Rory Lou’s Shabby Chic Mint, Pink and Gold Nursery

Description

This is Miss Rory Lou's mint, pink and gold nursery. It is shabby chic, vintage, elegant, and ultra feminine all at the same time.  To me, it  is a nursery fit for the girliest of girls.

Design Inspiration

Because Rory is my second daughter, I actually had a hard time feeling inspired to start working on her nursery.  I loved every ounce of my eldest daughter Ryan's nursery and so I felt overwhelmed at the thought of trying to create a space that was equally as beautiful yet unique to Rory while still using some of the key pieces of Ryan's room, namely the furniture and crib bedding.

I had always always always loved the peony wallpaper from Anthropologie and had been eyeing it for some time.  I also came across the mint dresser at the world famous Brimfield Antique Fair and when I saw it, I knew that mint had to be incorporated into Rory's room.  From there, my inspiration grew into the nursery that you now see.

Decorating Style

I would say that my decorating style is feminine, whimsical, shabby chic and vintage all in one.  I love to go antiquing while I also love modern stores like Home Goods and Restoration Hardware.  I aim to create spaces in my home that I WANT to be in.  As a stay-at-home Mom, I'm literally in my house all day and so when creating my children's rooms, I want to create spaces where we all enjoy playing and being in.

Rory's room was meant to feel like a good dream because when nursing a baby at 3AM, you want to be surrounded by something peaceful and dreamlike.

Project Details

The gorgeous mint dresser was a find at a local antique fair and the buffet turned changing table was a project that my Mom and I undertook together.  We found the old buffet at an antique store and refinished it by painting it white and replacing all of the hardware.  It turned out exactly how I wanted it too and it cost me hardly anything!

The mint green frame above the crib and the green square trellis in the gallery wall were painted and distressed by me using Martha Stewart chalk paint.  It really is easy to do and allows you to customize pieces in your room to fit your need, especially if the color you are looking for is a little different than the norm.

I found the mint dot fabric online and had my mom sew the changing pad cover and chair covers to match the room because I couldn't find anything that I liked.  Chair covers are a must if you go with a light upholstered glider to avoid stains from spit up and other things!

As an Etsy seller myself, I find that I'm drawn to other Etsy shops for home decor purchases and personalized touches in my home.  It's so fun to have unique one-of-a-kind decorative pieces and many shops will allow you to customize colors and are completely willing to work with your ideas.  I was thrilled with the shops that I found on Etsy to help me put the finishing touches on this room.

Wallpaper: Anthropologie

Pink Flamingo: Anthropologie

Deer Stuffed Animal: Anthropologie

Time to Turn In Crib: Land of Nod

Deer Clock: Land of Nod

Rug: Pier 1

Lamp/Shade: Pier 1

Rose Knobs: Pier 1

Crib Bedding: Restoration Hardware Baby

Deer Nightlight: Restoration Hardware Baby

Pink Oversized Bunny: Restoration Hardware Baby

Pink Curtains: Babybedding.com

Mint Fabric for changing pad/chair covers: fabricbubb.com

Glider/Ottoman: Babies-R-Us

Gold End Table/ Assorted Frames/ Gold Curtain Rods/Wooden Shelf: HomeGoods

Ceramic Mason Jars/ Green Wire Baskets: World Market

Quilt: The Dandelion Lane

Felt Flower Wooden Initial: The Felt Flower Shop

Deer Watercolor Prints: Fox Hollow Design Co.

Ribbon Mobile: The Glittered Barn

Personalized Hoop: Miss Tweedle Crafts

Square Glass Box: Target

Assorted Throw Pillows: Target

Floral Swaddle Blankets: Little Unicorn

Fabric Dolls: Handmade by my cousin

Favorite Items

It's so hard to pick a favorite item in this nursery because I seriously love every single piece however, I obviously was in love with the peony wallpaper from Anthropologie.  It is such a statement wall and draws the eye so well.

I also love the quilt that I made from my Etsy shop, The Dandelion Lane. It is a keepsake quilt that I know Rory will have forever.

All of the pieces in the gallery wall help complete the look, but the fawn watercolor prints from Fox Hollow Designs Co. have to be some of the sweetest artwork I've ever seen.

Advice

My biggest advice in achieving this look would be to be patient!  I spent many weeks/months searching for the pieces in this nursery.  I went to Home Goods more times than I care to count because they are always getting new things in.  To me, the hunt is part of the fun of designing a room.  Don't be afraid to stray from the overtly baby friendly stores.  Places like Home Goods, Marshals, Pier 1, Target, Craigs List, and antique stores all have great decorative items that work amazingly well in a nursery and can be used for years and years to come.

Gallery walls are great because they take up a lot of area in your room and help to fill an otherwise blank wall.  Incorporate all kinds of things like prints, personalized pieces, pictures, and more.  Lay them out on the floor in different configurations and take pictures so you can decide what looks best before pounding holes in your wall!

Buy handmade when you can.  The things that are handmade and customized will be the things that you want to keep forever and will likely make the biggest statement in your room.

Don't be afraid to mix and match prints and colors and even furniture.  Sure there are matching sets you can buy but so much of the character of this nursery is in the unique furniture.

Ultimately, just go with things you love and you can't go wrong!