We are coming up on 2 full weeks at home with our newest arrival, Emma James Tolleson. She was born on Thursday, May 27th at 12:34 pm and we couldn’t love her more!! I’m so excited to share her nursery with you all today.
As soon as we found out we were pregnant, I instantly started dreaming up the perfect nursery design for our baby. Obviously in the beginning I didn’t know if we were going to have a boy or a girl so I mocked up a few different themes and designs for both a boy and a girl as well as a couple of gender-neutral nursery designs. You can check them out here!
One element I was certain I wanted to incorporate into this nursery project was wallpaper. Traditional wallpaper and peel and stick wallpaper have been trending for the past few years now and I don’t see it going away anytime soon. Wallpaper in a nursery is a really great way to add visual interest, color, and texture. It’s also a great way to get playful with patterns and illustrations.
If you search throughout my blog and follow me on Instagram you might pick up on a common theme in my home decor aesthetic. I describe my home decor style as Transitional with California Farmhouse Flair. So for the nursery, I really wanted to take my coastal-inspired designs to the next level and make my dreams of a Serena and Lily room come true.
My final nursery design is wrapped in rattan, blushing with hues of light blue and pink, and layered with linens for a completely charming coastal nest for my sweet baby girl!
From top to bottom, I wanted to make sure this nursery was done with love. It took me nearly 6 months to complete because I didn’t want to rush to make any decisions and had a few custom items that came in just in time for her arrival! Let’s dive into the details behind the design.
Nursery Wall Decor
To the windowsssss to the walls… My main goal for this nursery design was for it to feel whimsical. One of my biggest wishes for my daughter is to live a life full of color, laughter, and fun. I decided on this blue and white striped wallpaper and had it professionally installed. We opted to cover the two main walls of the nursery and left the other two walls as-is (paint color is Drift of Mist by Sherwin Williams).
Note: We used four rolls of this S&L wallpaper
To go along with my coastal-themed nursery, I knew I would need a killer mirror to tie it all together. Once I laid eyes on this natural textured starburst-inspired mirror, I knew it was the perfect wall accent for my nursery. To add contrast, I went with a white dresser and replaced the knobs with these rattan pulls.
Southern Source Side Note: This white dresser came fully assembled! Such a win. To organize the inside of the dresser I used these drawer cubes and these drawer dividers!
Looking to add some inexpensive wall art to your nursery? A small gallery wall is the perfect ploy. For my little gallery wall, I took some pages out of old nursery rhyme books and framed them in these affordable Target frames (I got one of each size. See how I arranged them below). This floral ABC poster fits perfectly in the 11×14 frame. This was such an easy and affordable project and fills up this corner so nicely.
The final piece of wall decor in the nursery is a special commission that a Birmingham artist completed for me. Amee Calloway specializes in mixed media art and has done a few other canvas pieces for my home. She is lovely to work with and I cannot recommend her enough. The cool thing about commissioned art is the level of customization, creativity, and exclusivity that goes into it. This piece of art was created for Emma’s nursery and only Emma’s nursery. It’s truly one-of-a-kind! In fact, her name is scribbled in the canvas which I thought was the coolest addition that Amee added! There are also three dots hidden within the piece that represents our growing family (me, Emma, and Ty).
Nursery Bedding
I also had the pleasure of working with another local vendor on this nursery design and that was for the bedding. I collaborated with Cradle + Bee to create the perfect bedding suite for baby Emma.
They have a store located in Cahaba Heights in Birmingham, where I visited to gather inspiration for my baby bedding. Each piece is hand-sewn and custom-made just for you! Featured, you’ll find a ruffle bed skirt, embroidered pillow, and monogrammed topper with her initials.
I think this bedding added the final feminine details that this nursery design needed!
Nursery Details and Links:
Exact mirror (Look-for-less mirror linked here)
White Crib | Mattress | Crib Sheet
Framed art: ABC poster + Target frames
Commission artist – Amee Calloway
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