You Are My Sunshine Nursery

Description

My daughter's "not-too-girly" nursery.

Design Inspiration

I was actually inspired by Dwell's Gio Lemon crib set, but unfortunately it was discontinued and I wasn't able to get it. So, i took the color palette of yellow, grey, plum and pink and went from there. I'm not a huge fan of baby pink, but it is hard to avoid getting pink things when you have a little girl. I thought when it was mixed with the other colors it looked so fresh and beautiful.

Another inspiration came from my mom. When I was younger my mom always sang the song "You Are My Sunshine" to me. I thought that the yellow and grey colors really played nicely on that theme. I created artwork with the lyrics to bring that memory into my little girl's nursery.

Decorating Style

I love contemporary and modern design. I wanted a neutral on the wall with some fun bold pops of color in the accents. I love simple lines in most of my decorating but I also brought some nice curvy elements into the nursery to make it more playful and girly.

Project Details

We were on a tight budget so I ended up making a lot of the things myself. Since I was unable to get the Dwell crib set that I wanted, I decided to make my own crib skirt. I purchased a bunch of different fabrics from Fabrics.com and began sewing curtains, pillows, a crib skirt, reupholstering the storage bins under the side tables, and making a cover for the cedar chest we had in the room.  We bought the vinyl wall decal of the trees from Etsy seller NouWall. I think it made such a statement on the crib wall and I don't have to worry about anything falling off the wall into the crib. My husband and I actually enjoyed putting it up too! The mirror above the changing table we purchased from Ikea, but spray painted to bring more of the plum color into the room. I also painted the little stool in the room that I had bought from a yard sale. The mobile was inspired by the one featured on spoolsewing.com. It was a great way to tie together all the fabrics I had gotten for the room. Lastly, I am obviously a huge Project Nursery fan and have been inspired by tons of projects I have seen on here as well. One thing I saw in a few of the rooms and was on my wish list from the beginning was the wicker elephant hamper. My sister surprised me with it at my shower and I was so excited to get it into the room. I think it brings a touch of whimsy into the room and looks just perfect!

 

Favorite Items

It is really hard to pick, but I think the decal makes a HUGE impact. I would also say that the elephant stuffy shown in the crib was another big inspiration for the room. I wanted to bring elephants into the room without having an "elephant theme". I found that cute guy at Ikea long before I knew the sex of our baby and long before we started designing the nursery.

Advice

Find an inspiration piece and go from there. Don't limit yourself to what is at the baby stores. Look everywhere for pieces that could work with your colors/theme and don't underestimate the power of a little paint and elbow grease! Most of all, have fun making the perfect space for your little bundle of joy!