A warm, modern-traditional nursery

Baby #2 is coming in January, and Grace’s old nursery has been slowly making way for its arrival. Grace now sleeps in a different bedroom, whose transformation into toddler bedroom will come later, but the main focus now is creating a new nursery for her baby sibling. Just like last time, the baby’s gender is a surprise, which makes nursery design slightly more challenging but also helps keep me in line.

Here’s how Grace’s nursery turned out (which was perfect for her in every way), and you’ll see below that I’m feeling like going in a different direction this time around. I feel as though my style has changed a bit in the rest of my house, as well, and I’ve been envisioning a nursery that fits into that more neutral, modern-traditional aesthetic. I still very much want it to feel like a baby’s room, with fun elements, but even more of that can come with books, toys, and other finishing touches.

I had a really hard time finding other nurseries that inspired me for this project. I struggled to find a good balance between warm and traditional with a modern touch, but still playful, without being too matchy-matchy. Babies’ rooms can feel tricky in that way—I think because they all seem to follow an identical formula of crib/changing table/glider with ottoman, etc. so they have a tendency to feel repetitive and a bit stale from an inspiration perspective. So, I decided to go about it the way I’d approach designing any room in my house, looking for inspiration from the colors, textures, and design elements in all sorts of rooms (not just nurseries) and then just made it fit with baby furniture/items. The driving forces behind this vision board were the black crib and the olive curtains, both of which I knew I wanted to do and already purchased. I also knew I wanted to use white, wood, and woven natural textures to keep the room feeling bright and warm.

Anyway, stay tuned for the real thing as it comes together! (… hopefully in time for baby’s arrival, but I’m not exactly holding my breath).

Dog Art // Lidded Storage Basket // Ceramic Lamp // Matisse Art // Olive Linen Curtains // Blue Lumbar Pillow // White Dresser // French chinoiserie Art // Small Woven Tabletop Storage cannister // Small Woven Tabletop Tray // wood Ladder // Mobile // Baby Quilt // Acorn Basket // Rug (Similar) // Brass Floor Lamp // White swivel chair // Dark Striped Throw Pillow // Black Metal End Table // Black Crib // Changing Basket // Wood Round Mirror // Gingham Crib Sheet // Olive Tree