I realized recently that I never shared any pictures of Xavier’s nursery decor after I completed his room. Probably because it took forever for me to get it all set up. Then there was always something that I wanted to add here or there, and I thought I’d share it after that “thing” was added.
Anyhow, he’s 3 years old now. I figure at this point it’s pretty much “done” since I haven’t added/changed anything lately. I never got around to finding the right floor rug, or side table and lamp to place next to the rocking chair. But otherwise, I’m pleased with how it all came together. And I wanted to share it before I completely go in and re-do it for a “big boy” room; which I know is just around the corner!
I love the colors and feel of this room. When we first added the second story to our house, I was pregnant with our first son, Evan. We intended to use the 3 bedrooms upstairs for all our family’s bedrooms; our master, Evan’s nursery and this room. This was our “extra” room at the time. We first set it up as a guest room and knew we would eventually use it for our second child’s nursery. And can I tell you that time just flies by! We were setting it up as a nursery for Xavier (son #2) before I knew it!
Anyhow, I tell you this because I knew from the get-go that it was going to be a multi-use room. So, I wanted to paint it a color that had personality, but would also be neutral enough to work for various purposes. I didn’t want to have to repaint it after just a year or so. Since I knew the guest room was a temporary space, I set it up using bedding and art that I already had. And I picked a paint color that would be neutral enough to go with what I already had for the guest room, but also work for either a girl or boy’s nursery down the road.
The color I chose is called Titanium by Benjamin Moore. This photo above depicts the color best. It’s a very very faint green. In person, it actually looks even more white. But when the light hits it just right you see the beautiful pale sage green shine through.
Evan’s room is mostly navy and white with grey accents. He has a lime green and white rug, and various bright colors incorporated in his quilt and fabrics. It’s much more loud and bold. I wanted to do something completely different for Xavier’s nursery.
The entrance door is right to the right of this dresser. When you walk in you first see the changing table directly in front of you and this dresser right next to you.
I didn’t start setting up this nursery until a while after Xavier was born. My in-laws moved in with us right around the time he was born. So we went from using this room as a guest room to my craft space/office/storage space for 6 months or so while they stayed in the downstairs bedrooms.
Xavier slept in a crib in our room for most of that time anyhow, so it was never an issue. And it gave me plenty of time to plan the space for how I really wanted it to look, and how best to utilize the space with all the newborn “stuff.”
When I started planning, I, of course, took to Pinterest. I had a few things I definitely wanted, or had, to incorporate. These included the wall color that was there, a good rocking chair (because the one I used in Evan’s nursery wasn’t going to cut it anymore), lots of different textures, and some sort of arrow/feather theme. I fell in love with all the arrows and feathers I came across during my perusing on Pinterest.
I also loved these tree decals that kept popping up in my Pinterest feed. The idea of adding some interest on a wall without it being more permanent, like wall paper is, most appealed to me. This way, it would be easier to remove down the road if we end up moving the kids rooms around.
I found a birch tree and bird decal from Simple Shapes that I ended up going with. Simple Shapes has so many fun ideas. You can completely customize every color for every decal of theirs, which I love. I considered doing something more whimsical, where I would make the trees teal and the birds another funky color. But I also didn’t want something that turned out too busy, so I went with the white birch trees and bright teal birds.
Simple Shapes also gives you a layout for the placement of all the pieces that make up the decal. But, we moved everything around to fit our space and ended up omitting two trees. I felt like it was just too much for our space. This specific decal also came with leaves that I chose in a Kelly green, which matched the room well. But since I had so many other things on the walls, and lots of other texture and prints, I decided to omit the leaves as well. I could always add them down the road, but I’m still happy with how it looks for now.
This is the changing station wall to the right of the crib wall. I mixed all sorts of fun art above the changing table. My husband hung all of this really well since it’s above a space Xavier lays. But it is hung higher than it looks; he’s never tried to reach for any of it and he is never left alone, so it hasn’t been an issue at all.
The rocking horse above was a gift from my mom one Christmas. He looks cute in front of the window, I think. I don’t recall where the fur rug came from, but I think it’s a Target find.
The changing table was used in Evan’s room and was originally white. When I moved it into here, I decided to paint it grey to match the nursery decor. On the changing table shelves I have stored our favorite blankets that go with the room colors (a lot of these were crocheted for us as gifts). There are also bins filled with diapers, creams, wipes, etc.. anything that we may need while we are changing him. Since Xavier’s older now, we don’t use this station as much. But I do like to dress him here in the mornings, so we’ve left it in place.
