Tuesday, February 8, 2011

Elliot's Blue and Green Nursery (so far)


Elliot is almost five weeks old (so hard to believe!) and her room isn't quite finished. But, we're getting there (it's not like she sleeps in there anyway). The room used to be the guest bedroom, and we didn't repaint the walls (they are Blue Shamrock by Olympic). We didn't know she was going to be a she, so the goal was to create a simple, serene space that would work for a boy or a girl for under $1,000. We accomplished this by using things we already owned, and not buying an expensive set of brand-new furniture.


I knew I wanted a big piece of art over the crib so I've attempted to start painting it myself. I have the painting skills of a second grader, so please don't judge :) I suppose looking childish is fine in a baby's room, right?


I bought the sconces at an antique shop when little Elliot was just a dream. They were meant to be hardwired, but Wes added the cords so we could plug them in. Only one of them works at the moment, but I'll tell you about that later. We replaced the plastic sleeves, and I still want to do Lauren's trick to make them look like more expensive wax sleeves.


I painted a new white Jenny Lind crib (bought at a local shop) Pumpkin Seed by Martha Stewart at Home Depot. I love the result but it was a major pain. I borrowed a paint sprayer that I think was a little too strong for this project and ended up doing a lot of touching up drips and painting in the nooks and crannies with a small sponge roller. Next time I will leave it to a professional!


The bumper is off-white linen with a small ruffle on top by Pom Pom at Home bought locally at Three Sheets. It's very soft, washable, and is neutral enough for future babies and nurseries (which was the point). The striped crib sheet is by Boppy.


I made the crib skirt out of linen fabric from King Cotton inspired by these two by John and Sherry and Erika. I wanted it to hit the floor now while the mattress is high and later when we lower it. The vintage kindergarten chair came from a local thrift store, and we speculate that it may have from the kindergarten that my mom attended! PS, this is a good photo of the crib and wall colors.


The chest was our first purchase for the room, back when I was just a few weeks pregnant. I knew I wanted to use one in place of a changing table, and we happened upon this one while browsing an antique store in my hometown when we went up to tell my dad he was going to be a grandfather. The turned wood lamp was a clearance purchase at Target a while ago. I swapped a dark shade for a white one and I like it so much better now. The white frames are also from Target and I used fabric leftover from the crib skirt to cover the mats. Elliot's newborn photos will go in them. (Wipe warmer and diaper pail are not attractive, but necessary!)


The chest was wood and the finish was scratched and uneven, so we painted it Pumpkin Seed, too. I knew the details would paint really nicely, and I distressed it just a touch before adding a matte wipe-on poly finish.


The chair was a thrift store purchase (it used to be pink!) that was in great shape. I had it recovered in the same linen I used on the crib skirt and frames. I originally wanted a waterfall skirt, but didn't purchase enough fabric. My upholsterer was extremely affordable but also extremely slow, so when I found this out a week after Elliot was born, I no longer cared and settled for a regular skirt.

The blue and green blanket was a gift from Wes' mom, the pillow came from HomeGoods and the vine floor lamp came from a local consignment shop. We already had the garden stool, and I believe it came from HG was well.

I think that's about it. I'll keep you updated on how things go as we finish up and will post more photos then.

For those curious about how much it cost to bring it all together, here's the breakdown of what we bought.

Jenny Lind crib: gift
Chest: $230
Paint (one gallon for both): $25
Bird hook and hamper: already owned
Crib bumper: $170
Sheet: gift.
Fabric (six yards for the chair and one for the skirt and frames): $27/yard, $189
Chair: $27
Upholstery: $125
Sconces: already owned
Supplies for sconces: approximately $14
Canvas above crib: $12
Kindergarten chair: $5
Rug: already owned
Curtains: $20
Curtain trim: approximately $15
Pillow in chair: $13
Blanket: gift
Vine lamp: $40
Garden stool: already owned
2 white lampshades: $23
3 white frames: $43
White shelf (not pictured): $35
Total: $986 (just under budget!)

54 comments:

Andrea said...

Looks gorgeous. I especially love the dresser!

the cape on the corner said...

i love your colors, your dresser, and my goodness, that super lamp!

Amanda C. said...

that is so pretty!!! those sconces are magnificent!

~Grace Happens~ said...

beautiful! job well done. what a lucky baby!!

Ashley said...

Gorgeous room! You've really outdone yourself...it looks much more pricey than $1,000!

Brittney said...

