Beige and White Neutral Nursery for Baby Boy

Description

I wanted to create a calming and relaxing environment for my son that was fairly neutral with accents of blue and a bit of ruggedness throughout.  I am thrilled with the outcome and it has become my favorite room in the house.  I think it's a good blend of sweetness, which is what I wanted for a nursery, with a touch of masculinity in some of the accent pieces.  I also love that with a few changes I could make this room suitable for a girl down the road.

Design Inspiration

I searched high and low for a room/picture online that described the look and feel I was going for.  Nothing quite captured it until I found another room on Project Nursery that had the same color palette and feel I wanted..."Lawson's World Traveler Nursery".  I used this room as my inspiration.

Decorating Style

Overall I think my decorating style is a mix of classic and rustic with a hint of modern.  I don't like things to be matchy matchy which is evident if you come to my home.  I wanted the same for this nursery...a neutral palette with a mix of textures to make the room feel a little rustic and boyish while still being sweet.

Project Details

The first thing we did in this room was add the board and batten molding to the lower half of the walls.  I love the visual interest and texture this created in the room (my sweet husband did this all himself and it saved a ton of $).

Favorite Items

Hmmm, that's tough.  I love everything.  I had a budget to stick to and thus had to pick and choose what we "spent" on and what we saved on.  My parents graciously gave us some money to put towards the crib and dresser and because we ended up going with an Ikea dresser, we were able to get the crib, dresser and bookshelf all from them as a gift.  This allowed us to splurge a little more on the chair and some other items that I really think make an impact in the room.  If I had to choose a few favorites they would be:

Light Fixture - This pendant from RH Baby and Child was definitely a splurge and more than I had intended on spending but I just couldn't find anything else that I loved as much and I think it really pulls the room together.  It's the first thing everyone comments on and really stands out...so it was worth it in my opinion.  I was able to get it on sale 25% off which helped!

"J" Pillow on Glider - Again this was more of a splure item as Jonathan Adler pillows aren't cheap...but it was exactly what I wanted and hopefully will be a keepsake Jay will have for years to come.

Stuffed Giraffe - I just love this guy and have always wanted one of these for a nursery.  Was able to get it on Amazon about $30 cheaper than normal retail.  Again another item I feel really stands out in the room.

Chair and Ottoman - This was our biggest splurge but we wanted something that would be super comfy as I am sure many hours will be spent in it :)  I am so glad I chose to do a custom patterned fabric on the ottoman...love the visual interest it brings to the room.

Animal Prints Above Dresser - I mean what's not to love about these cute little guys.  I have stalked these prints for years and was so happy to finally be able to hang them in my baby boys nursery.  I saved some $ by framing them myself with Ikea frames.

Advice

My advice is two-fold.  One...stick with your original instinct for the look and feel you want.  I originally wanted something more neutral and soft and after hours browsing on Pinterest almost went another direction.  I am so glad I ended up going with what I initially imagined.

Two...some think its silly to go all out decorating a nursery but decorating is something I truly love and I wanted to create a perfect little room for my first baby. My husband and I had to much fun preparing the room that I am sure it will be so fun to look back and think on the memories once Jay is here.

Lastly, don't stop until you feel that the space is truly "done" and don't let anyone tell you differently.  Everyone kept telling me how great it looked and I didn't need anything else but it just felt like a few little things were missing.  Once that last part came into place it just felt perfect...and I grin from ear to ear every time I go in the room.