Owen’s Room

A Project For: Owen
Age: 8 months
Location: Knoxville, Tennessee
Description:
Inspired (and intimidated!) by all the great nursery designs on the web, I decided that it really is possible to create a great, personal space on a tight budget. Owen's nursery is filled with lovingly DIY'd, thrifted, and gifted objects that we've collected and arranged in little ways that make us happy. We aren't allowed to paint our walls, so it's been fun trying to figure out other ways to bring some color to the room. I know it still needs some work (need to get an area rug!!), but this room is now the most loved corner of our little house!
Decorating Style:
I am most inspired by vintage/modern decor, but am truthfully DIY, thrifty, and hyper-budgeted!
Project Details:
Name Prints - DIY made from prints at www.dailydropcap.com
*printed with special permission from Jessica Hische

Bunting - Kenneth Brown "Jumping for Joy" Memory Pennant

Dog Canvas Print - photo by me of our beagle puppy Indiana Jones :)

Dresser - IKEA "Birkeland"

Eames Rocker (Knockoff! Shhhh...) - Baxton Studio

Sheepskin - IKEA

Curtains - IKEA "Felicia"

Bear Nightlight - Circo, Target

Bookshelf/Changing Table - IKEA "Expedit"

Wall Ledges - IKEA "Ribba"

Baby Book and Memory Box - Petit Collage

Crib - Carter's Sleep Haven 3-in-1

Crib Bedding - Crib skirt and bumper are from Kenneth Brown's line "Jumping for Joy" (same as the bunting). Crib sheet is by Tiddliwinks, from Target.

Wall Decal - Smileywalls, Etsy
Favorite Items:
The handmade stuffed giraffe was sewn by one of Owen's sweet aunties, and the gorgeous rocker was gifted. I also love the way the DIY origami mobile and framed letter prints turned out.
Advice:
Take the time to make things yourself! It truly is the best way to achieve an original, personalized design. (Not to mention the added benefit of being crazy inexpensive!)

Jan

I love his room! It looks so fresh and clean and well thought out!
I like his little blue bible! My little girl has one that is pink…she received it
from our church. Your little Owen looks so adorable with that cap on.
God bless!
momto2boys

Speechless. Simply beautiful.
Elizabeth

Jan,

Thank you! My father-in-law had the Bible embossed and gave it to Owen on his dedication day. Definitely a priceless treasure for us! :)
Cjko

I think your nursery is beautiful! I love to DIY as well and not spend a lot. I understand completely about looking at all the gorgeous nurseries and feeling intimidated. I think that is why i still haven’t completely finished mine yet. I keep finding more ideas and projects to try.
Elizabeth

I love it so much- has a cool vintage feel and the colors are lovely!
http://projectnursery.com/ Pam

Owen’s nursery is truly serene and peaceful. Very beautiful, thanks for sharing the photos and details with the PN community
http://littlebabymynatt.blogspot.com Brooke M

I love the colors and details in your little guy’s room! 2 quick questions- where did you get the burnt orange curtains? And the crib? Where is that from? It’s the exact shape I’m looking for!
http://www.flickr.com/photos/emmaliz/ Elizabeth

Brooke M,

Thank you! I’ve updated the “Project Details” section, so hopefully that’s a help!
http://themaganafamily2.blogspot.com Erin

It looks great! Where did you find the fan? We need one for our daughter’s nursery but I wanted to find something on the cuter side. Love the little white bear next to it also. Very cute!
http://www.flickr.com/photos/emmaliz/ Elizabeth

Erin,

The fan was one of those only-one-left finds at Marshalls! Love when that happens, but hate when I can’t give people better info for stuff I find! :(
http://www.bluebirdkisses.com bluebirdkisses

Beatuiful! We have a larger version of the samsonite suit case for baby J and we use it as his memory box. Its really one of my absolute favorite things of his. You did such a great job on your son’s nursery!
http://www.nestdesignstudioblog.blogspot.com Belinda @ Nest

Very sweet!
Kristen

I love this room. I was wondering where you got the crib bedding from, the colors are perfect.
http://www.flickr.com/photos/emmaliz/ Elizabeth

