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Vintage Nautical Nursery

I grew up spending my summers at our family’s lake house, always out on the water either sailing, swimming or water skiing. The lake is where my husband and I met and eventually got married. It’s nestled in a small town in northern Indiana where the pace is slow and the people are friendly. Growing up I remember my mom used to take me to antique shops around town to find special, one-of-a-kind items to use as decor in the lake house. Our lake house and the small town in northern Indiana inspired the theme for our first baby boy’s nursery. The only item I really splurged on was the crib, because I knew exactly what I wanted. The rest (dresser, side table, book chest, wall art) I found at antique or consignment shops and refurbished to make them match my vision. The best part about the room is that the wallpaper is original to the home (built in 1969!) and it is just perfect.

Felix Nautical Nursery

Having worked with Felix’s parents twice already, to be invited back a third time was pretty special!
I had a great understanding of their style and knew we could try something a little bold….while still remaining a really classic base.
We started with the navy grasscloth wallpaper and added in a beautiful wainscoting base.  Little nautical touches throughout the space incorporate the family’s love with the ocean.

George’s Nautical Nursery

My husband and I love sailing and wanted our little one, George, to enjoy it as well, so we decided a Nautical-Themed Nursery would be a good fit for him.
We have Sail-themed fabrics, art, and details in the nursery, but it is not ‘cheesy’ as far as a theme goes in my opinion.
Since the space was small, I felt like too many colors would be hard to handle visually, so I went for an all-blue theme choosing various shades of blue so that it did not feel matchy-matchy.
I have a two year old, and I am so glad that I did not opt for a very baby-ish nursery for either of my children because the baby stage lasts very quickly.  So that is my best advice for designing a nursery: do not make it too babyish.
Also, because you spend so much time in the nursery, you should make it cozy, cheery, and your own taste.

Nautical Nursery

I have absolutely fallen in love with the way my son’s Nautical Nursery came out! It was was one of those rare occasions when the result matched the vision! I chose to do a true navy blue as I am a fan of strong bold colors and contrasts over soft pale blues. The room we chose for the nursery doesn’t get that much light so i decided to paint two thirds of the wall a bright white to brighten things up a bit. the chair rail sits a little higher than you typically see, but i wanted it to land above the headboard of the crib, and it helped to hide the less than clean line of paint where the navy blue met the white! I’m definitely a sucker for a good well pulled together theme, but i didn’t want anything that leaned too young – so i’m hoping we’ll be able to keep the decor for at least the first 5 years! I have a mixture of splurges and totally affordable pieces i found anywhere from PBK, Restoration Hardware to Hobby Lobby and Home Goods!

A Nautical Nursery with Modern Style

I love coastal style, but when it comes to nautical nurseries, many are often too cutesy for my taste. So I sought to create a modern, preppy space for my son by starting with some neutrals plus shades of deep blue and green, and then added nautical patterns and textures and some natural elements to his nursery design.
When it comes to decorating any room, I always start with one key inspiration piece and then proceed from there. By choosing a single piece that I absolutely love, I can use this as my guide for selecting the other furniture, decorative items, and anything else I need. For my son’s nursery, my inspiration piece was the adorable personalized oars artwork that I purchased from Minted. I just love that print — it’s sweet but also sophisticated and has beautiful, bright colors.
Per usual, I created this room on a budget. The IKEA Hemnes dresser was a Craigslist score (I swapped out the hardware so that it looked less IKEA-ish), the navy rug is from Safavieh which I purchased on Amazon for only $79, and I took advantage of sales and coupons to purchase other key items from retailers like Minted, Pottery Barn Kids and The Land of Nod.
You can see more photos and the full list of sources on my blog, Kate Decorates: https://www.katedecorates.co/decorating-ideas-tips/a-modern-nautical-nursery/

