Garden nursery

When I found out that I was pregnant with a baby girl it was a huge game changer for me since I was currently a boy mom.  There were so many things we could do!  I knew I wanted to go with gold and pink, but that was about it.  We bought a new house and expected to work on her nursery before she was born then life threw us a curveball… Baby Jordin arrived 6 weeks early on Christmas Eve.  She was in the NICU for only a week and was a very strong baby with the skinniest little bird legs and the nickname “J-Bird” came to life.  That inspired me to create a bird themed nursery which evolved into her love-bird garden haven.  Since we were incredibly unprepared due to her unexpected arrival and us moving into a new house, we decided to take our time and give her a photo shoot when it was completed.  So 4 months later her nursery is complete and now we have these beautiful photographs that we will treasure forever.  I used many products from the Etsy community which I myself am a part of and strongly support.  The photography was taken by Memories Through Time.
 
What I have learned is that when you are working on a project like this when you have expectations for the outcome…take your time.  If I had rushed this because she was a preemie, I wouldn’t have been as excited about it as I am now!

Almost everyday in the summer I pass by the most beautiful perennial gardens in the villages surrounding the area I live in. I had just finished my client son’s bedroom when she told me she was expecting again. So, when I found out she was having a girl, I instantly knew I wanted to create a garden inspired room for this little girl. Each element in the space was carefully selected to work with the vintage inspired floral fabric that was sourced for the window treatment. As much as the room is all about the pretty and feminine, it is also functional and was designed to grow with my client’s little girl as her needs change.
GARDEN ART & FAMILY HEIRLOOMS  The gilder was purchased on clearance and reupholstered in a trellis inspired fabric. The mobile was found on Etsy and the paper cut art is a custom piece created by a local artist. The pink milk glass lamps were in my client’s bedroom when she was a child and the milk glass dish, that acts as a catch all, was her mother’s.
A PLACE FOR EVERYTHING  Functional wicker baskets help to keep the change table organized and the upholstered message board is a great way to display tiny hair accessories. The originally white change table was was sprayed Stem Green by Benjamin Moore to add a bright pop of colour. The custom made canopy was designed to be used with a double bed after the crib is no longer needed.
DESIGNER TIP  When working with light pink do large test spot directly on the wall itself and in a corner. If the wall already has a colour, be sure to prime it first. Some pinks has a tendency to look like bubblegum so always start off with a white foundation, this will help you get a true reading of what it’s undertones are. In this room I also went a shade lighter because I knew we were painting all four walls and the colour would reflect off each wall creating a more saturated and desired finish.
Photography by Stephani Buchman

Originally, I was torn between two nursery themes: a simple clean modern nursery or a girly vintage chic one.  When I imagined the things I wanted to put in her nursery, many held sentimental value, and it became an easy decision.  I realize now, I probably went about designing her room backwards…but in the end, fell in LOVE with it!  I found the rug first, at TJ Maxx on clearance($99)…..but it was really hard to find bed linens that matched or did not take away from the beauty of the rug.  So my first DIY project was to make her bed skirt from a tonal brown striped fabric and some pom pom trim….when I say “make” it, what I mean is….iron some pom poms onto fabric with stitchery witchery and then attach it underneath the mattress with some safety pins. Her lime polka dot sheet is a cheapy from Target, and I added some bows to the bed as well….safely attached of course! A good friend of mine made her a gorgeous crochet blanket that matches her rug beautifully, it is really a piece of art!! Her bed($600) was the BIGGEST splurge for her room, and if I’m being honest it’s much nicer than my own!  It’s a convertible crib from Pottery Barn that should last until she decides to leave the nest!  Her dresser ($200) was from a vintage shop as well as the mirror($80).  I chose the rocking chair ($450) because it gave me a little bit of the modern feel, AND it was a neutral color, AND can be repurposed into another room later on.  Her curtains, are from Target ($40)…..I know of at least 3 more people that bought them for their nurseries after seeing mine….they had 3 or 4 different color ways.
Her ladybug mobile over the changing table was given to me by my husband over 15 years ago, he knows I like ladybugs…..it’s perfect because all gardens need ladybugs!  My Aunt gave me the Christening dress which I hung by the mirror because it was too beautiful to hide away in the closet.  Speaking of closet, it’s one of my favorite things about her room, a nice colorful surprise when you open!  I made the clothes organizers myself, and the center  of the flowers on the organizers are buttons my mom collected along time ago. Also in the closet are a couple of baskets ($30) from TJ Maxx to house extra bed sheets and clothes she outgrows. I made her a Name frame which hangs on her door, and used more of my mom’s buttons for the butterflies! I love making things…the little canvas with elephants as well as her framed Letter “L” above the bed are my creations too.
All the elephants in her room came from TJ Maxx…..her book rack is from there as well. My Aunt gave her the cute Twinkle, Twinkle Little Star Sign.  She has some doilies which you cannot see from a couple great grandmothers in her room as well.  And lots of books from when I was a child.  Even though these are merely “things” I like to think they have been passed on with lots of LOVE!
All in all, her nursery was under $2,000…not a low budget room, but also not excessively expensive.

Since we rent our place and can’t paint, I tried to create a happy and colorful space through the décor. Lots of bright colors and fun art!

I painted this sparkly princess nursery for a family in NYC. It’s painted in soft pinks, greens and purples with rhinestone and glitter accents.