Margot's Nursery Reveal!

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I’m not sure entirely why it’s taken me so long to share the finished space (oh, I know - early parenthood!), but I’m so pleased to show you around my favorite room in the house for my favorite human in the world. The wallpaper, the colorful furniture, the plush rug, and the comfy seating - it couldn’t be more warm and cozy.

The crib and glider were generously gifted by Room & Board. The rug was kindly given by Pom Pom at Home. The art was so lovingly made for Margot by artist Jane Denton. Thanks for supporting my favorite brands and artists that support my blog.

For a refresher on the nursery progress thus far, click through to one of the blog posts below:

And, if you’re interested in more personal Margot blog posts, here’s her introduction, her birth story, and my postpartum essentials.

I really don’t know where to start, so let’s begin at the crib and rotate around the room.

Shopping at traditional baby stores isn’t my cup of tea - too many themes, too many pastels, and too much gendering by colors. So, I turned to a favorite “grown up” furniture store, Room & Board, for their ethically-made furnishings and fun crib colors. I got the Aster crib in Saffron and it set the tone for the whole room. The warm yellow hue is so cheery, so cozy, and special! Just like little Margot. The crib is coated in a non-toxic Greenguard Gold Certified coating on domestically-sourced maple. It’s something I feel comfortable resting my baby in every night.

I also got the convertible toddler bed component to modify the crib into a little kid bed one day. But don’t get me started thinking about my baby growing up just yet!

The crib sheet was made by a friend from this William Morris fabric. When it’s in the wash, we use this cribsheet. Margot’s sleep sack is this oh-so-soft one. This is her crib skirt for when the mattress was elevated (we’ve since lowered it since taking the photos several months back!)

Above the crib is a one-of-a-kind wall hanging that I got from The Arbrey but is more easily purchased from Moppet. It’s handmade by folds in Kashmir and has so much charm. I adore that it’s perfectly imperfect - the text wrapping of pe-acock, the missing “M” in monkey, the way the dog is pink. We’ve even incorporated it into our daily life by singing a song inspired by the objects on the hanging. I’ve hung it on the picture rail molding with small hooks, but I’m going to notify it so that she can’t pull it down when she reaches up to touch it from her crib. It’s luckily soft so it won’t hurt her if it falls, but the hooks could.

In front of the crib is a rocking horse that I got as agift for my first birthday. Margot likes to do laps around the dining table with it. I’m looking forward to getting her this little bike so she can scoot around without us needing to break our backs pushing her around.

Next to the crib is the oh-so-comfy Wren glider and ottoman in the sumner linen color. It’s also from Room & Board and comes in Greenguard Certified fabric. This glider gets lots of use - I nursed Margot to sleep in the chair, we feed her every bedtime bottle here, we read no less than 3,876 books before each nap and each bedtime in here, and she’s learning to walk by scooting around the ottoman, and it’s had it’s fair share of spit ups and spills. I’m pleased to report that it truly looks like new. No stains, no pilling, no wear, nothin’!

Oh, and also - gliders! Why don’t we have all of our seating set up on gliding bases!? It’s so comfortable that I end up rocking myself into a sleepy lull. The ottoman also has a gliding base, so it takes merely moving my toes forward and back to get the whole ottoman and chair swaying. Can we start a trend of turning our seating into gliders? I can promise you that if we ever remove the glider from Margot’s room, it’s going straight into the living room where I get to use it.

The art above the glider was made just for Margot! A favorite artist, Jane Denton, sent it to us and I’m beyond proud to have it as Margot’s first ever fine art acquisition. Jane is a Textile artist from New Zealand and I’ve admired her work for years. I love that the clean lines, modern frame, and big scale is in contrast to the delicate historic wallpaper. I been slowly working towards buying more original artwork, so I’m tickled that Margot is beginning her art collection at a young age - and with this piece, no less!