If you have any more tips on the crib skit I would love to hear them. I am embarking on the same project in the next month or so using those blogs as inspiration as well!!

Gabriella said...

You did a great job! And your daughter is so beautiful!

Eleanor Oser said...

I would love to know your upholsterer!! I have a nursery chair from Craigslist that needs to be recovered! I also live in Birmingham! You can email me at Eleanor: eleanor.oser@gmail.com

Thanks for sharing your nursery! I love it!

Brooke @ Blueprint Bliss said...

Jennifer- it looks so great.

jok said...

Hi- the room looks great! I'm an expectant mother (due end of May) and was hoping to utilize a chest that I have as a changing table, too. Can you address how you made the covered cushion on the chest? Did you have foam cut and then covered with a zippered or waterproof fabric? Thanks!

Hana said...

oh my, it's absolutely gorgeous. if i were to have a baby tomorrow, my nursery would be so similar. thanks for sharing! elliot is so cute. xo

René said...

How completely perfect. I love it.

-Rene

Lonely Wife Project said...

Absolutely LOVE what you're doing with the nursery. So refreshing to see a little girl's room without pink walls. BTW, Congrats on your gorgeous baby!

Pink Wallpaper said...

what a beautiful room!! love the color combo and the sconces are just wonderful!! great job jennifer and i hope motherhood is going great!

SM said...

Love it Jennifer! Who is your upholsterer? I need one!

Sarah said...

Yay! Its beautiful, Jennifer! Love the color of the crib and dresser!! Ugh, and I'm jealous of the crib skirt. Every time I sit in Maura's glider and nurse her, I stare over at the crib with the Pottery Barn crib skirt that is too short and wish I took the time to make one like yours! Way to go on sticking to your budget:)

Amber Interiors said...

HI, just started looking at your blog and it's really awesome! Congrats on baby Elliot. What a beautiful name for a girl. Your sconces are gorgeous. If you don't mind a little tip of advice from a new mommy myself. My little one who is now 17months USED to have pretty sconces until she discovered the wires and one day that was it. Thank gosh I was home and could here what was going on, but it could have been disaterous! She ripped them right off the wall and into her crib where she was playing with the wires... Not good. Keep in mind that the little ones will eventually grow up and they are very curious, which equals danger danger danger!! Congrats again

Emily Stearley said...

Love everything about it! I'm totally tagging this post for when I'm ready to decorate a nursery. Thanks for sharing and for being so detailed.

lizziefitz said...

Congratulations on sweet baby Elliot! Her room is gorgeous. Still can't get over the deal on her upholstered chair . The linen us my favorite:)

Catherine said...

Beautiful! Love those sweet sconces...and the crib bumper is so gorgeous. Wow, what a deal on the upholstery job! Congratulations again to you and Wes. xoTrina

Rachel said...

Your nursery looks great! I love that you allowed her to be a surprise so you went neutral on the room. It's whimsical but modern, which is fantastic.

It also never occurred to me that you could paint a crib! It may have been a pain, but it really makes the room. Absolutely fantastic!

paula said...

Jennifer it looks beautiful! Love every detail. We must use the same upholstery...

Southern Lady said...

Elliott's room is beautiful. She is one lucky little girl! Carla

Gail said...

Your nursery looks so beautiful, Jennifer! I really love the pale pink sconces and that gorgeous upholstered chair. I need to find a good upholsterer in the Dallas area to recover an hierloom of mine. I think I could try and do it myself, but I'm too chicken cause I know its a lot harder than it looks!

God bless you,
Gail

Kim @ NewlyWoodwards said...

I love this nursery, Jennifer. It's totally something a little one can grow into. And I love that it's not themey (although I love a good theme) nor matchy. And it's my favorite type of crib.

Thank you for sharing. It's just lovely.

Julie said...

Such a dreamy nursery. Ahhh. You picked some really beautiful things.

I wanted to paint my Jenny Lind, but chickened out over the effort. I've sprayed furniture before, but had the same problem with you w/ it being too powerful and ending up having to do touch-ups. Not sure what the remedy is.

Lovely. Thanks for sharing. I love the dresser.

Denise Briant said...

I just did a post on beautiful nurseries a couple of days ago. I would have included yours! Amazing design and I love the gender neutral colors. My newer blog is DesignSavvyofNJ.blogspot.com, please stop by.

Allison said...

