NEUTRAL BABY BOY NURSERY
Does anyone else feel like the baby blue and bright pinks are just out?
Let me explain.
When I first had my first son, every single item I purchased for that kid was BRIGHT blue, green, yellow, or any other color you could imagine. It’s like the rainbow threw up in his room. By the time he got to be older (3ish) I was THRILLED to get rid of all the colors because it was just too much for me.
When I knew I wanted to have another baby, I was determined to have the baby's nursery as neutral as possible. When I found out I was having another boy, I wanted to make sure it wasn’t too “boyish,” but still went with my overall vibes in my house.
First, I set a foundation of color palettes that I knew would flow and be calming. I don’t know about you, but when I’m dealing with a screaming baby the last thing I want is my environment to be chaotic as well! I’m such a visual person, so having too many things on the floor/too many colors tend to overwhelm me more than they need to. Here are the colors I already had: grays, whites, blacks, and natural wood tones throughout my house. So I knew that would be the right fit for the baby’s room, but I needed to elevate it to look like a baby’s room! Once I figured out I wanted those types of colors I went on the search from his crib and rocking chair.
I was SO close to buying a white crib. I was literally *on the way* to Ikea to get a white crib when something hit me that a natural wood tone was what I truly wanted. As I strolled through Ikea anxiously looking for the cribs that were on display- I spotted both cribs. A white one. A natural wood tone one. Instantly I feel head over heels for the natural wood tone and I knew that would be the perfect fit! It was a simplistic design, which was exactly what I was looking for! I ended up with the Sniglar Crib in the color beech. It is seriously the BEST crib! I talk heavily in my post “My Top 8 Baby Must Haves.” It has truly stood the test of time, it’s sturdy, adorable, and super functional. Plus… its legit $80 #win. As you could probably guess, I also wanted the crib fitted sheets to be neutral as well. I ended up finding these Jersey Knit sheets on Amazon that I LOVE. They are super soft, stretchy, and wash up super great.
My next find was the rocking chair for his room. In my older son's nursery I had a rocking chair from the 80’s that was blue with a pattern, yes it functioned, but good god it was not cute. So I went on the hunt… I searched EVERYWHERE for a reasonably priced rocking chair, because y’all, I am not paying $800+ for a rocking chair. I ended up doing a lot of digging around on Wayfair and finally landed on the perfect one! The reviews on this chair say it all. It was extremely easy to put together, super comfortable, and stylish with clean lines. The only drawback in my eyes is that it doesn’t recline, but I also wasn’t looking to spend upwards of $1000. This chair ended up coming in at $299!! Wayfair also runs fantastic sales, so be on the lookout for a discount!
One of the hardest elements for me to put together in the nursery was the wall decor. It is one of my all time favorite things to do, but for some reason, it was hard to see it all come together! I did a lot of pinterest surfing and ended up finding some inspirational photos that led me to do a gallery wall. I knew I wanted to keep to the same color scheme, so I did some digging around at Hobby Lobby and Target. The vast majority of the wall decor that you see in his room is from Hobby Lobby! I know whenever I go into the store, I’ll get myself in trouble because there are way too many good finds! Before I went into the store, I ended up looking at their online store first. This gave me a sense of what I was wanting and the vibes I was going for. I knew I needed a variety of pieces that would flow together without being forced. Here is what I knew I needed:
1 larger photo (~12x16)
1 Smaller Framed photo
Two hanging items that hung from a string
A geometric shape
1 different shaped item (like a word bubble)
I brought my list with me and I was off! I ended up spending a LOT of time wandering the aisles of Hobby Lobby, but I wanted to make sure I was getting exactly what I wanted. As I shopped, I made sure to look at everything I had in my cart to make sure it “flowed” together and I had enough variety to what I was buying. Whenever I go into a decor store with a specific list of what I want, it can get SUPER overwhelming! I ended up finding some great stuff and took the plunge to buy it.
Once I got home, I put everything I bought out on the carpet. I HIGHLY suggest laying your gallery wall out on the carpet to get an overall feel of where to place certain things and move it around without being married to it if you had already put it up! I’m not gonna lie… it took several tries to feel like I got it right. I messed around a lot with placing things in different orders, so take your time!! After I found the perfect spots for everything, I got myself ready to hang it on the wall.
I took the largest photo and started there. I decided to keep the mock up gallery wall on the floor to make sure I didn’t mess up :)
After I got the largest photo up on the wall, I continued to grab the other wall decor one by one and put it on the wall. Remember to always mark your spot! You may have to adjust once you get it on the wall.
Enjoy your gallery wall!!
Last, but not least, I needed some sort of changing table and dresser. I was realllllllly not wanting to have a dresser AND changing table, so I met them in the middle. I ended up buying an Ikea dresser, a changing pad (that I am OBSESSED with), and DONE. You got yourself a dresser and changing table in one! I honestly wouldn’t do it any other way and it doesn’t clutter his room.
In the end, I absolutely love this nursery. It is simple, yet interesting. Calming. Neutral. That was the exact vibe that I was shooting for and to me, I feel like I was able to achieve that goal.