I came across the cutest little wooden signs on Pinterest that have the best sayings and fonts. They are made by HandyGerl on Etsy.
I just loved the sayings “Be brave little one” and “You are our greatest adventure,” so I got both. And boy let me tell you – this kid is brave and adventurous! Definitely our wild child! It’s so funny how some things work out like that. I started planning all of this well before Xavier was even born, but it fits him so well.
The little “love” canvas is from Home Goods and I believe the silver arrow was a find from there too. I love it when I find the perfect fit for something I’m looking for, even when I’m not sure what that “something” is! I actually think the heart canvas was a purchase for Evan’s nursery but it didn’t work in there. So, I held on to it because I still liked it and figured I’d eventually find the right spot for it somewhere.
The white circle hanging in the middle is a plaster kit someone gifted to us. I think I made it using Xavier’s hand and foot around 2 months old. The driftwood sign that reads “and they lived happily ever after” was actually on a stand and used at our wedding. I love that I was able to re-purpose it for Xavier’s nursery.
Lastly, hung here are photos of Xavier from his newborn shoot in dark wood frames. I think he was just 3 days old when we took those pictures.
On the opposite side of the window on the changing station wall is this cute little collection. I got the shelf from Michael’s and I think the framed art came from Target. I love it because the arrows and colors tie into the nursery so well. When I found it, it reminded me of a weathervane. The wooden blocks were gifts and have birth stats of Xavier written on them. The Noah’s Arc music box was a gift from my mom. The clown is a Lladro, which is a Spanish brand of porcelain figurines that my husband’s family has collected and passed down over the years. This one was a gift from my in laws.
Inside the acrylic box is the cake topper from Xavier’s baptism. It’s made out of fondant by Wonderful Wedding Cakes and is such a work of art! If you are local, you should totally check her out for any special occasion cake. We’ve used her multiple times and everything cake she makes is better than the last. I couldn’t get rid of this topper, which was a replica of a picture of Xavier from his newborn shoot, complete with beautiful fondant feathers. So, I kept it all and glued it inside this 3D box. It’s held up pretty darn well, and the baker told me it would probably last forever…although I’m sure I’ll get rid of it eventually.
I really wanted to add a reading station that was different from what I did in Evan’s room. However, there wasn’t much wall space left in here. So instead of hanging something on the wall, I painted an inexpensive, unfinished wood book shelf/holder I found on Amazon with grey paint. I placed it under the window, right next to the crib and this adorable, plush Pottery Barn critter chair that was also gifted. Xavier loves to go sit in front of the shelf and grab his own books to read.
Across the room on the wall to the left of the crib wall is a low profile chest of drawers. I didn’t want to put too much on top of the chest in fear of it looking too cluttered. I fell in love with these 3 framed feathers on a trip to Target. The color of the frames blend perfectly with the room’s furniture colors too.
I got a book stand (which may be a cookbook stand) to sit on top of the dresser and hold our most special books. We change out the books that sit here between two that have voice recordings from the boys’ two grandmas, and a prayer book. Next to that sits a silver cup that was mine as a baby. It holds fondant letters from Xavier’s Hungry Caterpillar-themed 1st birthday cake (also made by Wonderful Wedding Cakes). These letters haven’t held up as well as the 3D cake topper, but I’ve been able to glue them back together a couple of times. They’re holding on for now.
On the opposite corner of the dresser is a sound machine, our baby monitor, and a cute little piggy bank and some blocks I used for his month-by-month photos, both which were gifted.
Not pictured here, but visible in the wide shots of the room, is a large Pottery Barn Kids pendant light. I love the size and simplicity of it. It only houses 1 bulb, and I really wanted something that gave off lots of light since it’s the only fixture in the room. But, surprisingly, it hasn’t been an issue at all and I’ve been happy with it.
On top of the tall dresser that you see right when you walk in the room are these paper mache-looking letters, a globe that was gifted, and some more framed pictures from Xavier’s newborn shoot. I’m pretty sure I had these letters made by someone on Etsy, but I cannot find the link now.
All around the room are frames from Michael’s that house lots of pictures from Xavier’s newborn shoot, like the 4 you see in the photo above. If you are local, Alexis Hardy Photography did both of our boys’ newborn shoots and she is amazing! She’s soooo good with babies and has so many fun and creative sets. I don’t think I’ve ever seen her share photos of babies using the same set…ever. She’s constantly reinventing them, and will totally customize one for you too.
