When we found out our baby was a boy, I knew the nursery would be nautical. We used anchors on our wedding invitations, and I love the crisp, classic feel of white and navy. I also knew I loved the clean, bright look of white furniture in a nursery. We already had some nautical decor items in our guest room which I was able to move into the nursery, meaning we spent less on new accents. Finally, I wanted the nursery to have a more sophisticated vibe, and not feel too “babyish” or cartoony. Of course our budget wasn’t going to allow furnishing the nursery from PBKids, but their style was definitely a big inspiration.

Lessons Learned designing our nursery:

• An inspiration board is worth your time Taking the time to make and filter an inspiration board on pinterest allowed me to see what images I kept coming back to, and the similarities between them. I was able to define our nursery style and be more focused about what items to spend on to get a unified look.
• Save big with used items Craigslist is a great source for nursery items. While resources I read discouraged buying a used crib, there are many other items available. We found our PBKids wall-mount book rack for a fraction of the cost new, and I have also seen gliders and bedding sets available.
• Open a credit card and stack discounts If you are looking to purchase a larger furniture item, opening a credit card at Babies R Us is an amazing way to save money. We were able to add our glider to our registry, then open a credit card and receive both a registry completion discount and new credit card discount. Combined with gift cards received at showers, this made it possible for us to purchase our glider.
• The Clearance section is your best friend  Confession- I am extremely indecisive. I could spend hours looking at the nautical decor at T J Maxx trying to decide what would work best and where. Second confession- I am all about a good deal. So, while I would like to say it was impeccable taste that helped me choose these items, the truth is that it was often about price. Just a few of the items I found on clearance – starfish artwork (no way would I pay $59.99!), blackout curtains, lantern, canvas boat artwork, navy and white oar, driftwood whale wall art, side table (It was originally golden yellow but a steal at $29.99 then I just spray painted it gray).