We always knew we’d want a 3rd baby someday. But we always planned on having only two kids bedrooms. I love the thought of my boys (16.5 months apart!) growing up together sharing a room, bunk beds, giggles, the whole shebang. But we decided since both kids rooms are upstairs and our bedroom is downstairs, it doesn’t make a ton of sense to put a newborn baby up there right away. Luckily, there is a little home office right across the hall from our bedroom. So bye bye (awkwardly shaped) office, hello tiny little nursery that I’ve always dreamed of. Well, for a year or so at least. Read on for more about the space and my plans!
Designing an Office First
Here’s the thing; when we move into our new house, we really want to enjoy it. I commend the home decor influencers that are constantly redoing their spaces and then redoing them again and again and again to create content. But I’m about to have 3 babies and a brand new house. Creating projects for the sake of content isn’t going to be my story. So I want to make sure whatever we do to this temporary nursery can easily transition to our office space down the line. When thinking about what we wanted the vibe of our future office to be, we both agreed that we wanted a dark study feel. So that is what I kept in mind when I started this design process – a dark, moody, GIRL nursery. And I was quickly inspired.
The bottom line: Don’t design just to undo – making decisions for the long term lets you enjoy your home.
A Touch of Bold Whimsy
Feminine, but strong. Elegant, but whimsical. Bold, but classic. All of my dreams for this nursery came true when I found this wallpaper. The jewel-tone, oversized butterflies and dark moody green backdrop got me immediately. To be honest, the moment I saw this wallpaper I stopped looking. When you know you love something, trust your gut – otherwise you will be scoping out options forever. We’re going to hang the wallpaper behind the crib – it will sit in a small little niche, so overall we’re only wallpapering about 6 feet of wall space. The wallpaper is also peel and stick so we can easily remove it when baby girl moves upstairs. As for the rest of the walls – we loved the dark backdrop on the wallpaper so much, we are going to color match it. That way, the room feels like a cozy jewelbox and the wallpaper (while definitely an accent) will blend seamlessly with the space. Which – we will keep dark green for the long haul. Win, win, win. While we haven’t settled on the EXACT green yet, Essex Green is looking like a contender. I’ve included a snapshot of some of my FAVORITE moody dark green paints below. We will also be installing box paneling on the wall opposite the crib, which will eventually house a long, wall-mounted desk. So we will keep those measurements in mind so the room can easily transition to an office down the line.
The Bottom Line: If it speaks to you, it’s meant to be. Stop looking and trust your gut.
Make New Friends, But keep The Old
3 babies in 3 years. Yeah – it’s safe to say I have a LOT of baby stuff. So I won’t be starting from scratch in this sweet room. Baby Girl will be sleeping in Hart’s old gold crib, and I’m moving the cognac leather tufted rocker in from Smith’s room as well. In addition to well-loved baby items, there will be a few vintage items making an appearance. Some new to me, some in my family for years and years! I wish I had a picture of the armoire – it’s buried in storage but you’ll see it soon enough! My mom got this piece at a thrift shop in the 70s, and it was old back then! I have big plans to refurbish it, paint it (probably the same green as the walls, maybe black!), and turn it into functioning, beautiful and sentimental storage. I’m also going to be using a mirrored side table that was in my niece’s nursery 8 years ago as an accent piece! And I’ll round out the space with new (old) vintage textiles – the most perfect rug in the world from Revival Rugs and beautiful pillows from Xasmin Interiors. I think it’s important when you’re creating a new space (and my whole house is new!) to layer in character and older pieces as much as possible to make the room feel lived in
The space may be tiny and oddly shaped, but I know these personal touches and bold design choices will make the space perfect – even if only temporarily. Now let’s just hope the house is done in time to bring baby girl home to her new room!
