NEUTRAL NURSERY DESIGN BOARD

There are a million things to prep for when having a baby, but the nursery design process has been one of my very favorites. I wanted to share a few of the things we've gotten and what my design process has looked like.

SOURCES (clockwise from top left): Saranoni blanket, The Land of Nod pouf, Fox Hollow Design Co baby animal prints, Petit Pehr bins, Babyletto Hudson Crib, Ubbi diaper pail, Burt's Bees Baby organic crib sheet and changing pad covers, Naturalmat organic crib mattress, Nursery Works Empire Rocker. 

I knew I wanted neutral colors and lots of creams, greys, and whites. I wanted everything we got to work with any gender of baby we'll have in the future, and I also wanted it to look not too "babyish" and could easily grow with our child.

One main piece of furniture that's not featured here (but there's a sneak peak on Instagram here) that fit exactly what I was looking for is a campaign style dresser in white; long enough to be a changing table but also cool enough to grow with our child for years to come. I was so thrilled to have found one on craigslist (in the brightest lime green you've ever seen in your life) and my hardworking and handy husband refinished the whole thing in white. I really love it and am so glad to have it at a fraction of the retail cost. It was our first purchase for baby, we got it soon after we found out we were expecting, and at the time it seemed too early to be investing in furniture, but now I'm so glad to have it and that the whole project is behind us as there are a million other things on our mind at the moment.

I researched high and low for a rocker and didn't find anything I loved until I stumbled on the Empire Rocker pictured above by Nursery Works. It has the dreamiest upholstered fabric, with a tall enough back for both my husband and I, and it converts into a regular chair with add-on stationary legs once you're through with using it for baby. This was my biggest investment for the nursery and the one piece of furniture that our friends strongly recommended we get something we truly loved since we will be spending a lot of time in it.

I debated on cribs for a while. Ikea has some great, simple, inexpensive ones. I ultimately just loved the design of the Hudson by Babyletto. I liked that it was well made, a middle price point as far as cribs go, plus it has toddler bed conversion capabilities. 

Our other big ticket item was the crib mattress. After a lot of research I decided on the Coco Mat by Naturalmat USA. Having an organic mattress was really important to me for a variety of reasons, and I'm so glad to have found this company. The mattresses are firm, made of the highest quality natural fibers, and stitched by hand in England. The quality is unbeatable and will last through multiple babies.

I wanted a pouf for extra seating and to make the rocker more comfortable during feedings. I liked the texture of this one by Land of Nod over a leather version.

I discovered the cutest Etsy shop called Fox Hollow Design Co with these watercolor baby animal prints. I have four and can't wait to get them in frames and hung up on the walls.

Neutral storage bins by Petit Pehr. More in this post here.

Saranoni makes the dreamiest, oversized, cozy throws for home by This one is in the nursery and will be so nice to curl up with during middle of the night feedings.

Ubbi Diaper Pail. Sleek and small; best design I've seen.

Burt's Bees Baby crib sheets and changing pad covers. I liked that these are organic and at a good price point. I have them in two colors, white and the grey and white stripe, for both the crib and the changing pad.

I really loved this entire design process. It was a dream come true for me to get to pull these pieces together and I'm thrilled with how it turned out. It's so sweet to think about making a space for a little person to live and grow that you know nothing about but love so much already. Less than 13 weeks to go.

NESTING SERIES: THE OFFICE

The nesting continues in full force around here. I've been wanting to tackle my office for a while, but it was something I'd say that I'd get to "one day" which turned out to be never. I knew I needed help in this department because the project felt too overwhelming to me to try to take on by myself. I have built-ins that are awesome, but I didn't really know what to do with them or how to best create a system for all the incoming/outgoing things, projects, papers, bills, etc, AND create something that was not just organized, but aesthetically pleasing as well. Enter: my friend Annie of Live Simply By Annie, a professional organizer located in Seattle. I knew Annie would be able to help me and I am so glad I asked.

