S
ince we closed on our home just five days
after Anabelle, my two year old, was born,
I had months of nesting that I was not able
to satisfy. Even though we actually hardly
used the nursery, it was the first room that I
finished decorating!
We have an old home in the heart of our town. Upstairs, we
had a small room with wood floors in need of a refinishing
job, but well preserved from being covered with carpet, it
had a chimney in the middle of one of the walls and a closet
with a missing door. To me this all screamed character and
I just knew, with a little creativity, it would make the perfect
nursery. I didn't need a big room for hours of playing, we
had that downstairs, I just needed enough room for the essentials plus a little open floor space for use later down the
road.
My husband and I want a big family, we just aren't sure how
big, but I knew that redecorating the nursery for every child
was going to be a waste of money. Even though I knew we
were having a girl, I kept things neutral right off the bat. I
chose a light grey to keep things bright and almost white,
but to add a little coziness to the overall feel. Also, since we
bought a house and had a baby within days of each other,
we didn't have much money left for decorating. I tried to
reuse items whenever I could, and I got pretty good at shop32 | Holl & Lane, Issue 3
ping for the perfect subtle pieces that would make just the
right statement. One of my favorites are the dresser knobs
I found on sale at Anthropologie.
The new furniture that I bought for the room, the dresser
and crib, I chose in white. The hand me downs from my
Mom's basement, the rocking chair and abacus, were natural wood. But no matter how hard I try to stick to neutrals, I
end up picking out the brightest pops of color in the rest of
the decor.
I kept things childish and meaningful with the crayon canvas
my sister made, a piece of art I made in preschool, and a
Raggedy Anne my mom painted for me when I was a little
girl. The room has now evolved over the past couple years
and is still one of my favorites. We added the most darling
animal prints to the wall for Betty's arrival that only seemed
appropriate with how much Anabelle loves animal sounds.
And when I found the rug, I knew it would complete the fun
vibe of the room!
Anabelle hardly slept in the nursery, and Betty may not be
in there yet, but one my favorite times of the day is spent in
this cozy little room. After I get Betty dressed in the morning,
I sit in the rocking chair to nurse, Anabelle sits on the floor
and she flips the pages as I read her a book.