The title of my post is a complete contradiction, yet after discovering this charming inspiration board that uses Ikea accessories, retro chairs and vintage elephant framed art, it makes perfect sense!

Jenny created this beautiful inspiration board to inspire her dear friend Anna. Anna recently moved into a new home and needed to come up with a design for her children’s shared (boy/girl) nursery. Jenny must be a super friend because she even spied cool chairs from Anna’s local craigslist - mind you Anna lives in a different city! You can learn more about the gender-neutral details (from fabric to ricrac) and Jenny by visiting her darling decor blog Little Green Notebook.

Tags: Baby Nurseries, Design Boards, Gender Neutral, Twins

Cassie is a seasoned blogger, Etsy shop owner, graphic designer and crafter who officially added the title of Mom last week as she and her family welcomed Perry Avery into the world! Cassie’s nesting time was well spent creating a soothing, bird inspired nursery. “For the baby’s room, we decided to keep it understated, clean and modern with a folksy twist. I wanted a room I could personally seek refuge in and not just a character-themed nursery he would outgrow in a couple years…I’d say the room currently reflects my own style and not necessarily that of a baby boy.

The color inspiration came from a quilt Cassie made a few years back and the crib/crib bedding comes from Walmart. Fearing that the notNeutral wall decals wouldn’t properly adhere due to the room’s textured walls, Cassie created her own version with a quart of paint, stencils made out of card stock, and a roll of masking tape. The green paint on the wall is Valspar 6003-3B Martinique Dawn in eggshell and the green used for the mural is Valspar MS245 Spiny Sea Urchin in semi-gloss. For more DIY details, visit Cassie’s sweet blog “Twittering Bird“. Oh, and we must boast that Project Nursery inspired the darling, complimentary handmade bird mobile!

Cassie believes that anyone can easily customize anything with a couple quarts of paint and a few yards of fabric! We wanted a dresser instead of a changing table, so the little guy could use it for years to come. We were on an ikea budget and weren’t quite satisfied with anything we saw until we spied this dresser. It’s solid wood but the colors were anything but exciting, so we figured a few quarts of paint would be the perfect solution. The exact colors of the dresser are: Valspar 5004-9C Beach Sparkle (blue) and Valspar 6010-4 Amazon Silt - both in semi-gloss.“

Just one simple curtain panel provided enough fabric to make two valances. And the best part - The fabric was found on sale at Target for only three dollars! The dresser and shelf are both from Ikea. Some of Cassie’s favorite finds include the Amy Ruppel print (their first purchase once pregnant), the inflatable “Rody“, and the Bla-Bla knit toys.

Best wishes to both Cassie and baby! Thank you for taking the time to share with us. We hope you enjoy many peaceful nights in your beautiful nursery!

Tags: Boy, Gender Neutral, Inspiration, Paint, Wall Art

Loyal Project Nursery reader Tammy requested some design inspiration geared toward a safari-jungle theme for her future cub. Tammy describes her style as “Transitional”: Contemporary meets traditional. She wants an eclectic feel with warm earthy tones. Mom has already selected baby’s bedding with a jungle theme and fun, plush fabrics. The walls are tan and baby’s furniture is a natural finish. And Oh yeah! She’s not finding out the sex of the baby!!!

Themes…hmmm…we admit, we have mixed emotions about themed rooms. It’s waaay too easy to go overboard. So then, how to create a fun, vibrant theme for your child’s room without going O.T.T.? We are roaring to share what we at Little Apple Design came up with…

Our picks:

1. Mom’s inspiration: Beautiful Wild Safari crib bedding and rich textures (including ”Minky“) from Carousel Designs.

2. Something bright and jungle like: These Abaca Pendant Lights add a contemporary, earthy feel. Already have a ceiling fixture? Hang these in a cluster just above your rocker. While West Elm doesn’t necessary sell kid furniture, they are a great resource for cool kid design that your little one can grow into.

3. Such a popular pic from the Flickr Pool. What a great idea as an alternative to the common wooden wall letters above the crib. Collect nature from your backyard and bring it inside with homemade art.

4. Yes, another West Elm find but check out the amazing, subtle design of these Canterbury window panels close up. Natural Cream is a clean look and won’t clash with the crib bedding.

5. A 5-foot tall Giraffe by Melissa & Doug is what every child needs to complete their wild safari themed room. This would make an excellent baby gift (Hint, hint).

