All Things Pink and Girly (Finally!)

Description

After having THREE boys in a row, I wanted a completely feminine nursery for our new baby girl. So naturally I chose pink (in all shades) as the main accent color. I had two challenges with this nursery: 1) We are currently renting our home so I could not change the wall color or put too many holes in the walls, and 2) My husband just finished 12 years of university (ahhh, student loans) so my budget was a bit limited. Luckily the wall color was already a neutral grey which works with the colors of the room, and I only made one significant hole in the wall (for the mirror). The wall gallery frames are plastic (although they look like wood) and are really lightweight, as are the other wall decor items, so I was able to hang everything with straight pins and 3M Command Strips. As far as budget goes, we already had the crib and dresser with the mirror attached so that helped a lot, and I love DIY projects and shopping for good deals so the rest of the room came together without having to spend a fortune. My two splurges were the chandelier and the glider-rocker, which were fairly reasonalbly priced anyways.

Design Inspiration

My grandmother used to make rag rugs out of old clothing. They were fantastic! They had that shabby vintage look that I absolutely love. I had been meaining to make some but just couldn't find the time, or the old clothing. Then about a year ago (before I was even pregnant) I stumbled across these beautiful pink rag rugs in one of my favourite home decor stores. They were so pretty and such a great deal that I had to buy them, although at the time I had no use for them. Months later we were thrilled to find out we were expecting a girl, and I immediately began planning the nursery, with the rag rugs as my starting point.

Decorating Style

I guess you could say my decorating style is eclectic. I generally don't do themes. It isn't that I don't like themes, I just tend to like too many things to narrow it down to one concept or idea. I love combining a variety of elements to make a style "my own"-- old and new, vintage and modern, etc. Sometimes it works, sometimes it doesn't, but you never know until you try (I purchase and return A LOT of home decor and furniture items before I settle on a final look). I love to incorporate DIY projects because it adds a very personal element to a room and it is nice to have things that are completely original.

Project Details

Sleigh Crib: Purchased eight years ago for our oldest child, not sure what the brand is

Paper Wheels Wall Decor: DIY (scrapbook paper and doilies from the dollar store, add fabric flowers)

Quilt: DIY Tutorial

Crib Sheet: DIY

Crib Skirt: DIY (pink silk with lace eyelet trim)

Pink Ruffle Curtains: DIY-- I bought the fabric at least 12 years ago

Dresser: IKEA Hemnes (we purchased this over a year ago and I believe it is now discontinued)

Glass Knobs on Dresser: Target

Bird Cage: Homesense spray painted with Valspar Cameo Pink

Photo Albums: Homesense

Rag Rugs: Homesense

Lamp: Homesense

Lamp Shade: TJ Maxx

Round Tufted Ottaman: TJ Maxx

Rockabye Glider Co. Bella Velvet Grande Glider Chair-Buckweat: Target

Round Pink Cushion: Homesense

Clear Alyssa Chandelier: Pottery Barn Kids

Gallery Frames: IKEA and Homesense

Mirror: Homesense

Skeleton Key: Real Deals Home Decor

"K" in Gallery: DIY (cut from foam, covered with pink stretchy fabric and stitched on the back)

Matching Dresser and Nightstand: Purchased used on kijiji, not sure how old they are, I stripped the hardware (it had been painted) and used a kit from Michaels (sorry can't remember the brand) to change the underlying brass colour to an antiqued pewter.

Wooden Pink Changing Tray: Homesense

Tray Liner: Quilt DIY

Cream Metal Hair Accessory Holder: Homesense

Scentsy Warmer: Scentsy

Paint: General Paint Silver Shimmer (8771W) and Metal Shavings (8775D)

Favorite Items

I love everything in this room but if I had to pick one favorite thing it would be the Alyssa chandelier. It is so elegant and pretty. It is a great focal point in the room and I purposely didn't hang a mobile or anything else from the ceiling (I was really tempted to hang the bird cage) because I didn't want anything to detract from the chandelier.

 

Advice

Don't buy anything that you don't love, even if it goes with your "theme". Be very careful with DIY projects-- sometimes it isn't worth the material cost or the time involved, especially if you are trying out a new craft for the first time and are anxious to finish your design project. You don't have to spend a fortune to have a beautiful space. Use as much of your existing furniture and decor as you can and augment it with new pieces as needed. Never compromise function for style, especially in a nursery.