Two months ago we featured Stephanie’s massive home renovation project, as part of our Designers at Home series! Today, we’re sharing our designer (and expectant mom) Katherine and her adorable new nursery!
Katherine is an incredible designer with a love of Midcentury Modern design, Boho aesthetics, and modern chic accessories and finishes. When she and her husband Nick learned that they were expecting a little girl, she got to work converting a guest bedroom into a nursery.
This Before photo was taken by the home’s previous owners.The first thing Katherine changed in the room: the built-in shelves. For a guest room, the shelves had been fine. But they made the small room feel even smaller. She removed the vertical built-ins, and painted the drawers a creamy white. She added brushed brass drawer pulls to elevate the built-in drawers and add a touch of sophistication.
Once the drawers were taken care of, the real fun could begin.
Unlike many nurseries, this one wasn’t designed around a particular theme. Instead, Katherine used a gorgeous wallpaper from Élitis as the foundation for her nursery design. She found the wallpaper first and just fell in love with it and decided she’d use it to drive the rest of the room’s design.
The wallpaper is chic, but still colorful enough to be youthful and fun. It’s the kind of wallpaper that a young girl can grow in to. As Katherine put it, “I wanted to pick a wallpaper that she’d love for years and years. Plus, when she’s born, I’ll be spending so much time in this room that I wanted to create a space that felt beautiful and tranquil. For the first few years of her life, this room will almost be for me as much as it’s for her.”
A key feature in any nursery is, of course, the crib! Katherine wanted a crib that was made sustainably and matched her taste for Midcentury Modern design. She found her perfect crib at Kalon. Luckily, she was able to find a Salon crib second hand.
Nursery Design Tip: If you purchase a crib lightly used, you can update it with a fresh coat of paint and a cute sheet. Saving money on this item means you can splurge more on a statement piece like Katherine’s wall paper or a particularly comfortable glider chair for Mom and baby to enjoy together!
She painted the spindles with Benjamin Moore paint in Chantilly Lace, a silky white that looks as clean and fresh as laundered linen.
Another “must-have” for any nursery: A rocking chair or glider. Katherine opted for the Kiwi Glider Recliner by Babyletto in a beautiful linen upholstery. With its gentle curves, soft color, and smooth glide, it was the perfect addition to Katherine’s nursery.
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The last piece of the puzzle was finding the perfect chandelier for the nursery. Katherine found a wood-beaded chandelier from World Market to complete her nursery’s Boho/Midcentury Modern vibe. In a stroke of DIY inspiration, she added a pink tassel to the chandelier’s center bead, which matched the tassels on her glider’s stylish back pillow!
Her nursery took three months to complete, and so far it seems to be a hit (at least with her cat Henry!). Now, all that’s left to do is to wait for the little one to arrive!
Keep reading for some of Katherine’s tips for designing a nursery, yourself!
Katherine’s cat Henry has loved the changes Katherine’s made to the nursery. The only problem? He’s convinced they’re all for him!
Katherine’s Tips for Designing Your Nursery
1. Splurge on a “statement” item. For me this was the wallpaper. I designed the nursery around this element, and I was sure to choose a pattern that would last past the baby phase.
2. By changing the paint color in the room (which is a very low cost item) you can change the entire look of the room so it’s easy to grow into!
Katherine’s nursery is painted with Pink Bliss by Benjamin Moore.
3. Save on artwork. You can do this by creating a gallery wall of smaller prints rather than a spending a lot on a large piece of artwork. The prints can be easily swapped out as the baby grows to reflect his or her interests.
4. Save by using a dresser or furniture piece as a changing table. This way it can be used for years to come. All you need to purchase is a topper and changing pad! By contrast, a freestanding changing table can really only be used a couple of years.
