*ad- affiliate links used
In late 2020, as I grew ever nearer to my due date- one of the last things we had to think about before little A came along was changing the office and spare room into a nursery. Being a complete interiors novice, I was more than a little bit overwhelmed with where to begin, and although I’d put in the hours of saving images to secret Instagram collections, wasn’t really sure where to begin.
Since moving into our home in 2017, we’ve done very little in the way of decorating or completely switching rooms up- so despite how easy a room makeover can look on Instagram, I felt a bit out of my depth.
Forward to now, it’s surreal to think it’s already been over a year since we decorated this special room, and although it’s functionality is already changing as little A gets older; I wanted to share a little look inside at some of our favourite corners and how we got to where we are. I know soon we’ll probably have to start thinking about wardrobes, and then changing the cot to an actual bed (!) but for now, I thought I’d share where we are- and maybe in a year or two I can do a little update too!
But! It all started with a mood board. I’d seen the Ottoline wallpaper around; and fell in love seeing it in the children’s bedroom of Clare O’ Connell, so that very much acted as a starting point. After weighing up between these stripes and something a little brighter; we decided on the sweet sunshiny lemon which acted as a bit of a pull for everything that followed. I also knew that I wanted to follow on some of the mid-century nods throughout the house and sat on Etsy looking for rocking or nursing chairs. Initially, it was just the lamp, chair and wallpaper that formed the basis for everything and made pulling together things a lot easier.
(Camera, Striped Jumper, Hat, Jacket)
(Changing Basket, Changing Mat, Rocking Horse, Gingham Pyjamas, Letter Hook)
Plus, I’ll be honest here and say we also enlisted the help of our very talented interior-design friend Sam at this point (and Papa P on wallpaper duty), who helped guide us through all the things we were unsure about- from whether to wallpaper the whole room and how that could make it feel smaller or bigger, what colour to paint the cupboards (we settled on Aquamarine Mid by Little Greene for the woodwork and Farrow & Ball’s Slacked Lime for the walls), what colour curtains might work and how to make things practical for the space as well as pretty. She did such an exceptional job and suggested the idea of filling the chimney breast with a faux fireplace too, which I’d never have thought of but absolutely love. We have a fireplace downstairs but were quite unsure about how to use this central space, but by picking up a second-hand surround on Etsy, loved how painting it and fixing it to the wall gives the room so much character, and makes it feel really fluid with the rest of the house.
With the shelving and cabinet already in the room, for us it made sense to make this our changing area (or, ahem, primary Paddington museum unit), which until pretty much now (where the small man wriggles pretty much anywhere he’s being changed) has made the perfect space for a changing basket- and amazingly, was just the right height for us both to bend down for nappy changes too (with all of his bits in the cupboard underneath). In all honesty, I didn’t think we’d be using it for so long as a changing area- but now we just rotate the basket when we need somewhere quick to change him (obviously supervised) and it still does a pretty lovely job.
In regards to the window corner, I knew from the get go I wanted a nursing chair that would last longer than the night feeds, and perhaps be something that could adapt and grow with our home and family. I’d seen this mid-century one on Etsy which was one of the first things I’d picked for the room, and it’s been the perfect companion for milk feeds in the hazy early days to bedtime stories as Arlo grows older too. My best friend Gemma also made the incredible letter cushion, so it sits pride of place there too- she’s a talented one!
In terms of the other bigger pieces of furniture, we decided on the classic IKEA cot (despite looking at so, so many)- which has been fantastic. It was easy to lower, is sturdy and just does a really solid job. We weren’t sure whether to get a cot that would convert into a bed, but are really glad we opted for this for now. We have also been using this Wayfair chest of drawers for Arlo’s clothes which has been perfect for folding everything into, and the IKEA picture ledge for a few little trinkets and books above his bed.
(Hot air balloon, Letter blocks, Light, ‘A’ print)
(Globe light, Small side table)
One recent purchase I’m so happy with is his little wall-mounted bookcase from Great Little Trading. Co. I’d seen the fab Francesca with one, and loved the thought that Arlo could have it at his height to select a story each night. It’s been such a lovely addition to the room, and Arlo has loved pulling out his favourite books and sitting by it for a story (or two, or three or four) during the day.
I know there’s a *lot* of other individual things shown in these pictures, and I’ve tried to list everything underneath where I can- but I hope this gives you a little look into how we made switched this space from a little office to a nursery in a short space of time. It’s comfortably my favourite room in the house, and I’m excited to see how it evolves (and inevitably becomes filled with lots more red, green and blue plastic)!
x
1 Comment
Danielle
March 18, 2022 at 7:56 pmIt is ever so cute!
Danielle | thereluctantblogger.co.uk