Midcentury

In the jungle the mighty jungle is where you will find Sebastian exploring with his friend Zebra, Giraffe, and Lion!

When I found out I was having my 3rd boy I was a little disappointed haha, but ONLY because I really wanted to design a room for a girl with all the girly things! I was also really into the boho/rattan/neutral rainbows trend and all of that to me screamed girl. I went on a Pinterest hunt to find a boho nursery suited for boys and was a little underwhelmed. So I came to terms that this design will have to come completely from my own head (no pressure).
This room is small (6.5′ x 10.5′) and has no closet, so storage was key and most elements would need to play double duty to accommodate that. There are also two large windows that take up almost all of the wall space so even wall storage was limited. I knew my craigslist dresser would need to double as a changing table and finding an alternative to a closet was a must. I also found a petite side table that was perfect for storing late night feeding essentials as well as a beautiful, boho lamp.
One of my favorite elements we incorporated was the feature wall. I had seen similar walls in other designs but they were always painted a moody color (beautiful but not right for this space). I knew to keep the small room feeling as big as possible I needed to keep all the walls the same color, even more so because the wall color would already be broken up by the large windows. So I went with white on white and really loved how it turned out.
Layout was going to be tricky as I really wanted a chair included in the design. I knew a rocker would be out of the question, so something a little wider with a low profile is what I looked for. I found this beautiful rattan chair at Ikea.
As I started pulling in elements I wanted to be careful not to go too southwest looking or too feminine. As it started to come together I fell more and more in love and more and more excited for another incredibly special baby boy.
This is easily now my favorite room in the house and I often come in here to rest, decompress and just be still.
 

I recently worked with a photographer (https://www.sarasimonsonphotography.com/) for her daughter’s room. She wanted a princess vibe and used our Luxe Gold Fancy Acrylic Chandelier to heighten the glam factor, and adding that princess feel over her mirrored dress up area.

I wanted to go with a very calming (almost Scandinavian vibe) for the nursery. Lots of neutrals with my sage green accent wall and pops of pink. It has a little llama and cactus theme as well.

I knew I would be spending many long hours (day and night!) feeding our baby girl in her nursery. I wanted to create a space that was super comfortable, that I loved, and that brought me joy! I also wanted it to be a space that our baby girl would one day love and could transition into a toddler bedroom. I initially found the rug and designed the room around the rug. I also knew that I didn’t want the room to be overly girly and instead wanted it to be colorful and found that I was inspired by rainbows. I also spent a lot of time on Instagram, Pinterest, and right here on Project Nursery finding inspiration! I’m super proud of how it turned out. I hope you love it as much as I do.
 
Photos by Tyler Chase Photography (IG: @tylerchasephotography, www.tylerchasephotography.com)

when I found out I was expecting, I immediately started dreaming of nursery designs. My favorite piece of furniture is my mid century dresser I got at a thrift store years ago. I knew I wanted it to be the focus of this room. I was also inspired by my love of llama and cactus but wanted to incorporate it subtlety . I love the dreamy light that fills the room. I used Benjamin moore “cloud white” on the walls. it gives the perfect amount of warmth while still being neutral. I really enjoyed this project, so happy our baby girl is here finally.

This nursery project was lots of fun as shown throughout the colors – bright, colorful, happy and light (thanks to my hubby for going along with it!). Knowing we didn’t want everything to be “pink,” we tried to think of themes that would evoke imagination in our little one and draw up a variety of calming but bright colors. I stubbled across a book I had written as a 10-year-old for a school project. It served as inspiration for my soon-to-arrive (at the time) daughter’s nursery. Everything from “monkeys on the curtains” I credit to my 10-year-old self!
Hand-painted Artwork, Wall Color & Bedding
The entire project started with the hand-painted canvas above the crib. I love art but had never taken on a painting so large. It turned out better than I imagined after about a month of draft sketches. In addition, I snagged some items from Lilly Pulitzer for Pottery Barn Kids as soon as it was released. I knew that I loved the fun palm/elephant prints. Therefore, I wanted to make sure my painting would tie in with the assortment of Lilly things. In addition, my mom, husband and I landed on Dew Point by Behr as the perfect paint color.
Hand-Embroderied Framed Napkins
The small hand-embroidered napkins next to the large painting were done by the husband’s grandmother whom had recently passed. They were so pretty and knew I needed to frame them.
Whimsical Drapes & Wallpapered Diaper Bin
After seeing this amazing lemon drop nursery, I fell in LOVE with the drapery and wall accents. I discovered Spoonflower.com and really gravitated towards this fruity monkeys pattern from Esther Fallon Lau. With Spoonflower, you can choose a design and have it made into fabrics, wallpaper or wrapping paper. I created the hand-sewn drapes with the pattern. Don’t you just love the monkey curtain ties!? Before we moved we had purchased the wallpaper that matched the curtains. It is removable wallpaper that could be transferred and reused, but we didn’t have enough for a wall in the new house. I give credit to my mom for suggesting I use it in small bits on the diaper pail, and in focused artwork!
Heirloom Rocking Chair and Refurbished Dresser
I have always been a sentimental person and enjoy keeping things that have that special meaning, yet can be used in new and modern ways. My mother-in-law gave me the rocking chair – SAME ONE that my husband was rocked to sleep in as a baby! It perfectly ties in the dark, antique wood that was already present in the flooring and door frame. I gave it a modern touch with a white monogrammed rocking chair pad. In addition, we were given an old dresser that was my husband’s grandmothers. It had some wear to it and we found it a bit too small for our clothing. I knew this piece could be redone for our little girl. My father-in-law helped us sand and paint the dresser white, cut the legs (so it would fit right under the built-in desk area), and make the gold animal handles. The gold animal handles alone were difficult to get just right!
Monkey Lamp and Finishing Touches
My mother had found the monkey wall lamp online. I didn’t buy it right away until I found it on super discount (1/3 the original price) at Walmart. Picked out the perfect pink lampshade to match the wallpaper it would hang on. The wall lamp is probably my most favorite thing in the nursery! All of the other decor and finishing touches I credit to gifts from my wonderful friends and family (oh… and Homegoods). So many animal-themed things that just all worked!

My goal when designing this nursery for our son was to create a space that flowed naturally with the rest of our home, yet was infused with touches of kid inspired decor. Even though we found out the gender early on, I still wanted the space to be very gender neutral … avoiding the typical blue for boy and focusing more on a black and white color scheme. My husband is an incredible carpenter. In every room in our home, we like to have a special piece of furniture custom built. We fell in love with the West Elm Modern Crib and decided to use the matching changing table as inspiration for a custom built piece for our son. When I’m conceptualizing a space, I like to focus on making unique design decisions that are not only different than what you normally see, but are also very functional. That’s where my idea for what we call our ‘BARC Book Boxes’ came from. I wanted to create a unique way to display books in his nursery, so I had my husband build an indoor planter-like box on the window that all of his books can sit in! Can’t get more functional and creative than that! :)
My advice when designing a nursery is to focus on design elements you enjoy, since you will be spending a lot of time in there. Also, pick one piece, whether it’s the crib, changing table, or another element – find something you love and use that as the inspiration for the rest of the room!
 
Design: @barcbybrettandali