Description
Shortly after finding out we were expecting I saw a soft pink dresser with adorable gold hardware and had to buy it. I hadn't even thought of the nursery yet but right then I decided I would get the dresser and design around it. I love the softness of the pinks and ivory and the pop of gold was fun to work in. I also wanted to tie in our love of rescue animals so we had a few pictures done
Design Inspiration
Really the dresser was the inspiration. Pink is my favorite color and I wanted a room that was calming, comfortable, and not too busy.
Decorating Style
I like to combine different styles. Modern with a hint of vintage, clean with some pops of bright colors.
Project Details
After buying the pink dresser I then decided on what other colors to use. I went with ivory for a basic and gold for accents. The next thing I looked for was bedding. I found bedding that I loved on Etsy, but at $500 I was certain I could find something similar but less expensive. Well, I thought wrong! So, I ended up buying the fabric used in the Etsy bedding and my mother-in-law made it all. She also made the window treatments and a pillow to match. After deciding on bedding I went on a hunt for the second dresser to match the vintage feel of her pink one. My mom and I went to countless home furnishing stores and finally found a piece we loved! I did try changing out the hardware to also be gold but it was too flashy so I stuck with what originally came on it and felt like it all matched well enough. The two "must have" items I had for the nursery was a comfortable swivel recliner and a chandelier. The chandelier was purchased at a yard sale then spray painted gold, it was really simple to do! That's one thing I learned during this project, spray paint is amazing! I found a great chair on Amazon and as a bonus it qualified for free Prime two-day shipping! For her closet, I knew clothes organization would be key because this little lady had quite the wardrobe before she even got here! We got supplies to build her closet from Home Depot and I had adorable size organizers for her closet made off of Etsy. The storage baskets came from H&M baby and Ikea. I also bought spice racks from Ikea and spray painted them gold then hung them on the wall to hold her books. I didn't want the hang one huge mirror above her white dresser and I also felt like I needed a little more vintage feel in the room so I started going to flea markets and antique shops and purchasing old picture frames for really cheap. I spray painted the frames soft pink and off-white and was able to find a few that were gold to fit with her theme. I went back and forth on my feel for this wall before actually hanging the frames but once I hung them I absolutely loved it. One of my favorite things to do with Ava is hold her in the morning, show her her reflection in the center mirror, and say "good morning, beautiful!".
Favorite Items
My favorite item is the framed french bulldog on top of Ava's dresser. We have four rescue dogs and I work at an animal shelter so animals are close to my heart. Instead of a card, a co-worker painted a french bulldog to match the one we have and the dog is holding a bouquet of balloons. In each balloon is a note written from a co-worker to Ava. I love this idea and can't wait for Ava to read all of the notes when she's older! My co-worker did start an Etsy shop so if you're interested in purchasing something similar. I plan to have one made for my cousins baby shower so the guests can all write a note!
Advice
My advice would be to have fun! Don't be too critical of what you do, it will look great in the end and once your baby is in that room you'll forget about any little thing that didn't turn out exactly how you wanted.