Franny’s Nursery Moodboard
Here we go! I’m thrilled to share the moodboard I put together for Franny’s nursery design, but before I get into the details, let me give a little bit of context.
When Mabel (our oldest) was born, we had purchased our first home and were planning to move in shortly after she was born. Naturally, since we didn’t have our actual home yet, we didn’t have the opportunity to set up her nursery before she arrived. In many ways, it was a relief. I didn’t even bother purchasing a crib and was able to wait until she was here before gathering the items she would need for her space. In fact, I didn’t actually get around to setting up her room until we decided to transition her into a crib at about 4-5 months old. By this point, I was out of the newborn fog and actually had the ability to work on her room without being mega-pregnant. I also knew what set up would be functional for how we needed the space to work for us. I have such fond memories of working on it and have never for a moment resented the fact that I had to wait.
So that brings us to Franny (our newest babe). Since I knew how long it would be before we’d actually have her in her own room, I also opted to wait to set it up. But now that she’s approaching 3 months old and I’m coming out of the newborn fog again, I figured I’d better start thinking about how I wanted to design it. We have an additional room in our home that is currently fully decorated as our shared office space (with craft storage) and this room will now become her room. It’s already an intentionally designed space with furniture and decor so there are a few key elements that we will be reusing in the nursery design because budget - as always - is a major consideration. But that being said, I wanted to find ways to tweak the space to feel more like her own and to function for her little baby needs. That brings me here.
Where We’re Starting (Before Photos)
To start, let me show you the room as it exists right now and talk about some of the elements that will be staying.
Within the first year of living in our house, we replaced all the carpet on the second storey with high-quality laminate flooring and updated all the dated light fixtures. In particular, we put these matching semi-flush mount globe fixtures in all the upstairs bedrooms. We also painted the beige walls white in the same tone (Falling Snow by Behr) as other areas in our home. This bedroom is south-facing and full of natural light, making it a bright and beautiful little space. The window already has a great light-filtering blind on it and I specifically bought the patterned rug to bring some warmth to the room. I also built the long wall shelf mounted above the desk and love how it maximizes storage by using vertical wall space. All of these design elements will be staying, exactly as is.
Rug // Ceiling Flush-Mount // Flooring // Dresser // Crib (similar) // Star Stuffy
The Inspiration
Now that you know what I’m working with, next I want to dive into what I’m feeling inspired by. I’ve found a few images that capture the direction I want to take, but note that I don’t want to exactly recreate these. I just want to draw elements from them to guide me forward.
What I’m most drawn to in these inspiration images are the layers - of both texture and pattern. I love that the spaces still have a fairly neutral design, yet they feel so bright, warm and lived-in. I’m drawn to the warm wood tones and neutral colours. I love the touches of woven rattan. I’m captivated by the whimsical style that feels young, but not babyish, and I like how adaptable it could be as Franny grows into a toddler and then a child. I love it all.
Another place I’m finding some inspiration for this space is from a simple, yet endearing, gift that Franny received. A couple of months before she was born, we let Mabel pick out any stuffed toy she desired to specifically give as a gift to her little sister once she arrived. We didn’t give any prompting or leading, but let her make the choice on her own. I was surprised when she insisted that the toy she wanted to choose was this little star. There were bunnies, kitties, teddies, and pups, yet she settled on this simple little star. I love how it sentimentally represents our girls’ relationship and for this reason, I’m going to draw a little bit of inspiration from it too.
Where We’re Going (The Moodboard)
You know what we’re starting with and you know what I’m drawing from, so now let me show you what elements I’ll be adding to bring this space together. As I mentioned, budget is definitely a huge factor in this space, but I do think there are a lot of ways I can strategically spend and strategically DIY to make this room special for our girl.
Curtains // Floor Lamp // Rug // Art Prints (Sheep, SHHH, Balloon, Swan, Hummingbird) // Peg Rail // Hanging Storage Bag // Ceiling Flush-Mount // Crib (similar) // Fitted Crib Sheet // Throw Cushions (Windowpane, Floral) // Paint Swatch // Star Bunting // Star Stuffy // Glider
Other than adding a glider, what we’ll be adding to this room will essentially be simple decor items, like artwork and linens. One of my favourite budget-friendly ways to add art to a room is by purchasing downloadable art online and then having it printed in the size I’d like. I’d like to bring a sense of whimsy to this room by curating an eclectic mix of artwork. I found a few pieces in a painted vintage style and want to pair them with some more graphic pieces and a sketched drawing. I’ll likely use an eclectic mix of frames and print the artwork in a variety of sizes.
I’d like to make Franny’s nursery feel nice and cozy by layering patterns and textures. I’d love to do some thick blackout curtains (a must in a nursery!) and then potentially sew some simple throw pillows using a small floral motif. I’d really love to create a sweet little star bunting inspired by this orange velvet one I found on Etsy and would love to find a way to incorporate a touch of a green-grey colour, perhaps by painting a piece of furniture or by incorporating a wall feature. Other than that, I’d love to layer in some alternative light sources (cozy floor lamp, anyone?) and some hanging storage.
Floor Lamp // Curtains // Throw Cushions (Windowpane, Floral) // Glider // Paint Swatch // Art Prints (Sheep, SHHH, Balloon, Swan, Hummingbird) // Peg Rail // Hanging Storage Bag
Overall, I plan to DIY a lot of these additional elements and may focus on thrifting and sourcing secondhand for bigger items, like a floor lamp and glider. I’m going to take my time on creating her space so I can spread our budget out as far as I can. Check back soon for a full nursery tour!
Disclaimer: This post contains affiliate links. Please read our full Affiliate Disclosure for more information.
