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Mood Boards: Nursery Planning

By Dawn Sailors In Nursery

I mentioned last week that I am officially in full-on nursery mode now, and I’ve been busy!

For the baby’s nursery, there were a few things I kept coming back to that really set the tone for the room plan I put together. The first was that I wanted something completely different from Vera’s room- something fresh and new. The second was that I didn’t want it to be any less fun or exciting than V’s room- just different. The third, was that (boy or girl) I really really wanted to incorporate this vintage rocking chair:

This photo is actually not vintage. It’s a reproduction that Urban Outfitters was selling (appears to be sold out at the moment). The original is a Hans Wegner style mid-century classic, and my mother just happened to have one that she generously gifted to me. :) She’s had if for about as long as I can recall, and I’ve always loved it. It’s much more comfortable than it looks, and I think it will be absolutely perfect for the baby’s room.

So, with those things in mind, I set out to create a nursery mood board, using most of what we already have, but with some new purchases incorporated into the mix as well. And here’s what I came up with.

As you can see, this room, with bold citron, plum, and olive colors mixed with graphic Aztec prints and natural elements, will be just as bright and cheery as Vera’s room, but it will definitely have its own personality. As for how I arrived at this place, I started by looking at V’s color scheme and selecting some colors that weren’t very prominent in her room. Green and purple were the obvious choices to keep the new nursery girly, but not pastel pink girly, while also keeping it distinctly unique from my eldest’s.

From there, I decided that this would be an awesome space to incorporate the graphic Aztec prints I’ve been dying to use. I’ve been slowly bringing in some of this style to other rooms in the house (like that time I added some graphic fun to the living room) but I thought this new room would be the perfect opportunity to use some of these fun prints in the fabrics on a bigger scale.

As for sources for this mood board, since we didn’t have to buy big-ticket items this time around (like a crib, car seat, pack and play, etc.) and are using a lot of already-owned furniture (like the dresser and rocker), we had a little more room to splurge on some decor I would normally have passed on. The rug is from Land of Nod and should be here this week. I had originally used it in a mood board for my sister, before she knew she was having a boy, (I’ll have to share that mood board soon too!) and absolutely loved it. When I decided to go with plum in here, I knew it was the perfect choice. The curtains are from my favorite ever curtain source, Urban Outfitters (the curtains in Vera’s room, the guest room, and the reading/dining room are all also UO finds, fyi). The dresser is the same hand-me-down that we used for Vera’s nursery changing table, repainted to suite this space (and possibly with the addition of a new wood-stained top??), and I’ve already mentioned that the chair is vintage from my mom. The foot stool is a project I have in mind- another vintage piece, this one from my dad, that I’ve had in my basement for a while now just waiting for the perfect opportunity to refinish and upholster it. We’ll see how that goes.

As for the fabrics, most are still a little up in the air at the moment, but a lot are Etsy finds, as is the wood and fabric wall hanging. The purple triangle pillow, gold wall art, and the woven basket are all from Target (Nate Berkus rocks!). The butterfly wall art is from Land of Nod, the metal S (matching the V in Vera’s room) is from Pottery Barn Teen and will be the first letter of the baby’s name, Baby poster is made by me, also matching Vera’s, and will also be customized with a name… once we decide on one that is. ;) And finally, the olive frame will likely be a vintage one I have in my garage, spray painted a fun color to fit right in.

Other things not shown would be the wall colors, which will likely remain the same charcoal and white they are now. It’s a nice neutral backdrop with some drama and still fits well with the color scheme. We also want to build some simple floating shelves (like these) on one wall, from floor to ceiling. We’ll be adding some in Vera’s room at the same time, hopefully, so the girls will each have a little library space of their own. :)

SO… that’s the nursery plan, and I’m irrationally (pregnant lady) excited about it. The rug, curtains and some art is already ordered and on its way (should be here this week) and the dresser is painted and looks fantastic. We also just got the chair in our possession this past weekend. It needs a little love, but I anticipate this space coming together pretty quickly from here. I’ll keep you posted!