Beautiful nursery. My son and daughter were close in age and shared a nursery. Mine was similar in feel, but not nearly as nice as yours! Now that she is older and has her own room, she is insistent on pink walls, so we'll be going that route soon.

I have two questions for you if possible:
1)I was considering a linen chair for my bedroom, how does it hold up and does it ever look wrinkly?
2)Would you mind sharing how you covered the picture mats in fabric? (Any special glue, tips on cutting to fit, is it wrapped, etc.) I'd love to do this but really don't want to mess it up.
Thank you!

celie said...

Congratulations on your new baby, Jennifer! I love your birth story, and the baby room! The bird theme is just perfect!

Stephanie Sabbe said...

I loooooove it! Thanks for the inspiration. I love how clean and crisp you birmingham girls keep everything:)

Loretta Fontaine (EcoHappy Blog) said...

Jennifer- This is such a beautiful room for Elliot! The crib in the dark color makes the room for me. Unexpected and beautiful.

Loretta

Elsie said...

What I love about this room is what I have always loved about your home and blog: simple, beautiful, soulful. I love that you choose items carefully and with meaning. What a precious room!

Anonymous said...

Lovely room. I would really like to see the rug though. It doesn't really show up in the photos. What colors are in it?

kate said...

what a lovely nursery!

Amanda said...

Love it all! I especially love the dresser! What a great find. And, I may attempt to make my crib skirt too. If so, I'm going to do what you did! Great ideas!

Anonymous said...

Everything is gorgeous but please, you must eliminate those cords with the sconces. Just heard today that 7 babies have strangled due to cords from baby monitors. Any cords must be 3 feet away from a crib.

Dana said...

It's beautiful.

Lindsay@ A Design Story said...

We featured your nursery post this week on A Design Story... http://adesignstory.com/sunday-blog-parade-4/

Your nursery is adorable!

Angela said...

What a pretty room! I love the colors.

for the love of a house said...

it's perfectly charming!
love the crib and especially the color! you've created a lovely space for your sweet baby!

joan

Jennifer said...

Brittany - Make sure you make it longer than you need. Other than that, the directions from Erika and Sherry are pretty good.

Jackie - that is a changing pad and cover from Buy Buy Baby -- I'm not that skilled!

Allison - the linen gets a little wrinkled, but not badly, and I don't mind. We've gotten a little spit-up on it and it cleaned up fine. I'll share how I did the frames soon!

To everyone worried about the sconces, don't worry, we have no intention of leaving the cords loose and exposed. She's only 6 weeks old and still sleeping in our room, so we have a little time to get them taken care of.

Thank you for all of the well wishes and compliments, everyone!

Christi said...

her nursery turned out so wonderful! you could always add a canvas photo above her crib in black and white. love the bumper ... thanks for the source!

Jenna E said...

Great job, it's perfect!!!

Katherine @ Grass Stains said...

Ohhhh ... the dresser! *sigh* We have three boys and a baby on the way (don't know the gender yet), so I'm gathering inspiration every day. Again ... *sigh* over the dresser! Beautiful!

Naomi Kasz said...

I absolutely love the dresser and crib. You inspired me to repiant my plain white crib! How do I get to it? Do I just need the colored paint? Or some primer or gloss or I don't even know what else might I need...

Tricia E. said...

I love the nursery! I was searching vintage nurseries- because we just got a Jenny Lind Crib and we are having my hub's childhood dresser painted to match. I stumbled upon your blog. Thanks for the inspiration. I love it..wish I could sew now..darn it.

Haven and Home said...

It looks so great!!!! Just love everything about it!!!

Emily said...

Stunning use of color!

katy elliott said...

Amazing job! Love the colors and the jenny lind is my fav crib. I have a big girl version.

Anonymous said...

I am in love with your bird hook. Where did you find that?

Sarah (Matters of Style) said...

WOW at the gorgeous upholstery job for $125!!!

Michelle Hughes said...

Lovely nursery! I know this is an old post, but I would like to know how you painted under the teething rail on the crib... or did you just replace them? They don't seem to come off easily.

thanks in advance!
michelle at vintagejunky dot com

Little Castle Glider said...

really Lovely nursery I like that.I mostly in need of a Little Castle Glider mostly.thanks.

Katrina said...

I'd like to know your EXTREMELY AFFORDABLE upholsterer! I'm also in BHM. Would like to know for clients and personally! Gorgeous nursery!!
My son is a year old, still don't have curtains finished!
Kdandc@gmail.com