Harrison’s Urban Jungle

Description

A gender neutral nursery that is playful, bright and full of personal touches. A combination of splurge and "save" items come together for a space that's not too modern and not too traditional. The room also has lots of interesting patterns to look at without being too busy.

Design Inspiration

We wanted a room that would grow with our baby, so we didn't want it to be too juvenile or cutesy, but still wanted the room to have some whimsy. The direction of the room came from finding the giraffe ottoman at HomeSense (Canada's version of HomeGoods). I loved that it had a great contrast of white and lime green, was playful and modern at the same time. That's where the safari animals and green colour scheme came from.

Decorating Style

I like to think my decorating style is contemporary and collected. I don't like things to be too matchy-matchy or overly modern. I think old pieces add charm and personality and inject so much of your own self and history into a room.

Project Details

The giraffe ottoman was the jumping off point for the room. My husband and I waffled on a green or blue colour scheme, but once I found the ottoman we were definitely seeing green. I've seen the giraffe fabric on the web (ie: Fabric.com) so you could easily DIY a poof or ottoman of your own to incorporate it into your room in your own chosen colour scheme. Paint is Behr "Cabbage Green". I loved the Jenny Lind-style crib that we found on Kijiji. We only paid $70 for the crib. I contemplated painting it white, but after it was in the room with the other elements I decided that the natural wood tone worked well to warm up some of the large stark white pieces like the Expedit shelves from Ikea that we use as storage/display and as our change table. We also got the green storage boxes, and the clock from Ikea. Most mothers will agree that a comfortable rocker is a nursery must-have. I didn't really want something that screamed nursery so that if/when we move it out of the nursery it would look like it fit with the rest of the furnishings in our home. We opted for the San Marco rocker by Ashley Furniture. It fully reclines!  And looks like leather but is a composite fabric so it's very kid friendly (read: spill friendly). Compared to other similar options we saw marketed as nursery chairs this one was budget friendly - about a third of the price - and it has a lever for the recliner which is crucial when wanting to recline while holding a baby. The two-handed push method wasn't going to work for me. I would also recommend it because of the wide arms which are great for snuggling, propping your arm while feeding, or story time, or even just for resting a bottle etc. on while you're in the chair. The bedding is Dwell Studio for Target. How cute are those hippos? Really affordable, cute, modern graphic design. I was a bit worried about ordering online and not being able to feel it before buying, but I am more than happy with how soft, snuggly and durable the bedding and change pad covers are. The bedding set we purchased is apparently no longer available but we also purchased this one, since it had the green in it and figured it would work for boy or girl also. The drapes are discontinued from Pier 1. I love that they had a jungle vine feel to them. I hope they'll be inspiration for lots of imaginary play time to come. The elephant lamp is from Pottery Barn kids. Also discontinued. I scored it for a mere $16 because it didn't have a lamp shade. The poster and picture frames are from Michael's. The posters are from PosterText. We have Alice in Wonderland (above the chair) and Peter Pan (over the crib). The elephant laundry hamper is from Home Decorator's Collection. The accent cushions (seen in the crib) and on the chair are from BouClair. The stuffed animals are a combination of our favourites saved from our childhood and new ones given to Harrison as gifts.

Favorite Items

Hard to decide! I love Harrison's framed hospital bracelet, the bedding, and the elephant lamp and hamper.

Advice

My advice would be to start with an inspirational piece and build layers and interest by adding more objects you find that you love. A mix of old and new makes the space feel well-loved. You don't need to spend a lot of money to get a look you love.