Back in March I posted on Instagram that we’re expecting a baby boy in July! Which, among other exciting things, means I get to design my very first nursery. If you’ve been following my instastories you’ve already seen some of my plans for the space. When I realized last week that the timeline for the Spring 2020 One Room Challenge had been pushed back it seemed like a perfect opportunity to participate again so I would document the process and give myself a hard deadline for completion (my last blog post was actually the Spring 2019 ORC Reveal). I’m due July 30 and I’m starting to feel the third trimester slow-down, so making sure this project is done by the June 25 ORC reveal is just the kind of motivation I need right now.

Truthfully this project could not have come at a better time and I am very thankful for it. Back in early April, when the reality of COVID-19 and the timeline of the closures really started to settle in, beginning to plan and execute a series of home projects with the finished nursery as my end goal gave me something tangible to get excited about in the short term (of course I’m excited for the baby, but that felt like an eternity away at the time). Now that we’ve been mostly home-bound for two months and all of our other pre-baby plans have been cancelled or are on hold, having home projects to keep me busy on the weekends has given me sense of normalcy for which I am grateful. I knew it already, but this was confirmation that I am definitely happiest with a project.

OK, now onto the space I’m transforming. Keep in mind when you see these before photos that participating in the ORC was not at the forefront of my mind when I started this process…

Before (Kyle’s Dressing Room)

When we bought our house we knew the room next to our bedroom would be the nursery. I had a loose vision for it long before I was pregnant (getting pregnant took longer than we hoped so I had plenty of time to think about it). The bedroom is modest and typical for the second story of a Cape Cod, with low 7’6″ ceilings that slope on one side and a dormer window looking out onto the backyard. The architecture feels appropriately quirky and whimsical for a child’s space. My favorite part is the big magnolia tree outside the windows, and the slightly lower canopy of some other trees in our yard that make the room feel like you’re sitting in a tree house.

In each of the four houses we’ve lived in together, Kyle has always had a separate “dressing room” outside of our bedroom. That’s partly because we’ve never had enough closet space for both of us in our bedroom but also because he generally gets up and goes to work much earlier than I do and it always made sense for him to get dressed in a space outside our bedroom so that he didn’t disturb me or our pups. Up until recently he was using what we planned to be a nursery as his dressing room since it’s conveniently located right outside our only 2nd floor bathroom. One of our biggest tasks before we could begin the nursery was to clean out the room, as evidenced by the photos below. We also had to make closet space in a finished attic space off our bedroom so that we had a spot to put everything.

Cozy Green Nursery Inspiration

I pretty much had the same idea for the space whether we were having a boy or a girl. I envisioned a dark green space that felt cozy and friendly, with classic accents. I wanted it to be loosely dog themed because we love our pups and there are few things more pure of heart than the love a kid has for a pet. I figured I’d keep most of the big items gender neutral and go a little more “boy” or “girl” with fabrics and accents.

I’m drawing inspiration from a few sources and the final product will land somewhere between them.

The nursery below was designed by Erin Napier for her daughter and it’s the closest inspiration image I’ve found in terms of the vibe I’m trying to create in the nursery. It feels pulled together and everything works well, but none of it feels overly “designed”. It has a sense of age without feeling old.

I love the cozy dark green walls and gold and wood accents in this nursery by Jean Stoffer Design (and honestly I love the whole house!). It’s slightly more refined and formal than what I’m hoping to achieve, but I love the color and moodiness of the space.

The nursery below that Lindsay from White Buffalo Styling Company designed for her son shows a combination of blues and greens with vintage elements that I plan to use in the space. I’m also planning to do woven shades so that the window treatments grow with the room as much as possible.

I LOVE the Hygge & West wallpaper in the room below designed by Residents Understood. I love that the pattern is sweet without being overly precious and traditional without being too stuffy. Sadly wallpaper just isn’t in the budget for the nursery. I so badly wish that it was available in a fabric! Before I saw this space I was all-in on gingham and stripes for my fabrics in the space, but after I fell in love with the wallpaper I expanded my search a bit to include some slightly more whimsical prints.

To-Do List

I had every intention of including my design plan in this post since I missed week 1 of the One Room Challenge. But since the challenge is a little longer this go-round–8 posts instead of 6–and I’m a bit worried that my in-between posts won’t be very exciting (and I’m tired), I’m going to go ahead and save my design plan for next week. To give you a sense of what to expect here over the next few weeks, here is what I need to accomplish between now and reveal week:

• Finish painting the walls (dark green takes quite a few coats to cover)
• Paint the closet doors
• Order window shades
• Order fabric for decorative window valance
• Schedule electrician to replace ceiling light + add wall sconce(s)
• Put crib together
• Order crib bedding (why is it so hard to find affordable crib sheets in basic blue and white patterns???)
• Frame artwork
• Figure out bookshelf solution for next to rocking chair
• Finish and upholster ottoman
• Stay on top of rocking chair order status
• Hang window shades
• Build decorative window valance
• Hang art + accessorize

Continue to follow my progress via Instagram and make sure you check out the other great spaces that people are transforming as part of their own One Room Challenge!