Boho Boys 'Adventure' Nursery
creating a space that grows with baby!
There is so much to do when preparing to welcome your first child! Crib and diapers and clothes and toys… you make a list and it just seems to get longer the closer you get to welcoming your new bundle! Through all that preparation, it was really important to me to have a nursery that felt like an oasis, functioned well, and would grow with my son as he grew! The first thing I did was, of course, start digging through Pinterest for inspiration! Here is the board where I “dumped” everything that piqued my interest.
From there I planned! I wasn’t really seeing anything that truly reflected the image I had in my mind, so I used pieces of each inspiration image to curate this nursery.
Before I formed you in the womb, I knew you. Before you were born, I set you apart.
First came the walls. I really liked the idea of having a mural as most of this room was taken up by large windows and a closet. I originally thought I would purchase a wallpaper wall mural to save time but quickly realized the murals I loved were out of the budget I was comfortable spending, so I improvised and painted it myself! I found an image of a shoreline that I really liked and used that for both composition and color inspiration. In the pictures below you will see a very stubborn, very pregnant me working on the mural. Had to work in 30-45 minute increments or else I would exhaust myself. Yes, I know you are all very, very jealous of my outfit 🙂
Once the walls were complete, it was time to start bringing in all of the items I’ve collected over the last few months. I never know exactly where everything goes in the beginning. I start with the large furniture pieces and work my way down… hanging curtains next, then large art pieces, small art pieces, and then accessories. I also like to take everything purchased and lay it out on the floor or nearby area so I can see everything easily! This allows me to quickly analyse which items should go where. In this case, I did have to work around the “idea” of where I wanted to place the nursery chair and ottoman from Crate & Barrel, as they were stuck on the California coast for a while, so it didn’t arrive until AFTER Jackson was born! We were very happy when it arrived!
My personal style has always been eclectic – I like mixing the old with new, ornate with simple. For the diaper table, I did not want to buy the traditional dresser with the border surround that my son grew out of as soon as he was out of diapers! The other challenge was to find a piece of furniture that worked for both myself and my husband as we have a foot of height difference between us. I was very happy when I found this old buffet at an antique store! It was the right length and height and the thinner felt lined drawers (typically used for silverware) worked beautifully for the smaller items we needed to store like burp cloths, teethers, gripe water, etc.
Now, this piece DID need a bit of love as you can see! I took all of the drawers out, took off the hardware, thoroughly cleaned and polished the wood and brass hardware, and reassembled. I must say… my hands were BLACK for days from all the dirt I buffed off! So worth it! Finally, I took some gold paint and filled in some of the recessed parts of the doors and top edge of the buffet to add a little more pop! I love how it turned out!
Some nursery themes seem too cartoony or overdone. The ‘Adventure’ theme I went with was intended to be more subtle… not just adding a sign above the crib that says “adventure awaits” or “oh the places you will go!” Don’t get me wrong, those types of nurseries can look really nice, it’s just not my personal style. I went with displaying things like cars, hot air balloons, ships, trains, etc, and included a vintage travel poster on fabric, collected art showing landscapes, and antique comic books showing superheroes like Thor and Superman; all to give the room the sense of adventure (without actually saying it)! You’ll see a pirate ship lamp my husband made too! I hope Jackson enjoys this space for many years to come!
the final product! what do you think?
Jessie Ellis
Wife, friend and dog mom with 18+ years of education and 12+ years as a commercial design professional. Always inquisitive, creative and empathetic; trying to live each day with intention.
Well done!!! I love it! You did an amazing job! It is most certainly a room that will grOOOOW with Jackson! <3
P.S.
“Before I formed you in the womb I knew you, before you were born I set you apart…." is from Jeremiah 1:5 🙂