Description
When we got pregnant, my husband and I agreed we wanted the sex of our baby to be a surprise. That meant we needed a gender neutral nursery. We found a few bright colors we loved, inspiration on pinterest and project nursery (where else), and put our craftiness to work.
Design Inspiration
It all started with the colors: gray, blue, and orange. We knew we wanted gray walls with a blue stripe (thank goodness for my husband's measuring and taping abilities). After painting, we decided white furniture would brighten up the room, so we bought a crib (thanks mom and dad), built and painted shelves and refinished an old dresser (the power sander and I became close friends during this project). From there we incorporated fun bright colors and patterns - orange polka dot rug, chevron blanket, blue table (refinished garage sale find). Lastly, we decorated, which was by far the hardest part as nail holes give me nightmares. We are absolutely in love with the finished project; I catch myself walking down the hall just to gaze at all of our hard work. It looks even more perfect with our adorable baby Ella in it!
Decorating Style
We lean towards clean, modern looking rooms with a DIY touch. We like to mix neutrals and classic pieces with bright colors and fun patterns.
Favorite Items
Months later, I still find myself gazing adoringly at three pieces: the song lyric art, the wall bookshelves, and the ABC picture. All three were a labor of love. I painted the song lyrics after my husband and I spent weeks listening to some of our favorite, meaningful songs, they are mini-messages to our children. My husband spent weekends in the garage building the shelves (and more) to help house my favorite past time: reading. And, the ABC print was cross-stitched by my mom and dad for my playroom when I was a baby.
Advice
Make the room what YOU want - don't feel pressure to have a theme or gender-specific color. Add personal touches, like the ABC picture, to tell your baby about when she gets older. Use pinterest wisely - it can be overwhelming, but it is a great source of inspiration. Remember, it's in your house, for your beautiful baby, so make it something you're going to love spending time in.