When we first moved in to our condo, I was 7 months pregnant. After a nerve wracking first and second trimester and two pregnancy losses later, I felt like it was finally time to start thinking about the nursery and the room that would belong to my future baby girl. The room that was conveniently pink. A shade of pink that had me reminiscing about bubble gum and cotton candy. It had to go.
Reading Chair
I knew I wanted to mix and match the furniture from our first home to use in the nursery. After all, it was only less than a year old. So my inspiration for the room came largely from our teal sofa chair, gifted to us by my parents as our very first housewarming present. Although I wish the chair rocked or swiveled, it is what brings the room together. After a few months, we decided to purchase an additional glider as Yusra loved to be rocked to sleep and we were tired of walking back and forth around the room.
Additional Décor: The llama throw pillow was a gift to Yusra from her Immo Emma, purchased from Urban Outfitters. The pouf was a fun, cozy touch find from Facebook Marketplace and the lamp is from Ikea. We decided on dim, yellow lighting for the nursery as Yusra does sleep there. It helps create a calm environment in the evening and signals the time to wind down whenever it turns on.
Area Rug
I wanted a gender neutral nursery and teal was the perfect colour to work with. I started my search on Facebook Marketplace for the perfect rug and came across this beauty from Wayfair. The colours were fun and the print was ideal for a child’s room as stains would be an ease to hide. (This has been tested and approved.) With hints of a variety of deep, vibrant colours – I’m hoping this rug can be used for years to come and will look good in a boy or girl’s space.
Play shelf/ Changing Table
The Kallax shelf from Ikea is so versatile! It was our old TV stand. Now it’s my daughter’s toy shelf and change table. Following the Montessori approach of displaying fewer toys that are easy for her to grab and play with independently, the shelf was the perfect addition to this room. I didn’t want a table specifically for changing as we didn’t have the room, nor did it fit my aesthetics. Luckily, we were able to purchase a change pad that nails on to the top of the shelf. I’m not too fond of the blackness of it, but I could not decide which colour to end up painting it. Besides, it worked with the teal chair. And its super functional.
Crib
We purchased a grey crib from Walmart. It was dark enough to not be a stark contrast with the black furniture, but light enough to keep things playful. The mismatched furniture adds to the fun and quirky vibe of the room. It has a storage drawer at the bottom which we loved, but was only functional after lowering the mattress at 6 months. I added deep pink and teal throw pillows to bring out the colours of the rug and kept the bedding white to not have too much going on in the room. Although I was set on a gender netural room, I decided to get a flower pillow I saw on H&M last minute as I was still very excited for the arrival of my baby girl. And of course, nothing says feminine like florals.
Curtains/ Drapes
Ah, the curtains. I knew exactly what type of curtains I wanted before I even started looking. It had to have tassels and it had to be multicolored. So when I saw this on Athropologie, I knew it was meant to be. The tassels were teal and the beautiful print had all the colours of the rug while still being neutral enough to not be overwhelming. The price was the only thing stopping me from getting the curtains but I decided to go for it. I had just started maternity leave and given we had purchased almost nothing for the baby yet, I thought furnishing her room to perfection would make up for it.
Beware, if you are purchasing from Anthropologie, you will have to pay a very large amount for customs. Needless to say, these curtains will be passed down to Yusra’s children. Maybe that would justify the price.
Additional Décor: The “Arabic Alphabet” canvas was gifted to Yusra by a friend of mine. I love how the colours go perfectly with her room and exposure to languages at an early age helps children learn faster! Bertha, my first plant baby, keeps my human baby’s air nice and purified. Although Yusra was fascinated by Bertha and would love to munch on her leaves and dirt when she thought no one was looking, she has since learned not to tamper with her.
And there you have it! A nursery room fit for our precious baby girl. What I love is that Yusra can grow into her room throughout the years and it won’t take any effort to change up. Unless of course my future four year old suddenly wants all things Paw Patrol and I have to sell off all my months of hard work. But that can be dealt with when the time comes.