A tour of our nursery

I really wanted to get the baby’s room ready before Christmas and I’ve just about made it. I have to say it has been the most difficult room that I have decorated to date and if I’m totally honest I’m not delighted with it because it has to serve as a nursery, guest room and work room so I never felt that I could create exactly what I wanted as there had to be so many compromises in terms of space and practical furniture choices, except the cot that I absolutely love. However, the most important thing is that it feels so lovely to spend time in this room as it’s warm, cosy and welcoming and it’s very, very practical with loads of storage and the space works well for the purpose.

I’m sure it will change loads once the baby is here and it begins to fill up with toys and baby stuff – I don’t even know what that stuff will be yet! There are lots of empty shelves and drawers waiting to be filled and a little baby’s character to discover so I will definitely keep you up to date on how the space evolves in the next few weeks and months. I thought it would also be nice to get some proper photos done once baby is here so we can show her off at the same time.

But for now, these pics will have to do…dark, dark days, a huge tummy and extreme tiredness are not conducive to good photos, I’m afraid! By the way, I have compiled a list of everything in the room so pop down to the end of the post to find out where everything is from.

Nursery tour | Sebra kili cot | Apartment Apothecary

As you come into the room we have put my desk tucked into the corner, a day bed on the right, the cot under the window as this was the only spot it would fit but I reckon we will move it once the baby starts sleeping in here in a few months time, and a large set of drawers running down the left side of the room. I have also added a rug to make the room feel cosy.

The only thing we have done to the room is re-paint the floor and touch up the walls (see that process in this post). We then painted all the woodwork including the skirting boards, window frame and ledge and the door in Farrow & Ball’s Light Blue. I used that colour as a basis for the other muted colours including blue, green and pink.

Nursery tour | Pocket string shelf and reva changing basket | Pinch toys wooden toys | Apartment Apothecary

I needed a large chest of drawers in this room as there was no space for a wardrobe. I changed the knobs to white porcelain ones.

The large IKEA chest of drawers was a must for storage purposes. We did have the option of a beautiful vintage pine cupboard and I was soooo tempted but it just wasn’t practical. Jules, who doesn’t usually get very involved in choosing furniture, was adamant that I did two things in this room: add colour and choose practical furniture. Therefore, he won on the cupboard front and actually these drawers are ridiculously good for fitting loads in them. The top of the unit is perfect for a changing spot, too.

Nursery tour | Hemnes chest of drawers from IKEA | Apartment Apothecary

Drawer dividers are perfect for lots of cute little baby clothes.

I was going to try to do without any desk space but I quickly realised that whilst I could it would be silly not to take advantage of this corner of the room where the vintage school desk from our hallway fits perfectly. It’s actually a really nice spot to work from.

Nursery tour | Sebra kili cot | Apartment Apothecary

The wall facing the window was the perfect spot for a desk as it fits perfectly here. This vintage school desk used to be our hallway table. Again, we used Light Blue for the door and its frame.

Nursery tour | Sebra kili cot | Apartment Apothecary

I used a couple of spice racks for my stationery as the desk is so small and hung my favourite Double Merrick print over the desk.

It’s not ideal to have the cot under the window so we will probably have a shift around once the baby starts actually sleeping in this room. For now though the day bed takes priority as I’m pretty sure there are going to be nights where either I need to feed the baby in here or Jules needs to escape for a full night’s sleep. It’s also great to have space for family to come and stay.

Nursery tour | Sebra kili cot | Apartment Apothecary

The rug brings so much warmth to this room and it fits the space perfectly. Another favourite addition is the hot air balloon lampshade that diffuses the overhead light so beautifully.

Nursery tour | Muuto Dots coat hooks and Cable and Cotton lights | Apartment Apothecary

The Muuto Dot coat hooks are perfect for hanging the lights on.

Nursery tour | White paper doll house | Apartment Apothecary

I have bought a few toys, books and decorative objects for the baby that she won’t be able to play with for AGES but nice to have a bit of visual stimulation, I thought. But, as you can see, there is lots of space for more!

Nursery tour | Sebra kili cot | Apartment Apothecary

Nursery tour | Sebra kili cot | Apartment Apothecary

The cot is my absolute favourite thing about the room. I will tell you more about it when the baby starts using it but it cleverly extends to a toddler bed and a child’s bed that will last until she is 7 years old.

Nursery tour | Pocket string shelf and reva changing basket | Pinch toys wooden toys | Apartment Apothecary

I’m sure these shelves above the changing basket will fill up with cotton wool and nappies in no time at all and the pretty wooden toys will be banished to a drawer somewhere!

Nursery tour | Pocket string shelf and reva changing basket | Pinch toys wooden toys | Hemnes chest of drawers from IKEA | Apartment Apothecary

And that’s it!

