I am SOOOO excited to finally share baby Ralph’s nursery with you all. We finished the room in June (about a month before his arrival) but I am just now getting around to sharing the space with you all.
Funny enough, this was the last room that was finished in the house. For the longest time we just left it empty because we knew that it would someday be a nursery..well that day came much quicker than we anticipated but the timing could not have been better. When I found out I was pregnant the wheels began to spin. I could not believe that the room that had sat empty since we moved into the house would finally be able to be transformed. I knew that regardless of gender, I wanted the space to have a blue and white vibe to go with the rest of our home. With the help of our interior designer, Cindy Sontag, wallpapers were pulled and then it was just a waiting game…until we found out the gender.
Cindy and I used to joke ‘stripes or florals’ because if the baby was a girl, we would have done a blue and white floral. When I found out that the baby was a boy, I texted Cindy and let her know that stripes were the way we were going! Since the stripe wallpaper we decided on was a bit on the lighter side (I promise when you are in the space you can really see the stripes), we decided to wallpaper not only the walls but also the ceiling. This was the best decision ever because it really makes the space. I am not kidding when I tell you that every single person that walks into our nursery comments on how calm it feels. It really is the most relaxing room in the entire house.
After the wallpaper was installed, the next big decisions that were made were the rug (we went with a pale blue), the crib skirt (the fabric cost more than a great pair of shoes but it’s so worth it) and the fabric that we used for the dog bed and closet inserts. I knew that I wanted a classic crib, so I ordered the Kennedy Iron Crib from Restoration Hardware. When the crib arrived the white was VERYYYY stark, so we had it re-sprayed. We had the same issue with the dresser that I bought, so we had that re-sprayed as well.
When we were deciding on what kind of chair to put in the nursery, I honestly struggled. EVERYONE told me that I ‘needed’ a glider but for some reason I was so anti-glider. In my opinion, I think they are dumb and a waste of money (remember…my opinion, my friends love theirs). Yes, you can rock your baby but once you get out of the rocking phase, you are now stuck with a big, dumb, glider that you more than likely over paid for. I wanted a comfortable chair that moved, that I could snuggle with Ralph in but I could also use in another room in the house at some point. One afternoon Cindy and I were at Scout in Dallas shopping for unique pieces and I came across the swivel chair and it was love at first sight. The chair is super comfortable and by some miracle was already in a fabric that would work in the space. The swivel was a no brainer and has proven to be the much better option for us.
While on the same shopping trip, Cindy and I were talking about light fixtures and keeping our eyes open. For some reason I had my mind set on some sort of ‘rope’ fixture but Cindy just kept laughing and saying that I needed to get over it because that was not happening. If I have learned anything about my past ‘design’ decisions, it was listen to the expert (fun fact: we have gotten rid of ANYTHING that I have ever picked out for our house…I always pick the wrong thing). While Cindy and I were swiveling in my soon to be chair, she looked up and pointed to this ROUGH looking brass chandelier. Now when I use the word rough, I am not kidding. It looked like a piece that had somehow survived the 80’s and was just hanging there. She told me to keep my mind open and hear her out. Well, since we were at Scout, they informed us that they could spray the chandelier in any color we wanted. Fast forward a few weeks and a paint matched (to the wallpaper stripe) chandelier was being installed in the nursery. Cindy added the little shades to complete the look and for about $750, we had the most perfect fixture. It’s always ironic when the least expensive item in the room ends up being the best thing ever.
After she found the side table from a local store in Dallas, Blue Print, the next thing we really needed was art above the changing table. Wade and I wanted something special that really brought the whole space together. We looked online and even in a few stores locally but nothing really stood out. I had always loved the idea of some sort of black & white image that somehow incorporated a car in it but again, we couldn’t find ANYTHING that didn’t scream generic. We wanted something that felt more masculine since the space could be pretty whimsey but we wanted a piece that we did together. Since we couldn’t find what we wanted, we decided to make it ourselves. Ultimate DIY (but really). We decided to reach out to our talented friends, Josh & Yesi Fortuna with our idea and then it all just sort of happened. One afternoon when I was SUPER pregnant, Wade and I met Josh and Yesi at White Rock Lake in Wade’s Porsche. Wade was such a good sport and although refused to show his face (I get it), Josh & Yesi snapped photos of Wade in his car (if you look closely you can see Wade’s arm hanging out the window). This piece is SO special because we all made it together but we also hope that Ralph loves it one day as much as we do.
The space turned out better than I could have dreamed and I know baby Ralph loves it already. He loves to have playtime in his room, swivel in his chair with me, giggle in his bed and lay on the dog bed with his puppy brothers. I love how the space is so open and airy. As I previously mentioned, this room really is the most calming room in the house and a personal favorite. I can honestly say it is the most special room in the house and every time I walk in there I think about how hard everyone worked to make it just perfect for sweet baby Ralph and I am so grateful.
custom rug // schumacher fabric for the bedskirt and pillow // custom crib pillow with skylar baty monogram // animals in crib (gifted from my grandmother) // pottery barn mobile // side table from blue print in dallas // basket // floor lamp (custom shade) // diaper pail //restoration hardware kennedy iron crib (we had it re-painted in white dove) // restoration hardware tatum wide dresser & topper set (we had it re-painted in white dove) // swivel chair from scout in dallas // door hanger // custom drapes // custom chandelier from scout in dallas (we had it paint matched to the wallpaper) // stripe wallpaper // custom dog bed // custom fort lion studio car art // drawings above basket were done by my late great uncle // play mat // wooden play gym
Want to see more photos of our house? You can see the kitchen here, the powder bathroom here, the formal living room here, guest room B here, guest room a here, the dining room here, guest room A bathroom here and our blue room here.
images by sukilynn