The above photo shows most of the nursery decor items that I have sewn. I made a quilt and two pillows out of an array of fun prints that I found that went with the colors and theme of the room. I also sewed a couple of crib skirts that I would change out every so often. They were visible when the crib mattress was raised. I removed them, however, when we put the crib mattress on the floor because Xavier kept climbing out. Lastly, I made a crib bumper, pictured here, because Xavier started chewing on the wood frame of the crib.
The curtains were also sewn by me. I made 4 simple panels with a heavy upholstery fabric. I hung them with curtain rods and clips from Bed, Bath & Beyond. The rocking chair is from Buy Buy Baby and came with a large upholstered foot stool that I put in storage and replaced with this adorable floor pouf from Crate&Barrel Kids. This little pouf is one of my favorite additions to the room. It’s also probably the item Xavier plays with most in the whole room.
Side Note
Our dog also has a thing for the poufs in both my kids’ rooms. I have no idea why, but she is always going in and attacking them. Fortunately, they are both made very well and have stood up to her antics over the years!
How cute does this crib look? I wish I had made the bumper sooner because there are now permanent gashes across the top from where Xavier chewed on the wood (don’t worry, it wasn’t enough to make him sick or cause concern). The marks are mostly hidden when this bumper is on, plus it adds some fun texture to the space. This crib sheet is from Buy Buy Baby. I made an extra one using this Pinterest tutorial. I rotate the two when one needs to be washed.
The large mint pillow is a Home Goods find that I bought because of the color and texture. I purchased it before I even had a second baby’s nursery to design. I just love this color.
Below is a close up of the laundry basket insert and pillows I made. The bunting pillow is a little wonky, but mostly because its an odd size that I stuffed with foam to try to fill it out. I made 2 pillows for both boys’ rooms at the same time, and they were the first pillows I have ever made. I used tutorials by Woodberry Way. She has the best tutorials and makes the most beautiful pillows! Check her out for some lovely inspiration.
The laundry basket insert was something I just winged it as I made it. I first bought a basket from Land of Nod, now Crate&Barrel Kids. Once I got the basket, I measured and cut fabric to fit inside and added bows to tie around the handles.
Also, this rocking chair may not be the most photogenic rocking chair in the world, but it is so comfy. I wanted something that wasn’t too small or too large, and would be very comfortable to sit in for all those middle-of-the-night feedings. I wanted a neutral color too in case we chose to use it down the road in another room (so it could blend with any theme/colors).
It’s definitely one of my very favorite things in the room because it brings up so many beautiful memories. Memories of breast feeding Xavier as a newborn, rocking him to sleep at night, and reading lots of bedtime stories. Why do the years go by so fast???
It’s been a couple years since I setup most of this space, but it has pretty much stayed the same. We transitioned Xavier to a toddler bed recently after his 3rd birthday, which you can see in the photo above. He was thrilled to have a “big boy” bed like his brother and took to it right away.
Being my wild child, I thought he’d never lay still in bed at night once he realized he had the freedom to get out (he started climbing out of his crib pretty early). But to our surprise, he climbs right in with a couple books each night and falls asleep pretty fast. It helped that we dropped his nap around the same time as he transitioned out of his crib. Guess he was just ready to be all grown up!
Too grown up if you ask me!
You can see his quilt in these pictures pretty well. I made both boys a quilt when they were born in fabrics that went with their nursery theme/colors. Actually, a lot of these fabrics helped me “design” the room; they were my inspiration for the nursery decor. We didn’t use the quilts much when they were babies. But once they both were able to sleep with blankets at night, I started giving them their quilts to snuggle with. The backside of both quilts are a dimple dot minky; which is a heavier, super soft and cuddly fabric. My favorite for backing baby quilts.
Both boys slept with just a crib sheet under them and their quilts for quite a while. Once they were in their toddler beds, and winter hit, I added a blanket underneath to add a little extra warmth.
It makes my heart so happy to see all the things I made for them come together so beautifully in their rooms, including all the little DIY touches I added that are one-of-a-kind. But even more so, I love to see them use it all and love it.
I am so glad they love spending time in their rooms. Especially when they end up together like this reading bedtime stories. My heart just wants to burst when I capture these special moments.
Final Note:
I have a kids’ nursery decor board on Pinterest where a lot of the stuff I got for Xavier’s room is pinned. I’m always adding to it as I come across something new I like too, so go check it out! There are also a lot of DIY ideas, like the ones I used here in Xavier’s room. I enjoy creating special pieces to incorporate in the rooms in my home. I think it adds a unique touch and makes any room feel extra warm and inviting. So, go check out my boards and try making something special for your home too!
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