So, nursery is done, baby’s clothes are washed and folded, pram and car seat have been bought and we have a crib ready in our bedroom. All that remains is for this baby to arrive in three weeks – we can not wait to meet her!

Katy x

Source list:

Furniture and paint

Paint – Light Blue estate eggshell on all wood work and All White floor paint, both c/o Farrow & Ball

Cot – Sebra Kili cot bed c/o Houseology

Day bed – Hemnes day bed from IKEA (with white porcelain knobs from John Lewis)

Drawers – Hemnes chest of 8 drawers from IKEA (with white porcelain knobs from John Lewis)

Large shelving unit – String shelving from Haus London

Small shelving unit – Pocket string from Haus London

Textiles

Rug – Kolong rug c/o Urbanara

Quilt – Chambray blue single hand quilted blanket from Camomile London

Grey throw in basket – Star throw c/o Baby Mori

Cushions – House cushions from Camomile London

Pillowcases  – Ticking stripe pillowcases from Toast

Muslins in changing basket – Pre-washed muslins in blush pink, white and grey c/o Baby Mori

Accessories

Changing basket – Reva oval changing basket from The Tipi

Lampshade – Hot air balloon lampshade from Modern Nursery

String of lights – Marshmallow Cable and Cotton lights from Houseology

Hooks – Muuto Dots coat hooks in oak from Houseology

Plant on windowsill – geo-fleur

Chalkboard – Blackboard with chalk and sponge from Labour and Wait

Toys

Elephant – Sebra elephant on wheels c/o Smallable

Soft bunny – Isla cuddle toy from Scandiborn

Sausage dog toy – Lazy puppy cushion from Scandiborn

Wooden cars and blocks – Handmade wooden toys from Pinch Toys

Doll house – White paper doll house from Sarah and Bendrix Kids

Whale – Ferm Living whale mobile c/o Smallable

Wall art

Print on small String shelf – Mother and Daughter illustration by Saar Manche from Tea and Kate

Print above desk – Screen print by Double Merrick (this particular print no longer available, I’m afraid)

Print next to drawers – Princess and the pea by Christian Jackson from Image Kind

*Do let me know if there is anything else that I haven’t mentioned that you would like to find out more about.

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44 Comments

  1. 19th December 2016 / 6:34 am

    It’s so gorgeous Katy! Good luck with the safe arrival of your little one, I can’t wait to hear the news! X x

  2. 19th December 2016 / 7:36 am

    Itlooks realy nice and brautifully styled-very happy for you!

  3. Clare
    19th December 2016 / 7:37 am

    Oh my goodness – it is wonderful, Katy! That cot! SWOON! What a beautiful space to get to know the baby…sending lots of positive vibes for the next few weeks x

  4. 19th December 2016 / 8:28 am

    Katy this is absolutely stunning!! What a beautiful room and perfect do your new arrival.
    So excited for you xxx

  5. 19th December 2016 / 9:18 am

    Those hedgehog shorts. 😀 I love them! I’d totally wear them, haha. In all seriousness, gorgeous Katy. So excited for you xx

  6. 19th December 2016 / 9:35 am

    All the best for this exciting time for you.

  7. 19th December 2016 / 10:03 am

    So pretty! What a lucky little girl she will be 🙂

    Can’t wait to meet her and see you!!! xxx

  8. 19th December 2016 / 10:23 am

    How exciting, Katy! Not long at all now 🙂 The room is absolutely beautiful as well as practical – really well thought out. Best wishes to you xxx

  9. 19th December 2016 / 11:10 am

    I love the blue tone and the small details scattered throughout the room, a very balanced set. I can not wait to see her. Congratulations!

    Un besote.

  10. 19th December 2016 / 12:04 pm

    Oh it’s all so lovely and serene! I love some of the little touches in the room – those beautiful wood and soft toys, the pretty hanging lights and the little house with the animals made me squeal! Can’t wait to see your new little one and all the best for a very safe and happy arrival! xxx

  11. 19th December 2016 / 12:10 pm

    I actually teared up reading this post because I am SO excited for you! This is a gorgeous, light-filled space and I absolutely love that cot. Can’t wait to meet the lucky lady who’ll be claiming this room soon.

