new baby on the way? let’s talk nursery design!

forgive me if you start seeing a lot more baby posts from me…nope, it’s not for me, but for my adorable, loving, amazing sissy + my fabulous bro-in-law! if you can’t tell, i’m so excited to become an auntie!

four years ago, when i was designing little mr. re-nest #2’s nursery, i think i took a little bit of a different approach to designing the space, picking out the furniture, and the decor elements that ended up in there. then, a couple of years after that, i had the opportunity to share my process + ideas with a local home and business expo….and, then i realized i never shared them here with you! (forgive me for my mommy brain!)

i’ll also spare you the powerpoint i put together to present this info, and just share my tips + tricks for planning a nursery!

when it came to planning both of my boys’ nurseries, i focused on three main things:

  1. furniture
  2. colors
  3. decor

and, when thinking about these three things, my big goal was to think beyond that first year and create spaces that could grow with the boys. before anything, i started with furniture (because to me, this was going to set the tone for the whole room!)

convertible crib from target.com

there are so many options of pieces that you can add to a nursery. let’s start with convertible cribs, which in case you are brand new to this whole nursery thing, this is a crib that converts from a crib to a toddler bed to sometimes a day bed to sometimes a full size bed. we went this route with little mr. re-nest #1 and i’ve never regretted it. it made the transitions from crib to toddler bed to day bed to full size, big boy bed very easy.

then, there’s the choice of adding a dresser. yes, the clothes will be iddy biddy when your baby arrives, but trust me, you blink and their clothes get bigger and bigger. so, having a dresser for extra storage space is a really, really great thing to have. (and, never underestimate the volume of blankets and bedding you’ll need storage space for too!) and, if you decide to go down the dresser route, you can be more bang for your buck by adding a changing pad to the top of the dresser which let’s your dresser pull double duty!

rocker from buy buy baby

finally, you’re going to want somewhere to sit in the nursery for those sweet, quiet nights of rocking your sweet babe to sleep, cuddling them, or nursing them. comfort is key – however, when shopping think about after your little one is older and if there’s the option to have that chair serve a purpose in another room of your house! this is totally what we did with little mr. re-nest #2, and it’s so worth it.

next up, let’s talk color for paint and decor. color can totally make a room! when thinking about the color for your little one’s room, i have three recommended questions for y’all:

  1. does the color work beyond the nursery/baby stage?
  2. will the color work when your child transitions to a big kid room?
  3. how much do you love to paint? 🙂

in all seriousness, i personally tend towards brighter, bolder colors for kids (i think this is pretty obvious in my designs!), but i did think about all of the above when designing both boys’ rooms. and, i can honestly say that the colors in little mr. re-nest #1’s room are the same ones we did when he was born. this year, we will be repainting, as we re-work his room a bit (but i’m not complaining that it’ll be eight years that i got out of the room before re-painting!) new, cooler neutrals are a fantastic option for nurseries, and creating a neutral paint palette in the room let’s you have so much flexibility when it comes to bolder colors with decor like pillows, accents, and artwork!

all in all, you want to do what’s best for you when it comes to designing your little one’s nursery. if you love changing things up, and don’t mind being on the lookout for new pieces that grow with your kids, go for it! most importantly, enjoy the ride of this time in your life….having a baby is so much more than designing the room, or creating that sweet space – it’s truly about a miracle that is one of the greatest most of us will ever see!

p.s. and, if you’re curious about how the transition to big boy room happens in the re-nest house, keep an eye out on my facebook page this year for more posts + updates as we flip around both little mr. re-nest #1 and #2’s rooms!

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