Black crib

This project was inspired by Modern and Traditional elements. I really wanted to feel reminded of my childhood nursery for my daughter, while pulling in fresh and more modern furniture silhouettes. I chose to use houses as an influence in her room. Being an Interior Designer, this really resonated with me personally. Before we ever knew we were having a girl, we purchased the two art pieces above her bookshelf. I fell in love with them at a local art show and had to have them. Once we found out that we were going to have a little girl, the colors in these pieces became the beginnings of a color scheme for her room.
Advice to readers: I would say that a room design is a fluid idea. Find those core pieces first (crib, dresser, etc.) and let your design evolve as you build on to it. Also, find things that you love and want to see every day. You will be spending a lot of time in this room, so find things that spark joy!\
Photos by Jolie Jo Photography

I wanted to create a space that will grow with my son through many stages of life, not just the baby stage. We used a hand-me-down crib that was gifted to us by family, shelves were made by his grandpa, initial canvas was a DIY project by me, dresser was a clearance find at a local furniture store, mirror is from HomeGoods, rug is from RugsUSA, and glider is from target. I feel like we delivered a room that he will love for years to come!

Through the years, my mom and I have always been close. She always made me feel like I could share anything with her. We would usually have heart-to-heart conversations late at night, with a glass of milk and a few warm chocolate chip cookies. I hope to have that kind of relationship with my son. I just knew cookies & milk would be a fun theme for his nursery! We really gravitated towards black and white nurseries, so I knew I wanted to use a lot of black, white, and ivory details. We also thought it would be fun to throw in some cognac leather details to add a touch of masculinity to the room. We DIY’d the leather handles on the dresser and nightstand to match the storage bench to do just that! We also saved a bit of money by spray painting the chandelier from gold to matte black. Every time I walk into the nursery, it reminds me of the kind of mom I want to be. 🖤 🍪

Our house is surrounded by woodland and trees so I wanted our son’s nursery to showcase the animals he would see every day. I knew I wanted woodland themed.
I teamed up with Elisabeth from Etsy E Design shop Crowning Joie Designs. Elisabeth worked with me to bring my vision for a woodland themed nursery to life. I had seen Cedar Tree wallpaper on Project Nursery website early on in my pregnancy and LOVED it. This was our starting point/ inspiration and it went from there! the final result is a beautiful, mid century/ modern /Scandinavian /woodland themed nursery and its the nursery of my dreams!
My tips and advice are:
1. invest in affordable design help like Crowning Joie, it is a great idea to do this before you start to spend money… it really helps to have expertise, direction and insight for your vision, an Etsy shop like Crowning Joie is an easy, affordable way to do it. My final months of pregnancy and labour happened during Covid 19 Quarantine so I couldn’t get out and shop. An Online shopping list was key when I couldn’t go out and browse the shops.
2. Start with an item that you love and let everything else flow from there!
My little boy arrived in May and LOVES his room, especially the wallpaper!

Mateo’s room is full of DIY projects! I did the board and batten with the built in shelf, I made floating shelves and artwork, I painted the closet and made the white shelf. I also hacked the Ikea dresser with some dark paint and new hardware! My mom made me the beautiful quilt that is in his crib and she gifted me the hand crafter elephant head which is my favourite accent in the room! The print is from Jenny’s print shop and the diaper box was built by my husband. Lots of love went into creating this room for my brave babe. All the heart eyes for shades of green right now! xo

There is something so special about putting all of the little touches into what will be our second baby boys room. I remember doing the same when I was pregnant with my first son, and sitting in his nursery for hours thinking about who he would be, picturing him playing in it, and imagining the time we’d spend in there. It’s amazing to see that become a reality, and his bedroom is one of his favorite places in our home. I hope the same goes for this new little guy, because there’s been a lot of love put into creating this space for him as well.
My inspiration started with the “To The Moon and Back” sign, purchased the week that I found out that I was expecting. From there, I decided I wanted to stick with a black and white color scheme, with a theme of “the night sky” as my inspiration. Little by little I found pieces to achieve this– striving for both something modern and classic, but appropriate for a baby. I am so happy with how it turned out– as is my first born, who now spends hours playing in his brothers nursery!

This project is of the nursery I designed for our first child, Letty Grace.

This is the nursery that I created for my son Emerson.  Only a few items were purchased brand new; most were hand made by family and friends or refinished by me.  

Vivien’s nursery. Purple stripes, black and white accents.