Next to the glider is a small table for baby accessories. In Margot’s 11 month of life, it’s become a resting spot for basically her entire library of a gazillion books that she insits on reading constantly throughout the day. The space is limited, so it’s a petite table that can’t quite hold all of her books, but it’s still going strong. In the very early days with Margot, we spent most of our time in my bedroom where I filled my bedside table with pump parts, nursing supplies, etc. So this side table hasn’t had to do too much heavy lifting in the baby utility department.

Behind the glider is an air purifier that helps me sleep better at night knowing the air Margot breathes is filtered.

Continuing around the room is the bench and storage bin. If you recall from my initial planning of the nursery, I wanted to make sure it wasn’t a room for only one caregiver to sit in. I wanted a spot where my mom could sit while I nursed in the glider and a spot for me to sit while Ross read a story. Sure, we lounge on the floor a lot, but the more seats, the merrier. We also wanted storage that was easily accessible for us and Margot. Enter, the storage bench! Underneath the seat is a bunch of storage for all of the clothes Margot has outgrown plus a few toys she has yet to grow into. I simply toss (clean) clothes that don’t fit her inside, then when it gets full I sort through to donate or save. I found the bench on Facebook Marketplace, but it’s originally from World Market. Not being vintage, I had no problem painting it Powder Blue by Sherwin Williams (the same color as our closet). I also cut a piece off the front panel to prevent Margot from pinching her fingers in it when the storage unit becomes a toy chest one day. See more of that process here.

On top of the bench sits a lumbar pillow and 12”x46” insert (how it fits perfectly is beyond me), some custom-sized mini-pillows, and a few stuffed animals. Since taking the photos, she’s also added the Princess Diana Ty Beanie Baby to her collection - you know, the Beanie Baby we thought would earn us millions one day!

Behind the bench is the only window in the room. It gets tons of light throughout the day so it’s been a battle trying to make the space dark and sleepy. I got this curtain rod kit (return, rod, bracket) that returns to the wall so the blackout curtain doesn’t have light leaks on the side. But, my picture rail molding and chunky baseboards stick out from the wall preventing the curtain from sitting flush against the wall. Plus, light comes up out the top! So, we’ve since added this IKEA blackout shade (not pictured) on top of the existing solar shade. The room is still not pitch black, but she does just fine with some light coming into her room.

Psst: Here and here are more curtain rod options from more commonly known retailers.

The curtains were custom made to fit the dimensions of the wall, to be wide enough to densely cover the window, and to collect into pinch pleats at the top. I used this seller on Etsy (almost used this seller but they were on vacation) to make custom curtains (2 double panels, 50" wide, 92" long, blackout, pinch pleat, and weighted hem) in a red ticking stripe fabric. The curtains cost $500 which seems like a lot, but it’s a steal once you start shopping the custom curtain double panel pinch pleat scene. I’m really digging the powdered blue and red color combination right now! When Margot was younger, we kept the baby monitor on a microphone stand next to the crib. As she’s gotten older, we’ve since used this attachment to mount it to the curtain rod.

A favorite artist, Esther Pearl Watson, created a series of paintings nearly every day during the pandemic. They all have her classic folksy styling but vary from scary to tragic and funny to surreal. The day Justice Ruth Bader Ginsberg died, Esther painted a scene she saw of neighbors mourning her death. The combination of a talented female artist and the depiction of an inspiring female role model was a no brainer to hang in my daughter’s room.

Does the rug look familiar? I put the same rug in my friend’s nursery and knew I had to have it for myself. I was genuinely shocked when I first felt it - like I was walking on my favorite sweater. It’s so soft and so plush - perfect for a baby’s room. The rug comes from Pom Pom at Home, a favorite small business that focuses on top quality, natural products. I like how the medium-scale geometric print contrasts the small-scale pattern in the wallpaper. I didn’t even realize until writing this post how similar it is to the Jane Denton artwork! The blue hue coordinates well with the blue bench, and I like being a contrarian using blue in a girl’s room.

In the closet, we store all of Margot’s hanging clothes, overflow supplies, outgrown baby items and soon-to-grow-into bigger kid toys. On the outside of the door I installed this cute little bird hook to hang her bath towel and sometimes an outfit for a special occasion.