In one afternoon, my office went from unmanageable and chaotic to organized, beautiful, and functional. Annie is a powerhouse of an organizer and I cannot recommend her services highly enough. The best part for me was that I didn't have to spend a dime on any kind of extra storage containers. Annie used everything I already had, and streamlined, reorganized and rearranged until Every Single Thing had a place and a home. She gets a vision for the space and works and works until it all fits just so. I still can't believe it. I am a combination of stunned, impressed, and grateful for the new, workable space.

The before and after:

Stunning, right? The update makes me so, so happy.

More after photos:

Those white boxes I've had since college and are $3.99 at Ikea.

I have a second desk/side area next to the built ins that was my previous shipping station, but we switched it around slightly.

My new shipping station on the other side of the room along with orders going out. (That print is now available for download, email me at allie@allieseidel.com if you're interested)

The desk space. I had Daniel paint the top of the desk for an easy update from the light wood.

Annie arrived with a game plan and lots of storage ideas. She asked my overall vision, and we went to work. Annie nudged me along in every area, and I for sure needed it. Annie would ask what a certain pile of papers was, and I'd say "Oh, that's something I just have to go through someday." And she'd say "Great. That someday is now. Go through it." I would laugh because I didn't want to take up too much of Annie's time, but she said that's what this time is for. To go through every single paper and decide to keep it or toss it. That's all organizing really is, lots of small decisions. But you have to put in the time and effort to actually do it.

I appreciated Annie's no-nonsense but kind style of organizing. I think I was imagining something more drill-sergeant like and it would just be "Toss everything and start over" but that wasn't it at all. It was more "Keep what works for you, let go of what doesn't." Annie's personality is suited so well for this field. If she wasn't there, I don't think I would have ever gone through each and every piece of paper I had in my office. I would have just left it as "good enough" and a project for "someday" which I now know won't ever come to fruition. I needed that push of someone else present the time blocked off, and the good kind of pressure to get it done. The moment that my office was completely organized was unreal, like a huge weight has been lifted off that entire area of my life. Completely priceless and so worth the afternoon of work.

Organizing this one room has made me realize how important it will be to become as organized as possible everywhere else pre-baby. The products have started to roll in, and I want to develop a system that works for us so that when the baby joins us in June, the only chaos I'll have to worry about will be baby-related, not stuff-related. I think becoming hyper-organized will help me make the transition as smoothly as possible.

SOURCES:

Annie's Organizing Services: livesimplybyannie.com. Desk: re-purposed old door from my in-law's remodel. Trestles, storage boxes, small white side desk, lamp: Ikea. Shipping station dresser and ghost chair: gifted. Planner: Get to Work Book. Fiberglass chair: Modernica. Square prints: Artifact Uprising

NESTING SERIES: NURSERY STORAGE

I searched all over for a storage solution for the nursery that was modern, neutral, and didn't scream "baby" so that it could grow with our child. So happy to have found these bins by Petit Pehr, the children's line of Pehr Designs.

The bins ship completely flat, and are made of flexible/bendable canvas. I love that they are printed in a soft cream instead of bright white, and I purposefully chose styles that went together but weren't too matchy. There are loads of style choices though, and lots of color options if you're into that too.

My plan is to use the largest size as our hamper, the medium for blankets, and the smallest for toys, but I'm sure this will switch around as I see more of how I need to organize all the gear. I love that the hamper is stylish enough that it doesn't need to be hidden in a closet.

They hold a surprising amount. My recommendation if starting with one is to pick the "bin" size, pictured here in top right. Not too big or too small, and so versatile for a variety of uses.

Styles pictured: Taupe Hamper (Pehr Designs) Grey Speck Bin (Petit Pehr) Grey Pin Dot Pint (Petit Pehr).

Sources: crochet hat (Krochet Kids), grey pillow (The Land of Nod), Wool Merino Blanket (Chasing Windmill Kids), wipes dispenser (Ubbi), wrap (Solly Baby), grey stripe crib sheet (Burts Bees Baby), leather mat (Gathre)

Shared in partnership with Pehr Designs, style choices and opinions are my own.