Thank you very, very much for all of your kind wishes for Ellie. The warmth of your welcome means a lot. We are all still doing well, and Ellie is still being pretty easy for us.

Today I’m excited to share her nursery. Decorating Ellie’s nursery was a very fun experience for me. It was really special to think about the room and our child and our hopes for her (or him).

As I shared before, we didn’t know if we were having a boy or a girl, so we wanted the space to be as neutral as possible. But I quickly decided that neutral didn’t mean without colour.

As soon as I decided to use my office as the baby’s room, I knew we wouldn’t be changing the colour. I loved the dark turquoise (Benjamin Moore Coat of Arms) that was on the walls, and I thought it would be perfect for a baby.

My initial plan was to mix the turquoise with lots of other colours–pompom trim on the curtains, a brightly patterned footstool, fun coat hooks–but as the room came together, I found myself drawn more to white and wood.

The result is a space that feels bright, cheerful, fresh, farmy, while also being calm and homey.

I first discovered the Animal Print Shop years ago, and I knew if I ever had a nursery of my own that I wanted some of Sharon’s pictures for the walls. The trio of portraits above the crib are perfect for our farm. I love the expressions on the goat’s, duck’s and lamb’s faces–although Matt thinks the duck is plotting something.

Tucked beside the crib is a vintage pedal car tractor that my siblings and I drove growing up. It will be awhile before Ellie rides this one, but I love that my daughter already has her own tractor. This girl will learn to drive the tractor (the real one) long before she gets her driver’s license, so this is a small nod to the independence, confidence and responsibility I’m hoping to instill in her as she grows up.

Ellie’s room connects to our bedroom through a pocket door. While pre-baby this was weird, it is now so convenient. We keep the door open and her crib is just inside. She’s slept in her crib since the first night we brought her home, and we’re able to hear her clearly and go to her when she needs us.

The window treatments are the same layered window treatments that I used in the master bedroom. Blackout blind hidden behind a decorative bamboo valance and then everything covered by full length curtains. In this case, I added a blackout lining to the curtains too in case Ellie needs extra darkness. I’ll be sharing more details about the window treatments in an upcoming post.

The Ikea Strandmon wing chair is the very first thing I bought for the nursery. I love this chair in the basement and knew it would be perfect for the nursery.

Shortly after I figured out I was pregnant, I hopped on kijiji and found a secondhand Strandmon for sale for half the regular price. It seemed like a sign. I had just found out I was pregnant. The chair I wanted for the nursery was for sale. A few quick emails and the next day it came home with me.

The chair has been everything I thought it would. The high back and generous wings are helpful as Mama dozes off during late night feedings. The seat–where I’ve spent more time than I care to think about–is very comfortable. The arms are just the right height to support a nursing baby.

I had considered adding rockers to the chair, but that didn’t work out. However, I’ve found that I’m not missing them.

The side table and footstool are absolutely essential.

This quirky triangle side table lived in my family’s cottage for years. When the cottage was sold, I refinished the table and since then it’s had numerous lives in my bedroom at my parents’ house, the living room of our first house and, for a time, the living room of this house. The table was tucked away waiting for its next life when on a whim I dragged it up to the nursery. It turned out to be just the right height next to the Strandmon, and it’s the perfect size for my water bottle, phone, a box of tissues, lip balm and other nursing necessities.

The footstool was a spot where initially I was expecting to add more colour. The pouf is a DIY courtesy of a free pattern from Better Homes and Gardens. As I started fabric shopping, I sourced lots of different options, but found myself coming back to a durable white vinyl that looks like leather. I’m very proud that I made this pouf myself, and I’ll be sharing more details on it in an upcoming post.

The bookshelf in the corner is another secondhand Ikea kijiji score–the Hemnes. The backing was in rough shape, so I replaced it with a piece of beadboard for a little bit of a country touch. Then I covered everything with a coat of Benjamin Moore Cloud White.

At various points, I’ve questioned whether we needed a full bookcase in the nursery, but the books that we received have been some of the most special gifts and reading is another thing that we’re looking forward to sharing with Ellie. I also love that the bookcase can grow with Ellie as her reading taste evolves. For now, the bookcase offers helpful extra storage for toys, blankets and other trinkets.

The dresser is a special piece that I’m hoping becomes an heirloom for Ellie. It was made by a local Mennonite craftsman. The dresser serves as our changing table, and also holds her onesies, sleepers and diapers.

As a new mom, I wasn’t sure what height would be best or how much surface area was needed for a changing table. This dresser has been perfect for our needs (and for reference for other new parents out there, the dimensions are 18 inches deep by 36 inches high by 54 inches long).

Above the dresser I hung a set of alphabet animal flash cards. The watercolour illustrations on these cards are lovely. While they’re not all farm animals, they fit in with the menagerie elsewhere in the room. Ellie may not be able to see all that much yet, but she does seem to enjoy looking at the cards as we’re changing her.

The other animal in the room–and the one thing aside from the paint that stayed from my office–is Bill. I bought this papier mache goose head years ago because he reminded me of the pet goose I had growing up. I loved him in my office and thought he’d be perfect presiding over Ellie’s farm nursery.

You may remember from when this room was my office that we have a weird little nook just inside the door. I left the narrow dresser that I built in place. The lamp, which my grandfather rewired so that I could use it in my childhood bedroom, casts a beautiful glow at night when we’re feeding.

Above the dresser, I removed the bulletin board and calendar and replaced them with two meaningful heirlooms. One is my collection of nursery rhyme figurines and the other is the sleepers that Matt wore home from the hospital when he was first born. The nursery rhyme figurines are on the cutlery divider shelf I built for my office. I’ll be sharing how I built the custom shadow box for the sleepers in an upcoming post.

The nursery is a mix of old and new, DIYs, hand-me-downs and purchases. It was special to plan it and put it all together, and it’s been special to spend time with Ellie in it.

Sources:

Wall paint Benjamin Moore Coat of Arms | Trim paint Benjamin Moore Cloud White | Bookcase (customized with beadboard backing and BM Cloud White paint) Ikea Hemnes | Wing Chair Ikea Strandmon | Crib Ikea Gulliver | Pouf DIY (free pattern via Better Homes and Gardens) | Dresser Penwood Furniture (local Mennonite craftsman) | Curtains Ikea Ritva | Curtain Rods Ikea Racka Hugad combination | Curtain Rings Ikea Syrlig | Animal Portraits (above crib) Animal Print Shop | Frames (for animal portraits above crib) Ikea Hovsta | Alphabet Flash Cards (above change table) Susan Windsor (Etsy) | Papier Mache Goose Head Macheanimal (Etsy)

If you’re curious about a source for something not listed, please leave a comment (although most of the other items are DIYs, hand-me-downs or gifts).