We spent four years trying for a baby. We tried naturally for a few years and then gave IVF a shot. Unfortunately, the first round of IVF didn’t work, so we decided to take a break for a month and then give it a second go. Within that month, we got pregnant naturally. Sofie Jeanne was born April 1st and we have never been happier.

When I was thinking about what kind of room to create for her, I wanted something that was cozy, but also peaceful. With all the hardship we went through to get her here, I wanted a place we could enjoy together that reminded me of what a wonderful gift this was to have for our family.

The colors I chose, subtle green and blush, where exactly what the room needed to take it from a dull pink to a comfy, cozy kid-friendly space. When I came across some of the baby animal themes in my research, I knew that’s what I wanted to make the room smile. Who doesn’t love looking at baby animals right? After coming across the removable animal decals on Etsy, I knew baby safari animals were the way to go.

Once I chose the color scheme and the theme, the rest fell into place. My advice to those thinking about a nursery theme would be to decide on the feelings you want the room to evoke first, then choose your colors, and finally picking a theme to help guide you. And also, if you have a closet with sliding doors, remove them.

As I started to think about how we were going to use the closet for a new baby, it was a last-minute idea to take the doors off. I felt like with the doors on, it kept the room feeling small and I had a hard time seeing everything in the closet, especially anything in the middle where the doors met.

When I removed the wire shelving, there were holes everywhere. Since baby girl was arriving sooner than later and I was very pregnant, I wanted a quick way to not have to fill every single hole. Adding a bit of peel-and-stick wallpaper from the clearance section of Target to the back of the closet helped make light of the workload and really made the open closet feel like it belonged. With a closet system installed, it now functions wonderfully and is easy on the eyes, too!

All in all, we have been using this nursery for about three months now and it has been a wonderful place to bond with our baby. It definitely exudes the serene vibes to read our little girl a story and calm her to sleep.