adeline's nursery
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When I think about the memories Adeline will have of her childhood, two things come to mind.
Ben Platt’s song “Childhood Bedroom” — the lyrics are just the sweetest
A story I saw on Instagram of someone a few years older than me saying their parents prioritized fun and playfulness growing up… I love how that’s what she remembers about her childhood
My hope for our girl is that she’ll always feel our love and playfulness every day growing up. That she’ll laugh every day. That she’ll feel free to be who she wants to be and always feel the most at home, at home. I want her to have the best memories of her childhood and can’t wait for all the fun we’re going to have together.
So when I was designing my “office,” which I secretly always knew would become a nursery eventually, even before we were pregnant, I wanted to make it whimsical. And when we found out she was coming into our lives, we didn’t know if she was a girl or boy and it didn’t matter — I just let the fun, playfulness, and whimsy priorities drive design decisions.
So I picked a wallpaper that fit the job well — a William Morris pattern that almost feels like you’re walking into a secret garden. And then I probably looked at 17 different green paint colors to find the perfect fit — and Sheraton Sage made the cut!
I wanted her room to feel elevated like the rest of the house — even if still playful and whimsical — so I followed the same “rules” I use throughout the rest of our home: mix old and new, contemporary and traditional. I love the juxtaposition that brings to design. So I found an antique mirror for above her dresser and mixed modern furniture with traditional wallpapering and trim. I also played with patterns and colors, mixing the floral wallpaper with a geometric rug, and bringing the green, pink, and gold from the wallpaper to life throughout various pieces of the room. You can tell I LOVE color. 💚💗💛
While I of course wanted the nursery to be beautiful, I also wanted it to be functional. So we made space for toys and blankets, found the perfect side table for the rocking chair, hung up a developmentally appropriate mobile, and invested in furniture that will grow with her (a 4-in-1 crib and dresser with removable changing table!). I love the functional furniture especially because although I’d love it if she stayed little forever, I know that’s unfortunately impossible.
Another tip I implemented in this room is shopping our house. While we did get a lot of new items gifted to us or purchased ourselves, we also repurposed some accents we had in other places of our home, like the blanket and toy basket, the basket that’s holding the diapers, the shelf behind the rocking chair, and the faux tree in the corner of her room. And honestly, all of these things look so much better in her room vs. anywhere else we’ve had them before. It just makes sense… love when that happens and things just fall into place.
When I first came home from the hospital without Adeline, I didn’t even want to go into her nursery. It was a sad reminder that we were home without our babe — and that she wouldn’t be home for several weeks or months. (More on my battle with preeclampsia here.) But as she continued to do better and better in the NICU, I felt better and better about spending time in her nursery to pump or just finish final preparations for her to come home. It’s now become my favorite room in our home — and it’s a lesson I’ll always take with me: no matter the room, design a space you WANT to be in.
