What I love most about AJ's room is the contribution of friends and family that came together for a warm and loving space for our son. I had a vision to create an Aztec/woodlands theme for the room and spent hours looking for great fabrics that would bring together elements like tee-pees, feathers, antlers, dream-catchers, and arrows. I am very much intrigued by American Indian culture and wanted to channel that vibe in AJ's room. Who better to help me turn this vision into a reality than my incredibly talented mom. If I had half the skills that this woman has in her left pinky I would be happy!
She made the curtains, changing pad cover, and crib skirt, but most impressive is the awesome tee-pee, which she surprised me with the weekend before AJ was born. These things sell for a couple hundred dollars at children's home decor sites, and my mom whipped one up that puts those to shame! She even stenciled around the sides and used coordinating fabric from the curtains.
One of my other favorite focal points of the room is the pallet art made by the talented Julie of Vintage Soul TX.
That piece helped sell me on the dresser I got at West Elm, which I agonized over for about six weeks before I finally bought it. I even carted the pallet into the store to see if the dresser would compliment the wood tones of the pallet. I pulled the trigger on the dresser when they said they offer a teacher discount; I'm a sucker for saving money! This is a nice piece that isn't just furniture for a baby's room, but rather can be used for years to come. It is made of reclaimed pine and looks great on the wall diagonal from the pallet.
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The rack to the right of the dresser is actually a magazine rack that I ordered from Amazon and is the perfect diaper storage system! We are using cloth diapers and this rack is great for organizing the covers, inserts, and boosters.
The black architectural piece above the dresser was the initial inspiration for the black and white color scheme. This piece was in the room before when it was a guest bedroom, and I loved it so much I wanted to incorporate it into the nursery. I bought it at an antique store near my hometown in IL and love that there is a piece of history from my area in his room.
I went FTM (first time mom) crazy on researching a crib that would be safe, non-toxic, affordable, and stylish. The crib I first loved had horrible reviews for paint odors that lingered months after the crib was put together. I hadn't even considered the safety of the finishes or materials used in making the crib, but I then became consumed with finding one that didn't contain (such a high level of) harmful chemicals. I ended up getting the Sundvik crib from Ikea. European regulations are much stricter when it comes to use of chemicals and this crib had excellent reviews - and it is cheap and cute!
(This was the only time AJ has been in the crib; he will grow into it soon enough!)
Several of these beautiful photos were taken by my lifelong friend Rachel - follow her adorable photo shoots on her Facebook page! Her friends have the cutest kids :)
We got the glider and ottoman from Buy Buy Baby where I tested Every. Single. Chair they had for minutes at a time during my many trips to that store this summer. I was thoroughly overwhelmed by all the baby stuff in that place and would retreat to the glider section to put my swollen feet up. I would say that off-white isn't the most child or pet friendly color for fabric upholstery, but it sure looks great in the room (and I bought the stain-removal package where they will replace the chair if the stain doesn't come out!).
The ottoman has a handmade quilt from one of Andrew's family friends on top of it and I cover the seat of the glider with a towel since my hairy cat has claimed it as his new favorite seat in the house. Many a time I have gone in to rock the baby only to discover that my cat is in the chair. He has had a rough few months adjusting to our new bundle of joy, so I let the cat be and find another place to sit.
Hope you enjoyed the virtual tour of our nursery! I am so happy with how it turned out and I love that it has so many personal touches from my mom and friends. I am one lucky mama with a spoiled little boy!
Have a chic week,
~Sarah
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