Kristen,

Thank you! The crib skirt and bumper are from Kenneth Brown’s “Jumping for Joy” line, which I found on clearance at Babies R Us, but have also seen on Amazon. The crib sheet is from Target, by Tiddliwinks.
pictureatale

Great color combination, so sunny and soothing! The blue nightstand is my favorite.
Melissa

Hello! Your little guy’s nursery is perfect! What is the wall paint color? Hope motherhood is treating you well. It’s a huge adjustment, isn’t it?!?!
http://www.flickr.com/photos/emmaliz/ Elizabeth

Melissa,

Thank you! We’re renting this house, and aren’t allowed to touch the paint… I have no idea what color it is! :(
http://caitlynmae.blogspot.com Caitlyn

This is so gorgeous, Elizabeth!
http://www.thestewdenver.blogspot.com Kate

Where is the tutorial got the mobile?? I love it!!
http://www.flickr.com/photos/emmaliz/ Elizabeth

Kate,

I’ve been doing origami since I was a little girl, so I knew I had to incorporate it into this room somehow! As for a tutorial… it was super easy! Just a stick, some paper, and fishing line :). If you need a tutorial on how to make a crane, you can try http://www.origami-fun.com/origami-crane.html
angela

the room is adorable! i’m considering one of those eames knock-offs (our little secret, ok?) and was wondering if you are using it for nursing and if so, do you find it comfortable?
http://www.flickr.com/photos/emmaliz/ Elizabeth

angela,

I actually never have used it to nurse, which is surprising to me now that I realize it… we’ve only used it for reading together and for his monthly pictures. I guess I can’t really judge its comfort fairly. I personally like how small it is, but I know that’s a complaint for some people. It’s also low to the ground. Obviously, throwing some cushions/blankets on it would make it more cushy. Sorry I’m not much help in the nursing department :/
Bedrest Barbie

Elizabeth,

Great room! My question is about putting the personalized letter on the fabric in the frames (which I hope you don’t mind me plotting to steal). What did you have to do to achieve that and how hard was it??
http://www.flickr.com/photos/emmaliz/ Elizabeth

Bedrest Barbie,

It was actually super easy… and all with paper! I printed the letters out on white paper, cut them out, and mounted them on scrapbook paper (cut into 8×10 sheets to fit in the frames). The fact that they’re cut and mounted actually looks pretty cool up close, because it gives the prints a kind of 3D effect – even through the glass, which was something I wasn’t expecting. I had permission from Jessica Hische at dailydropcap.com to print my letters. She sells prints of all her designs if you want to check out her website! :)
http://itsjusthowiseethings.blogspot.com/ georgia

oh, my! this is absolutely precious. NICELY done! very tasteful… not overly theme-y. just sweet and whimsical. LOVE it!
Brandi

Elizabeth, Beautiful room! Question about the crib, is that Carter’s Sleep Haven 3 in 1? Thx!
http://www.flickr.com/photos/emmaliz/ Elizabeth

Brandi,

It IS the Sleep Haven 3-in-1! Thank you… I couldn’t remember what it was, so that might be a help to other people :)
http://www.flickr.com/photos/emmaliz/ Elizabeth

Brooke M,

It was just brought to my attention that the crib is Carter’s Sleep Haven 3-in-1. Just thought you might like to know :)
Brandi

Elizabeth, Thanks SO SO much!! I did some heavy Google searching to figure out which crib it was! Buying mine today! Thanks again! And thanks for the inspiration!
Naomi

Your son has a beautiful, beautiful nursery. Congratulations.
http://www.trendypeas.com Patchi (Trendy Peas)

The room looks beautiful. Well done!
rcooners

the colors are gorgeous! love it
Alexis

How did you get just the bumper and the bed skirt? I can only find this bedding if I buy the whole set. I wonder if I could buy the set and then sell the pieces that I won’t use.
Elizabeth,
http://www.flickr.com/photos/emmaliz/ Elizabeth

