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Rhett’s surf retreat

I wanted to keep this fairly neutral so it would be easy to transition into a big boy room as Rhett grows and starts developing his own likes/interests. I learned with my first child that using a dresser as a changing table is an easy way to stretch your use and money, as the dresser will work long after he outgrows diapers. Our favorite place as a family is on the coast so this easy breezy theme has some art work from our favorite vacation spot, so not only is it peaceful and relaxing but it has some sentiment as well. Just mix and match pieces from everywhere including IKEA, Etsy, Target, and TJ Maxx.

Hawaii Inspired Nursery

Growing up, my family and I spent every summer in Maui, HI (I even took my first steps there!).  We continue our annual visits to this day, only now with all of our families.  We have so many wonderful memories there and I love the immediate feeling of peace and relaxation when the plane lands in Kahului.  When my husband and I found out we were pregnant, I knew I wanted to create a little sanctuary for our baby boy that echoed those feelings.  I wanted to keep it crisp and clean, but also bring in some bright colors, just like Hawaii.  I found these amazing prints by artist, Nick Kuchar of all the places we love on the island.  They had a playful and vintage flair, and I knew I wanted to design the room around those prints.  The other items that we selected played off the color palette that Nick used in his prints, and gave the room a cohesive look.  I especially love the ombré mobile which reminds me of the beautiful blue ocean.  We absolutely love how Owen’s paradise came together!

Vintage Boho Modern Surf Beach Nursery

As soon as we found out we were having a baby boy, we set about turning our girlie guest room into the perfect nursery for our little man!
To start we had the carpet ripped out and dark wood flooring installed.  Then my amazing fiancee installed trim around the windows and closet.  While painting the room, we took the closet doors off and I decided to leave them off and hang crochet curtains instead to make the inside of his closet more visible.  This made the smaller room seem more open and spacious.  My fiancee also installed low lighting in the closet which will be perfect for all those late night diaper changes :)  Once the paint was dry, we put up several rows of pineapple decals to make a fun background for the closet.
Next, we hired a local professional to put up the wave wallpaper on the accent wall behind the crib.  Our last big DIY for the room ended up being the bamboo window shades.  I knew I wanted bamboo shades to go with the boho beachy vibe, but couldn’t find any that didn’t let so much light through….which is a deal breaker for a nursery where a baby will be sleeping during the brightest part of the day. :-/ Luckily I ended up finding some black out material from Home Depot and again put my handy fiancee to work re-threading all three bamboo blinds with the black out backing material and Ta-da! Perfect custom window treatments for the nursery minus the custom price tag! ;)
My advice when designing your nursery would be to find something that inspires you….whether a unique piece of furniture or a cool piece of art…and let it guide you for the rest of your room.  Also don’t forget to use things that have sentimental or personal meaning to you and your partner!
I knew I wanted to do a wallpaper accent wall and after a late night Pinterest session I ended up finding the most amazing wave wallpaper I knew I had to have!  While out shopping with my mom I found a vintage surfboard and ordered some other vintage beachy treasures on Etsy to decorate the room with. We also had to incorporate our love of VW buses in the room as well!  We had fun picking out photos we took on some of our beach vacations as artwork in several of the frames, and also used souvenirs and mementos we collected on our travels this summer as decorations throughout the room. All of these things came together and we ended up with this beachy/surfer/boho/vintage/modern nursery that we love being in and cannot wait to bring our baby boy home to! :)