Creating a nursery for a baby on the way is such a fun, and often surreal, thing for mamas! It doesn't matter if you are expecting your first baby or your fifth, the anticipation while creating a space for a new tiny human is so fun! But how do you do it? There are so many beautiful nursery inspiration pictures on Pinterest or Instagram that there are probably a lot of ideas swirling around in your head! Here are a few tips to help you really focus in on your nursery!
Narrow your ideas down
Little Unicorn Prickle Pots Swaddle The first nursery I put together was a disaster. Okay, maybe not a disaster but it was just a lot. Each wall by itself was perfect, but when I looked back at pictures of it all I cringed a bit. I just crammed sooo many different things and ideas in there because I never weeded any ideas out, I just kept on going I guess. You know, like when you are just going to have one more piece of chocolate and then...yeah, that happened with the nursery decor.
So, when I started planning for my nursery this time around I knew I needed to check myself and narrow down my ideas before I even started buying stuff for the room. I decided on one picture I had found and that became my map! I stuck with the color scheme from the picture, the main design ideas, and pinpointed which things I wanted to try to replicate almost exactly, etc.
Prioritize your wants
Once I had nailed down exactly what look I was going for and had committed to not succumbing to design vomiting on the room, I moved on to my "want" list. I spent time throughout a few weeks sitting in the room and assessing what I wanted in there and what I had space for. After that, I started actually planning and putting my lists together. Since money doesn't grow on trees, especially when you are planning ahead for hospital bills to come, I wanted to prioritize my purchases. I just had a note on my phone, one section was stuff I knew I for sure wanted or needed to buy, and the other was for the rest of the stuff that I could possibly do without.
Decide on your focal point(s)
Like I mentioned above, I was obsessed with particular art prints to be hung above the crib. Because of that, the area became my focal point. Everything else design-wise would need to jive with that part of the room. Doing this kept me from straying and cramming too much into the room like I did the first time, and will keep you from making the same mistake!
If you are in love with your crib (or the crib you want) perhaps that wall becomes your focal point. Maybe you have the most adorable rocking chair or glider picked out and want your little corner with swaddle basket and nightstand to be the star of the room. You might even decide on a very neutral, clean and crisp all-around nursery so that not one single point sticks out more than the others. Whatever floats your boat! Just be sure you know what you want when you dive in!
Work on it gradually
Slow and steady wins the race, right? I definitely think so if you are "designing" your own nursery without direct help from a professional designer. It takes time to source items for your room, compare, find to purchase, bring home, decide whether you like it or not, etc., etc., etc. Most importantly, you are allowing yourself the time to contemplate. Sometimes you love something in the store, but then you get it home and it just loses it's ta-da factor, or you find something else that you love even more a few days later. Been there done that a few times, right?!
You are, after all, going to spend a decent amount of time in here for the next few years so you want to love it! The nursery is totally for the mama in the begininng, and that is perfectly alright with me. Mama should get to enjoy a pretty space during those late night feedings and endless newborn diaper changes!