  12. 19th December 2016 / 12:23 pm

    Beautiful nursery – that rug looks absolutely gorgeous, will be so snuggly underfoot at this time of year. Hope you have a lovely, relaxed last few weeks! Xx

  13. 19th December 2016 / 2:37 pm

    It looks beautiful Katy! What a lucky little girl to have such a wonderful room to come home to. I love the Muuto dots, and the hot air balloon light (kind of want one for myself…!) xx

  14. 19th December 2016 / 4:39 pm

    Oh Katy, it’s lovely, it looks so warm and welcoming, what a lucky little girl! x

  15. 19th December 2016 / 6:34 pm

    What a fab space. Lots of lovely details without being overbearing. Love the ceiling light. And, I’ve been meaning to get the Muuto dot coat hooks for ages, they look so good here. Congrats on getting it all done!x

  16. 19th December 2016 / 7:16 pm

    How adorable. I love the string hooks and the drawer tidy. Congrats on the baby bump x

  17. 19th December 2016 / 7:22 pm

    Oh I totally understand your dilemma!
    When I was pregnant we made one bedroom an office/guest bedroom and the smallest room a nursery. Now that my litle girl needs a bigger room, we’re swapping the lot and it doesn’t quite work!
    You’ve definitely made so much out of your space though and it all blends together beautifully. Love the little details everywhere. What a lucky little girl! xx

  18. Katrina
    19th December 2016 / 10:16 pm

    Don’t forget a sling or baby carrier, they much prefer being close to you when the are little! Beautiful nursery Katy, I am so exited for you.

  19. Farah
    19th December 2016 / 10:54 pm

    How bloody exciting !!!xx

  20. 20th December 2016 / 11:26 am

    It’s looking lovely and I think you’ve done a brilliant job of making the room multi-functional. Good luck and I hope all goes well for you!

  21. 20th December 2016 / 1:31 pm

    This is absolutely beautiful. The perfect room to welcome your little one and guests! Very clever use of space, and I am sure there will be times you will appreciate the daybed yourself!
    x

  22. 21st December 2016 / 10:29 am

    Stunning. I love the white room.

  23. 22nd December 2016 / 8:55 pm

    It’s gorgeous, Katy, really gorgeous. I remember a time when I had a lego free floor. Those were the days!!! 😉

  24. 24th December 2016 / 9:21 am

    Beautiful space, thank you for including our stacking toy and paper house x

  25. Jennifer
    5th January 2017 / 4:19 pm

    It looks wonderful! I can’t wait to see pics of your little girl settled in there. xx

  26. Martin Harvey
    23rd January 2017 / 4:12 pm

    I love what you’ve done. I particularly like the string shelving (what type of wood are the large shelves? ash or oak?). And where did you get the animals in the paper dolls house?

    • katy
      Author
      1st April 2017 / 2:09 pm

      The shelves are oak and I got the animals from John Lewis x

  27. Caroline griffin
    2nd February 2017 / 9:57 am

    Hi where is the small book shelf/coat hook piece from please! Lovely room!

    • katy
      Author
      1st April 2017 / 2:09 pm

      It’s a vintage piece, I’m afraid. If I see something similar I will let you know x

  28. 27th February 2017 / 3:01 pm

    This is so sweet and lovely, I’ll be taking inspiration from this! Love it.

  29. 20th March 2017 / 7:42 pm

    A beautiful and cosy nursery, you have certainly inspired us for when our little one pops out this June.

    Thank you so much

    Kyron

  30. 26th April 2017 / 5:17 pm

    The hot air balloon is adorable. Love how you mixed different accessories and toys and everything fit in so well together.

  31. Rebecca
    13th October 2017 / 12:26 pm

    Can I ask which hemnes Ikea drawers you went for are the ones with the slight shine to them or the Matte white ones? I am currently decorating a nursery and thought the drawers looked great.

    Thanks

    • katy
      Author
      14th October 2017 / 1:20 pm

      Hi Rebecca. My drawers are the slightly off white glossy ones. They are very practical for the nursery as they wipe clean so easily. Hope that helps! X

      • Rebecca
        14th October 2017 / 7:00 pm

        Thanks so much we have those! I love the look with handles and just wanted to see if it was the off white you had teamed it with so thank you very helpful x

  32. Emma
    10th May 2018 / 8:11 pm

    Your nursery is so gorgeous – can’t wait to see what you do with the new house! Can I ask what size/make vinyl mat fits in the changing basket please? Very tempted to buy it!

  33. Briana Millage
    17th March 2019 / 5:09 pm

    Hi! Where did you get the vinyl insert for the Reva changing basket? I’m looking for one for my basket! Thanks!

    • katy
      Author
      18th April 2019 / 7:15 pm

      Hi there. I bought the cheapest one I could find from John Lewis and cut the foam out of the corners so that it would fit in the basket. I still have it just over two years later so it has worked really well! X

  34. Alexandra Meek
    3rd May 2020 / 8:09 pm

    Hi! Beautiful room. Can you share where you got the vinyl lining for the changing basket? Thank you!

    • katy
      Author
      5th May 2020 / 7:16 am

      Hi there. I bought the cheapest one I could find from John Lewis and cut the foam out of the corners so that it would fit in the basket. I had it for nearly three years so it has worked really well! X

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