On the next wall we have a vintage dresser that I got from a local reseller. If you recall, I had found a super cute vintage dresser with curved corners and bun feet that I loved but it smelled SO badly. I took it to a professional furniture restoration shop and they couldn’t even let it sit inside their shop because of the strong odor. They couldn’t find a solution for the stench, and I was 39 weeks pregnant, so it was no time to fuss around with a dresser. Sarah of Founded Fifty One came to the rescue letting me borrow a dresser until I found a solution for my smelly one. Luckily, hers didn’t smell and was perfectly cute, so we kept it! And, I like it even more than the original.

We keep diapers and changing supplies in the top drawers, onesies and basics in the second row, and pajamas and sleep sacks in the bottom drawers. On top is this changing pad that we love. Well, as much as you can love changing pads. It wipes up so easily, never needs laundering, and is perfectly squishy. It comes at a steep price tag for, well, being a thing you change dirty diapers on. But, its been used to change 2,000+ diapers, and served as a sponge bath spot in the early days, so it’s been well used. Having one less thing to launder is really swell.

Next to the dresser is this diaper pail that can be used for either disposable or reusable diapers. It does just what it advertises which is keeps the smell contained in the bin. 10/10 recommend!

On the other side of the dresser is a small chair that was mine as a child and atop it is a simple basket. We use the basket as Margot’s laundry hamper. Every other laundry hamper felt so big and bulky that it would mean putting her entire wardrobe inside in order to fill it up. I prefer to do her laundry frequently (small load on speed cycle for the win!) so her food-covered clothes don’t sit in the hamper for ages to get stinky or stains. A tiny laundry hamper encourages frequent washes which helps keep her clothes in tip top shape.

Above the dresser is a flying bird mobile that flaps its wings when pulled. I bought it in France over a decade ago and it’s sat in storage until now. A similar style in different colors is here. Originally, the bird was a parrot with funky colors and a cartoon-y face. I repainted it a red to match the curtains and painted it’s eyes with a similar shape as those in her wallpaper.

Speaking of wallpaper, this paper really and truly makes the room. It’s warm, cozy, sweet, and historic. I really wanted a paper that added lots of color and texture without being too bold, while still having lots to discover in the details. Margot has adored the paper from birth - it’s what got her first cooing and babbling! She still loves it and likes to point out the different flora and fauna. I share more about the paper here. After wallpapering the kitchen and the nursery, I can assure you that this isn’t the last of the wallpapering you’ll see from me. .

The door to the right of her dresser leads into the hallway where the laundry and bathroom is - perfect for washing up after a messy outfit change. It also leads into the dining and living rooms where she spends much of her days. I like how connected her room is to the rest of the house. I worried we would wake her up with kitchen noises or playing music, but she sleeps right through. She even slumbers through the jackhammering of the backyard remodel and the banging throughout the bathroom construction. The planes under the flightpath don’t bother her either, but I think a lot of help is due to the sound machine that drowns out those sounds.

Her sound machine sits on the floor (we still need to figure out a safer cord management solution soon) and we tap it on and off with our toes. I shared more about her book storage unit here along with some alternate designs, too. It’s really narrow, which is just what we need for a wall that serves as a hallway between the two doors.

Hanging from the picture rail above her books is a frame of pressed flowers that I collected when she was a week old. They were in bloom when she was born, so it’s a sweet heirloom to keep for years to come.

Continuing our circle around the room is the doorway to our bedroom. It’s nice being close by should Margot ever need us at night, and I’m comforted knowing she’s just on the other side of the wall. This door was never here before! I modified the walls to create an interior vestibule which dramatically improves the layout of our home. Learn more about it here.

And I think that concludes the tour of my favorite room of the house for my favorite person in the world. Let me know in the comments if you have any questions about her room, or even about our favorite baby products/resources, too.

Here’s Margot at 7 months old. I can’t believe how young she looks here!