Vintage Inspired Classic Soft Pink Nursery

Description

A soft pink nursery with an elegant, enchanting, and tranquil feel with vintage inspired touches throughout. I wanted a place where Anna's imagination could soar, and she could dream.

Design Inspiration

I knew I wanted a soft powdery pink room with white accents, and a classic feel. I got a lot of inspiration from Pinterest, there are so many beautiful nursery projects out there!

Decorating Style

In all areas of our home, I naturally gravitate towards more of a classic look that will stand the test of time, while adding an occasional texture, pattern or piece to keep the look from feeling too dated.

Project Details

I began with our paint color. I knew I wanted the room to be a very soft powdery pink with white detail. After researching pink paints because they can be tricky, I decided on Benjamin Moore's Pink Bliss. From there, I began looking at furniture and bedding.That was a journey of it's own. I would go to different fabric stores and just group swatches together to see if any of them gave me the feeling I was looking for. I kept gravitating toward white matelasse. I wanted true white because I knew I would eventually have to bleach something. I ended up using a lady locally who has a small business, Rio Rockerz, making custom furniture and bedding. We also used her for our glider and ottoman (it glides too). The best part about the chair and ottoman are they are both entirely slip covered, the fabric is durable and machine washable. Bring on the messes!

We ended up using Restoration Hardware Baby for several pieces throughout the room, the crib, dresser, chandelier, and frames over the crib. I soon gave up my "every detail must be stark white" attitude and began to let go. Some battles aren't worth fighting, and surprisingly I like the fact that many of the whites in the room are different.

For the windows, I knew what I wanted, it was just impossible to find with out going custom and overpaying for something so simple. I ended up finding the White Canvas Panels from West Elm and the drapery rod from Home Depot. I hung the drapes at just below ceiling height to give the room a taller feel. The tie backs I made myself.

Favorite Items

While I absolutely adore the nursery, and what the furniture and details bring to it as a whole, I do have several things slightly scattered throughout that I love, love, love! My favorite piece in her nursery is the pastel vintage hot air balloon model hanging over the glider. My husband and I lived in Paris, France for the first two years of our marriage. One day we saw these in a toy store there, and I knew I wanted to use these in either a nursery or playroom. I searched on line and found it on the Authentic Models website and ended up buying it from a supplier on Amazon. We came close to placing it over the changing table, but decided at the last minute to put it over the glider. I think it's perfect there! I also love the vintage pink pedal plane my father bought for her. It's his first grandchild! She won't be using it for a while, but it's just so fun!

Also, there is a sweet child-size rocking chair my husband is refinishing as a side project. It belonged to me when I was little, and it my mother's when she was a child.  I also have small Beatrix Potter figurines scattered throughout her nursery. Some are from my mother-in-law's travels, and some from my grandmother's. We recently went through my grandmother's estate, and found several of these from one of her trips to England. I thought using these pieces in Anna's nursery were a sweet way to let my late grandmother have a special place in her life.

Advice

Decorate using things you love, that are functional and that will make you smile when you see them. Also, do research, use the internet and word of mouth to find the best quality and price. Sometimes I feel like pregnant women are easy targets to take advantage of when they walk into a store, baby furniture or otherwise. If you can't find anything you like, don't be scared to do something yourself, or find someone who can help you. Lastly, leave no stone unturned. While we did use RH baby for main pieces, and had custom bedding and a glider, there are also pieces from Walmart, Target, Michaels and Overstock.com, that I definitely feel like we got a bargain on!