Gender Neutral Nursery Nook

Violet will be six months next week, so it's time to share her little nursery nook! We live in a one bedroom apartment, so space is at a minimum. When I was pregnant with our baby, I knew that I wanted to make a special little nook for them. Dan and I switched our bedroom with the living room, giving us a spacious bedroom and cozy living room. That allowed us to free up a section of our new bedroom to dedicate the space to "baby".

I love our wall colour in the bedroom: it's a soft grey that seems very restful. I wanted to make our baby's corner a little bit different, so I found white polka dot decals on Etsy. The ones that I chose were a bit more expensive, but they're a durable, removable material so I can use them in Violet's next room, instead of the throw-away vinyl variety. The polka dots are white, so they would suit either gender, since we weren't 100% positive that V was a girl.

Each element of her bedroom has a special story. The crib was borrowed from an amazing friend - it's just like new and that was a big purchase that we were able to avoid. The beautiful rocking chair was a gift from my parents for Baby V. Her dresser/changing table was my grandmother's, and it's look is an interesting story. We had planned on sanding down the red finish and repainting it white, but once I saw it after Daniel sanded it, I wanted to leave it as-is. It has so much character, and the rough finish adds a bit of interest to her space.

I wanted a unique mobile for Violet's space, but didn't want to spend a ton of money. I found several styles on Etsy that I fell in love with, but the price tag was much too steep. I contemplated making my own, but with a newborn around, it's tough to find the time. The days were slipping by and I knew that I needed to find something. On a trip to Target, I spotted the sweet whale mobile that was fairly neutral. The only problem was that the arm of the mobile was bright blue. I decided to purchase it anyway, but when I got home and opened up the package, I saw that I could leave the blue sleeve off the arm! Score!

We tried to keep most of the space neutral, in shades of grey, white, cream, and mint. Once V was born, I took out a few pieces that I had stashed away in soft pink, just in case she was a girl. The little pops of pink make the space feminine, but you could really use the space for a baby boy, too. It was amazing how the space came together. Every detail was just how I wanted. I loved window-shopping at the Pottery Barn and RH Kids websites, but would never splurge. I found her crib skirt - a white quilted one with mint trim - at Value Village, and it was perfect… and from Pottery Barn. Amazing! Her closet was a tiny alcove, but we bought an extendable shower curtain rod to set the space up as a closet. Perfect!

Violet's dress collection is a little out of hand. Between gorgeous gifts and hand-me-downs from family and friends, she isn't wanting. She's grown so quickly that some of her pieces were only worn once. Above her closet, we hung two frames with photos from our maternity shoot. I found the frames at Target as well. What did we do before we had stores in Canada?

As much as I would love for V's space to be entirely matching, my main concern is being practical. The multicoloured basket is one that I had and wasn't using, is a great size for facecloths and towels, and it fits on her bookshelf perfectly. I purchased the lamp for the space (and bought a second matching one to have as a pair once she has her own room). The bookshelf is one that I bought years ago at a yard sale, and Dan sanded it down and refinished it. It's one of my favourite pieces that we own. The "sweet little one" is a letterpress card that we received from friends after V was born, and it's the perfect addition to one of the pink frames that I had stored away. The gal with the bunny is from the Black Apple, and was given to me by Kelsie. The adorable owl is a nightlight from Hollie. I painted the verse on the canvas while nesting before baby was born.

One of my favourite things to purchase and receive are book's for Violet's little library. Already, she enjoys reading, and I can't wait to instil that further. Dan and I are both readers, and we loved reading as children. There are so many sweet books with beautiful illustrations out there! We both have quite a few books saved from our childhood that will be fun to share with V as she gets older.

Since Violet's nursery nook is just a corner of our bedroom, it's difficult to get an overall view of the space. Here's a bird's eye view of her nook. As you can see, every square inch is used, from baskets storing extra sweaters and shoes under the crib, to the diaper pail and hamper snuggled in beside other pieces. It's just the right size for our baby girl. Thanks for touring the space with me!