baby no. 2's nursery reveal
baby will be here in one month (the countdown is on) and we finally finished her nursery! that’s right, i might not have explicitly shared, but baby Albert no. 2 is a girl.
nursery theme reminder
before i dive into the details, i want to remind you of the original concept and inspiration behind her room, retro Hawaii meets Palm Springs. a little bit of beach, a little bit of color and a whole lot of groovy. another mouthful for a room concept, but i’ve found my lengthy ideas end up both giving me more freedom and creativity with my final room design. so, drumroll please…
the reveal
ta-dah! okay, okay, take a look around.
so you’ve probably noticed, this room both does and doesn’t stick with my concept mood board. but that’s the beauty of a concept, you can easily make changes on the fly.
colors, textures & patterns oh my!
colors
i really played with color coordination in this room. probably more so than when i used a blue crib in a green room for Ro. and even though they’re all in varying shades, i love how the organic blacks, whites and woods move with the pinks and blues. i chose to add a little extra with yellows and oranges (in the rug, accent pillow and smaller wall art) to bring in some more of the retro colors and will probably continue to do so. not to mention the addition of a couple brass accents; who doesn’t love a great brass piece?! it brings in an element of vintage.
textures
the sliding glass door allows for a decent amount of natural light, but with a less immersive forest feeling than Ro’s room. so it was important to me to bring in more organic textures, like the cane in the changing station, the rattan in the rocker and shelves and the felt in the mobile and garland, for a little more island vibe. those layered with the plush rugs and crisp metal crib created dimension.
pattern
there are patterns galore in this room. i didn’t want to box her room into the standard “ocean inspired” or even “midcentury inspired” so i chose to add the groovy, yet feminine giant daisies, geometric shapes in the rugs, playful mermaids in the sheets, retro feeling rainbows in the blankets and bold accent pillows to keep this room busy.
close ups
art sourcing & reuse
as i mentioned in the room concept post, my goal for this room was to create something special, but with as much reuse as possible.
sourced art
just like in Rowan’s room, nearly all of the artwork was sourced from other places in our home. and much of the artwork was collected while traveling. i don’t know about you, but postcards and artwork make for the best souvenirs. multiple of the smaller art pieces are just postcards framed! talk about an inexpensive way to add to your gallery wall. plus some of Rowan’s first art was included (see the rainbow abstract in the wood frame on the gallery wall - created when he was about 1).
i also made sure both of the kids’ rooms have art that i’ve created and some from their Oma (Rol Senic of Limezinnias Design).
second hand, hand-me-downs & reuse from Rowan
key items and accents like the changing station, crib and felt mobile were all originally used in Ro’s nursery. and the banana rattle, elephant teether, large elephant pillow and tiny baby sneakers were Ro’s too. not to mention dozens of adorable clothes that originally were his that i’ll be able to reuse with baby girl.
and not to mention the number of hand-me-downs from when i was a kid. the panda plush, the leopard print Kate Spade handbag and many of the books were mine as a kid; i can’t wait to watch her play and read. and an amazing friend gifted those colorful blocks and cream/pink diamond rug after her daughter was through with them.
i’m also thrilled about the number of items i was able to pull from second hand shops. including clothes and that giant sitting spaniel plush. it was such a snag and in excellent condition, now the real challenge, to keep Rowan away from it.
don’t get me wrong, i love buying the newest releases from my favorite stores, but there’s also something so special about knowing a piece that has so much life left can continue to be cherished.
favorite elements
the few people who have seen this room all finished before now (there’s only a handful!) have asked what my favorite element of her room is and i feel like that’s such a loaded question. can i say all of it? haha
but really, i think it’s either the iridescent bubble ceiling light that casts a fabulous multi-colored glow when on; it gives me little mermaid vibes. you can see in a couple of the photos there’s a slight pink, purple or green tint in the lighting and that’s from the ceiling light!
or else my favorite element is the hand painted daisy wall.
that wall was a labor of love! i repainted over it about 4 times (starting and finishing a lengthy audiobook) before landing on this look, with a wavy edge and graphic flowers. the original version i created felt a little too shabby chic with the way i blended in other colors and didn’t give the retro vibe i was hoping for. but hey, sometimes you just have to start over to create magic and that’s what happened here.
and i’m sure Jas was so sick of me asking him “what about this pink”. but it was a labor of love and i hope it can grow with her.
final thoughts
this room will never truly be complete, especially once she’s here and becoming more mobile. but for now, i can sit back and relax a little.
so, i’m dying to know, what’s your favorite element in her room?
links
sonogram announcement image
brass frame (purchased years ago, similar linked) . baby sneakers . sun stacking puzzle .
crib wall photos
ceiling light . brass curtain rod . white linen curtains . sun linen light-blocking curtains . woven jute rug . doll house . multi-color rug . hooks . giraffe string purse (given to me as a child, similar linked) . woven purse (purchased at Goodwill, similar linked) . leopard purse (mine as a child, similar) . rattan circle mirror . inked horse art (created by my college art professor, similar linked here) . mermaid art (postcard purchased on vacation, similar linked) . flamingo float art . sitting spaniel plush . pink toy bin . elephant pillow . straw tall basket . musical pup crib accessory . mermaid sheets . rainbow blanket . koala security blanket . blue outfit . blue daisy bow . crib (similar linked) . felt star mobile .
rocker wall photos
brass pineapple door knocker (purchased years ago, similar linked) . beach art - in wood frame (purchased on vacation, similar linked) . ocean art - in white frame . pink toucan art . brass plaque (heirloom, similar linked) . octopus art (purchased locally, similar linked) . rainbow abstract art (created by Rowan, similar linked) . blush gulls in flight art (purchased years ago from linked shop) . san diego hotel art (purchased on vacation, similar linked) . rattan shelves . extra large blue abstract art . baby heater . side table . white & fawn alpaca plush (purchased locally, similar linked) . trinket dish (purchased years ago, similar linked) . knit acorn rattle (gifted by a friend, similar linked) . nursing pillow (inside the side table) . rattan rocker (purchased on Facebook Marketplace, similar linked) . sun accent pillow . crochet rainbow blanket (handmade by a friend, similar linked) . pink diamond rug (gifted by a friend, similar linked) .
items on rattan shelves
knit booties . woven shallow basket . spotted hippo plush . white seal plush (purchased at Goodwill, similar linked) . panda plush (mine as a child, similar linked) . banana rattle . elephant teether . colored blocks . blue scallop basket . conch shell (hand-me-down, similar linked) . nancy drew book series (mine as a child, similar linked) . american girl doll books (mine as a child, similar linked) . ceramic punch buggy piggy bank (painted by me in 2014, similar linked) . sun stacking puzzle . sea horse plush . rylee and cru headband (gifted, similar linked) . brass frame (purchased years ago, similar linked) .
closet wall
woven laundry basket (purchased at Home Goods, similar linked) . diaper pail . white sand shell art (handmade when i was a child, linked DIY instructions) . rainbow light . island canvas (painted by me, but similar linked) . white felt ball garland . white rope basket . wipe warmer . changing pad . plant hanger (purchased years ago, similar linked) . plant pot . striped outfit .
other items in the close ups