Crew’s Nautical Nursery

I didn’t have the luxury of nesting slowly, as we were in a tiny apartment while I was expecting and building this home. We moved in when my son was four weeks old, just in time to transition him to his crib! Without going too “theme-ish” (especially with the name CREW!) I wanted to pull together a look and feel that wasn’t too specific. It began with the sailboat mobile (the one and only item my husband fell pretty hard for!) and the room grew around that. The coordinates above his changing table are the coordinates of the hospital in which he was born, and the small watercolor print was created by a close friend. The wall color is Sherwin Williams “Sea Salt”.
Decorating without the actual space to reference meant there were a couple of surprises. Like it hadn’t clicked for me that when considering wall space and furniture arrangement, his double closet doors weren’t the folding kind — they were full size, swing-open doors. I love that style so much more, but it ate up some space along the south wall! Crew’s nursery was the first room we put together when we moved in and it instantly helped us feel we were settled in our home!

Nautical Nursery in Gray, Navy and White

When we found out our baby was a boy, I knew the nursery would be nautical. We used anchors on our wedding invitations, and I love the crisp, classic feel of white and navy. I also knew I loved the clean, bright look of white furniture in a nursery. We already had some nautical decor items in our guest room which I was able to move into the nursery, meaning we spent less on new accents. Finally, I wanted the nursery to have a more sophisticated vibe, and not feel too “babyish” or cartoony. Of course our budget wasn’t going to allow furnishing the nursery from PBKids, but their style was definitely a big inspiration.
Lessons Learned designing our nursery:

An inspiration board is worth your time Taking the time to make and filter an inspiration board on pinterest allowed me to see what images I kept coming back to, and the similarities between them. I was able to define our nursery style and be more focused about what items to spend on to get a unified look.
Save big with used items Craigslist is a great source for nursery items. While resources I read discouraged buying a used crib, there are many other items available. We found our PBKids wall-mount book rack for a fraction of the cost new, and I have also seen gliders and bedding sets available.
Open a credit card and stack discounts If you are looking to purchase a larger furniture item, opening a credit card at Babies R Us is an amazing way to save money. We were able to add our glider to our registry, then open a credit card and receive both a registry completion discount and new credit card discount. Combined with gift cards received at showers, this made it possible for us to purchase our glider.
The Clearance section is your best friend  Confession- I am extremely indecisive. I could spend hours looking at the nautical decor at T J Maxx trying to decide what would work best and where. Second confession- I am all about a good deal. So, while I would like to say it was impeccable taste that helped me choose these items, the truth is that it was often about price. Just a few of the items I found on clearance – starfish artwork (no way would I pay $59.99!), blackout curtains, lantern, canvas boat artwork, navy and white oar, driftwood whale wall art, side table (It was originally golden yellow but a steal at $29.99 then I just spray painted it gray).

Landry’s Nautical Nursery

My husband and I were both raised around water and we wanted something that would grow with my son. I got lots of inspiration from Pinterest and Project Nursery. My husband found the dresser and changing table online and used chalk paint to redo them. He also made the shelf and added the chair railing. We got the bedding, crib and Artwork from Restoration Hardware. My Dad made the rocking boat and him and my Mom made the sign behind the crib.

A Nautical Mermaid & Pirate Themed Bathroom

When decorating the kids bathroom I was looking for something cute but not cheesy!  I wanted the bathroom to have a kids feel to it but not have characters hanging off of the walls.  I was inspired by some hand painted signs that I had seen on Etsy.  Melissa from Twisted Home Accents put my ideas into action and the room turned out even better than I had imagined!

Blake’s Nautical Inspired Nursery

I wanted to create a cute little boy space without a “theme” that would grow from a nursery to a little boys room.  The room was inspired by the blue and grey rug and then we added some nautical items to give it a little character. The light grey walls are very calming one of my favorite parts besides the dimmable pendant lamp and the custom sign my husband made. I am so excited to share my design!

Navy Nautical Nursery

This is our version of our little captains quarters.  We wanted to create a calming nautical nursery for our little man.  We used greys, whites, navy, and a hint of aqua to transform this former extension of our master bedroom.  Batten board, dark doors, and vaulted ceilings all made this room fit for a little captain. I love that this room can grow with logan and we can add personal touches as he gets older.  A mixed of old, refurbished, and new items all blend together for a perfect navy nautical nursery.