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Rustic Chic Nursery (Gender Neutral)

Description

Gender neutral nursery for baby.  It was a real struggle at first trying to find a color scheme/design plan suitable for either a boy or a girl.   Finally I found some inspiration in an old bin of curtains I had lying around and ran with it.  Vintage pieces of furniture were reworked and I did a lot of recycling to get exactly what I envisioned... without spending a lot of money!

Design Inspiration

Our rustic chic baby nursery was actually inspired by the Rachel Ashwell, Shabby Chic, blue rose curtains I've had in my storage bin since 2002! When I bought them I thought they would make a great gender neutral addition to the nursery with a combination baby blue and floral pattern.  Living in Brooklyn there aren't a lot of outdoor spaces for baby to play and explore.  Using tree branches and potted flowers I tried to bring the outdoors inside for a rustic woodsy feel.

Decorating Style

Shabby Chic with a little bit of Arts and crafts, at least for this space.  I love DIY projects!  Almost all of the decor was handmade by me, including the crib sheets.

Project Details

  • Brand/ color of paint. Benjamin Moore color sundance 2022-50
  • Crib, Davinci Kalani in Ebony from Target I really wanted to stay away from wood so I found this great crib at Target. www.target.com
  • Furniture  The dresser and table on top are old pieces given to me by a friend's grandmother many years ago. I painted it black and white and changed the knobs to create an antiqued paint finish on the recycled furniture. I was searching everywhere for a nice rocking chair that didn't look like your typical glider. I found this Dorel brand rocker at Wal Mart. There is even a choice of slipcover color and matching ottoman. Total cost was $300 including shipping and it was easy to assemble and looks great.
  •  Bedding set The Shabby Chic curtains I've had for many years were taken out of storage and used as the window treatments. I recycled the extra curtain panels to make the crib sheets. Next I added the Red Gingham crib skirt and bumper by Tadpoles for contrast and added color/pattern. It was very inexpensive for both pieces and making the crib sheet kept the cost down, under $90.00 total for the bedding.
  • Window treatments, lighting, rugs, wall decor and handmade accessories.  For the lighting I wanted to do something that could function not only as a light source but also a mobile. I hit up Pearl River Market on Canal St in NYC for some paper lanterns.  Mixing in blues and reds made the initial base of yellow and white pop.
  • Shop Lanters: http://pearlriver.com/v2/index.html
  •  I used tree branches I collected from my parents back yard in NJ to accent the photos I framed and hung on the wall. I used photos I had taken in Asia, Europe and a photo of mom and dad so baby would know we were always watching over their slumber! The embroidery hoops I made with vintage fabric I found at a tiny fabric store here in Bay Ridge, Brooklyn.
  • The wooden letters I ordered unfinished from a seller on Etsy. I hand painted them in two colors then lightly sanded for an antiqued effect. The little framed watercolors I just painted one day to pass the time and just ended up working perfectly in the room.
  • The rug is from Urban Outfitters which is neutral and pretty. I wanted something that could easily blend into the room as well as tie it together.

Favorite Items

I love the sticks accenting the framed photos. They bring an element of the outdoors and my childhood into the room. I collected them from the yard where I grew up climbing trees, playing and exploring with my friends.

Advice

I guess my only advice is search for 1 or 2 items that really inspire you. If you build on to a strong base using things you know you love everything will just fall into place. Don't be afraid to try some DIY projects if you can't find that perfect piece you're envisioning.  You'll be surprised at how easy and fun any project can be also baby will have something unique and special  made just for them by mom or dad!

Diy Room Decor Boy | DIY Project at Home

Friday 10th of July 2020

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Saturday 29th of October 2011

Such bright and colorful nursery! I love what you did with the photo frames and those sticks. But the best part of your room? It's the fact that a lot of the design elements were DIY (because i love DIY projects too!) and you didn't spend so much just to make it a beautiful space for your baby.

misericordeme

Saturday 29th of October 2011

Hollyjwsmall,

Thank you!

Hollyjwsmall

Thursday 27th of October 2011

I love the rug!! Great job pulling this room together!

misericordeme

Thursday 27th of October 2011

Shea Lavander,

This rocker is great, i put it together myself in a half hour. I did order the cream cover, I like the ottoman as well but it was just too large for our tiny space. It's actually very comfy ultrasuede material and doesn't look cheap at all. Win, win! Thanks for the nice comment, I appreciate it!