6. Monkey Tree Mobile found at Modern Tots adds some whimsy and imagination above the crib OR above the changing table.

7. Okay, so mom and dad want a comfy chair that reclines AND glides without spending a fortune. Go Dutailier at CNS baby. I know it’s sooo nursery but you’ll like it and if you have more kids you’ll get great use out of it. Take the lead from Becoming-Mom and throw a fluffy sheep skin over it to cozy it up and prevent fabric damage.

8. A shag rug is a must. How much fun will tummy time be in shag!

9. And our personal favorite! Wall decals by Elly Nelly found at Fawn & Forest. They don’t have to be clustered or take up the whole wall. Instead they can be used as a border across one wall or even better, spruce up a piece of furniture. Remember, they can be easily removed when your theme changes.

Tags: Gender Neutral, Inspiration, Safari

Inspired by Potterybarn Kids’s “Alphabet Soup” crib bedding: A sweet, simple, gender neutral nursery for baby to be.

The other week we showcased H’s (all boy) playtime nursery. H’s adoptive family also knew they would be welcoming H’s biological sister shortly there after. Without knowing the sex, they turned to cool, gender neutral crib bedding for inspiration.

Sarah tells us that she ”started with the “Alphabet Soup” crib bedding from Pottery Barn Kids purchased off Ebay(PN note: LOVE Ebay as a “NIB”, PBK or RH resource!) and pulled the colors featured in that bedding to use in the rest of the room.  The room features light green walls with red and light blue accents.  We fell in love with, and splurged on a matching elephant rocker from Babystyle which we love!  Also used in this room are framed alphabet wall cards from EEBOO which we feel adds a touch of whimsy.”

Little sister A is now a beautiful, active 10 month old girl enjoying her lovely room and lucky family! We wish the H family all the best as they are in the home stretch of their adoption process! Now if they could just build a playroom we all could admire…..

Please send us your inspirational nursery, toddler or play area accomplishments to melisa@littleappledesign.com

Tags: Gender Neutral, Green, Rocker

Congratulations Project Nursery reader Johanna and her husband Gustaf on welcoming twins Casimir (8 lb / 20.5 Inches) and (Casper 7 lb 10 oz/ 20.5 inches) into the world this past Friday…WOW! The boys are very fortunate to be coming home to a most spectular nursery!

A “little less baby and a little more fun” was the route style-savvy parents took to create the nursery.  They did a wonderful job mixing family favorites with bright colors to create a room their boys could grow in. Johanna, shares with us all the yummy details…

“As they say double the fun…but also double the stuff! We had to ensure that we had enough storage so we could keep the room nice and tidy. Thus, my husband built the closet out with IKEA PAX. We complemented it with an IKEA HEMNES dresser which was made into a changing table. We also customized the dresser with specialty knobs from ANTHROPOLOGIE to give it a new spin.

We gave the boys each an IKEA BILLY bookcase. Since I collect model Fiat500s, I received these for each boy as gifts. I also bought them one each on our last trip to Rome. Instead of a rocker, we included a small loveseat (also IKEA-EKTORP) so both of us could feed the babies at the same time. The cribs were bought at GIGGLE. They are the OEUF SPARROW. The organic bedding is from GAP, and this is where we decided to incorporate the navy blue.

The paint color is SHERWIN-WILLIAMS, yellow twist (It’s HARMONY INTERIOR with low odor and low VOC, perfect for children’s rooms). We had the painter paint horizontal stripes to make the longest wall look longer, and also break up the yellow throughout the room. We found the rug at WEST ELM. It has a great repetitive pattern that freshens up the entire room.
Curtains and accent pillows are from POTTERY BARN. Both the waste basket and toy basket are from THE LAND OF NOD (Thank you Project Nursery!) including the airplane curtain rod that goes with their “boy” theme of airplanes (their grandfather is also a pilot!).

The frames over the cribs are my husbands from when he was a baby. They are 19th century Swedish Military portraits. We reframed them for a softer look. The mobile was actual a wedding gift to us that we decided to put in the boys room. The vintage airplanes are subtle and don’t have that plasticy look that many baby toys now have.”

So very fresh, fun and fascinating! We love absolutely everything about the twins “Lemon Twist Nursery”! Thank you so much for taking the time to share with us. We wish you and newest members of your family all best!

Tags: Baby Nurseries, Gender Neutral, Ikea, Inspiration, Twins, Yellow