that is NOT a nag, I promise! :)

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  6. do you happen to know the brand of chandelier from lowe's?

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