I Transformed a Forgotten Room into the Sweetest Baby Nursery

Years of apartment living conditioned me for efficiency. Zero storage, zero extra space — my love of antiquing was hindered by a lack of room for pieces to live in limbo. 

So it’s no surprise that moving into a row home thrust me into overdrive. I acquired things I loved and thought, “I’ll find a place for that later.” The second bedroom in our home became the holding pen, filled with antique finds that I would try to style — but nothing felt cohesive.

I wasn’t sure if the bedroom was trying to be a hotel-like guest bedroom or an office. I had a vision for pretty blue painted walls, but I hadn’t invested in the big pieces to pull it together as a real space. The room ended up filled with extra bedding and linens, waiting to find its identity.

Expecting a baby this past fall finally gave me a reason to overhaul the room. The goal was a nursery that felt sweet and light, without feeling overly designed. I didn’t want to spend an arm and a leg going over-the-top with the space. Instead I wanted to create a room that could evolve over the years. Vintage finds and sentimental family memories abound — here’s how my son’s sun-filled nursery came together.

Prior to the room’s makeover, the only resident in our home who appreciated the natural light streaming in was the cat. But as soon as I started looking at design ideas, I knew I wanted to keep the space bright and airy to make the most of the light. Lots of white accents, pops of blue, white bamboo shades, and shimmering brass accents lean into the sun-drenched look of the space to make it feel both happy and serene at the same time.

How many shades of baby blue are there in the world, you ask? There are green-tinted baby blues, and periwinkle-leaning shades. I wanted the purest, clearest baby blue on the market, and my stack of swatches was steep. Every time I thought I’d found the right color, it would end up looking too gray or too turquoise. 

It turned out all I needed was a hero fabric to lead the way. I found a perfect block print fabric with a sweet baby blue pattern that hit exactly the shade I was looking for, and I used that on both the roman shade valances and accent pillows. That gave me an anchor for the room and my paint choice, and I landed on Benjamin Moore’s Under the Big Top (1675) (could there be a more whimsical name for a baby’s room?). This hue also ended up being a lovely complement to the existing door color, and, while I debated painting the trim, I kept it white for contrast. 

One of my hottest design takes is my love for a glossy ceiling. Get out of here with that flat paint! I want shine and shimmer. And in an already bright room, that glossy ceiling does even more to reflect the sun and fill the room with gorgeous light throughout the day. 

But rather than go with a standard white, I chose Benjamin Moore’s Patriotic White (2135-70), which is a cool white with blue undertones (that’s now renamed Tulle Skirt). This shade adds a touch of color and interest to the ceiling. It also helps make the glossy fan feel intentional … which I didn’t realize was glossy until it arrived. A medallion is on the to-do list.

I love a great antiquing find, but I love a vintage piece from my own family even more. Throughout the room, family touches give the space sweet, sentimental memories. 

There’s the antique steamer trunk I inherited from my grandmother — it was a coffee table in my first post-college apartment, and it’s traveled with me throughout the years (my dad always reminds me he would be happy to take it off my hands, but it’s not going anywhere).

The bear and duck cross stitches were done by my mom before I was born. I kept them in their original frames but covered the faded mats with extra fabric from the Roman shades.  White porcelain lamps also came from my nursery, but I updated them with new shades that have a little light blue accent on them. A charming little brown bear with a blue bow sitting on the floating shelves is yet another touch from my own nursery.

The snow paintings were done by my late great-aunt, and the brown scalloped mirror was in her bedroom. Looking in that mirror is the first time the baby did a social smile, which feels even more special, as the baby’s name came from my great-aunt’s family. 

Lastly, my mom’s DIY skills are unparalleled, and she made both the mobile and the two cross stitches above the dresser. We live in Washington, D.C., but I’m from Richmond, Virginia, and my husband is from Austin, Texas, so we wanted to acknowledge our roots with classic state-specific quotes.

I didn’t have room for a bookcase, but these easy-to-install floating shelves are low-profile and solid wood. They’re the best budget find, and you can get them in white or unpainted. (I actually used them unpainted in my kitchen for a spice rack!)

I wanted to buy as few pieces of furniture as possible for the nursery, and several misfit finds found a home here (and add a warm touch along the way). 

A rush seat chair from my brother-in-law’s aunt and uncle’s Maine house is a charming addition, while a vintage secretary desk got a new coat of blue paint to serve as a dresser. A friend picked up a sidewalk-find navy and white chinoiserie floral lamp for me, and I pulled a white garden stool from our patio as a side table. A blue and white tobacco jar lamp got a new gingham lamp shade, and it’s the cutest addition. The vintage paintings and Federal mirror add a storied look, and I’ve started a blue and white plate wall for a classic moment that’s somewhat unexpected in a nursery.

After all was said and done, I only ended up purchasing the glider, which is a Pottery Barn secondhand from Facebook Marketplace (the previous owner had the custom slipcover), and the crib. 

I feel the need to point out the baby toy espresso machine. I got it from Three Littles, the cutest baby store in D.C., and it’s the number-one most-asked-about item whenever I post the nursery on Instagram.