Alexis,

I bought the whole set on clearance. I use the sheet that came with it as my “backup” sheet. I also use the comforter now that Owen is older. He loves that comforter so much more than his other blankets… I guess because it’s fluffy :). And the “fifth” piece of the set is just the box it comes in, which I cut up for the bottom shelves of his bookshelf/changing table. I guess you could try selling off the other pieces, or hope you come across the set randomly like I did for a steal :/. Mine was from Babies R Us, but I’ve seen the set at Marshalls before.
Bean

This room is lovely! Thank you for sharing, I am inspired!
Emily

Elizabeth,

I just ordered the same bedding and absolutely love your room! How did you “cut up” the box for the bottom shelves?
http://www.flickr.com/photos/emmaliz/ Elizabeth

Emily,

Haha… it really is just a temporary fix since it obviously won’t work once Owen starts crawling around and messing with everything. But… all I did was cut squares to fit the shelves pretty snug, then stuck them in there. I purposely cut them with the fold on the top couple of inches to make it easier to remove and replace them. The solid color ones were also made from the box; I just covered them with tissue paper. This was my quick-fix for covering up my junk in the bottom shelves… they’re full of my old books from when I was a kid that I don’t read anymore, but can’t get rid of. This solution is not ideal if you want to get in and out of those shelves pretty often, and obviously not practical for an older baby. I’m sure there are plenty of people on here with better ideas to cover up my yucky storage, but I was just going for “free” :).
Christy

Hi Elizabeth! I have studied each nursery on project nursery, but keep coming back to this one, you really did such an awesome job! I’m curious as to where you picked up the canvas bins on the bookshelf? I can’t wait to try to recreate your beautiful nursery!!
http://www.flickr.com/photos/emmaliz/ Elizabeth

Christy,

Thanks so much; you’re too sweet!! If you’re talking about the bottom shelves, those actually aren’t bins… they’re really pieces of cardboard cut to fit the holes… two of them I left as is (the cardboard is from the box his bedding came in, so it had the design already printed on it), and the other two I covered in colored tissue paper, just for a little variety. It’s actually kind of an embarrassing “fix” to my storage problem, but it works for now. Will definitely have to do something different once Owen starts getting into everything :).
(More details in the comment above yours)

IKEA sells plenty of options for these shelves, and I have yet to decide what I’m going to do with those bottom shelves… they have door options, bins, baskets (the ones on the top shelves), drawers… I would definitely recommend any of those over my sad little cardboard fix!! :D
Christy

Well it looks great!! You are very creative! Thanks so much for the response! It will take me a few months to finish my nursery but when I do, I would love to send you pics! Again, thanks for the inspiration!! :o)
Aisha

Your room is gorgeous. I keep coming back to stare at that diaper bag sitting on the green table. I love it. What type of bag is that and can I get it online??!
http://www.flickr.com/photos/emmaliz/ Elizabeth

Aisha,

It’s a Petunia Pickle Bottom (petunia.com) shoulder bag in “Turkish Sea Roll”. I believe this particular fabric is retired, but you might be able to find one if you do a little googling. If not, I’m sure you’d find something you love in Petunia’s current line… they have tons of gorgeous bags!

You may also want to sign up for their emails and wait for their clearance sale, when they get rid of discontinuing bags to make room for the new ones. That’s how I snagged this one at an amazing discount ;).
Aisha

Thanks for your reply. I’ll check out the Petunia Pickle Bottom website!
Julie

Hi!! Your room is absolutely adorable! Is the Birkeland dresser bright white or off white? I am also going with a white crib, but am finding that the Ikea dressers are an off white/cream. Thanks!
http://www.flickr.com/photos/emmaliz/ Elizabeth

Julie,

Thank you so much!
The dresser isn’t a pure bright white, but it’s the same white as the Expedit shelves, if that helps at all. It also matches the Carter’s crib… definitely off-white, although it’s not obvious unless you have something bright white right next to it. Safest thing to do is look at it in person, I guess! Hope that helps! :)
http://www.facebook.com/people/Blake-Dunaway-Fernandez/1313620703 Blake Dunaway Fernandez

what color are the walls???