A Beach Cottage Nursery

I so wanted to make a special nursery space for baby James.

Nesting is such a special time for me during pregnancy.

Since our beach cottage is small, we didn’t have a separate bedroom for a nursery.  I played around with different ideas.  I considered having Wynn and James together in one room, but Wynn’s room could barely accommodate his bed plus a crib.  I considered setting up the crib in our bedroom, but I just wasn’t too excited about the idea . . .

Then one afternoon, during a crazy nesting/purging phase, I was cleaning out clutter from a walk-in closet off our upstairs landing and I thought that maybe, just maybe, it would be large enough for a crib.  I pulled out my tape measure and found that a crib would fit perfectly.  I pulled back a corner of the old linoleum that covered the floor and saw old hardwood floor.   The idea for a “nursery nook” was officially born.

This is what the closet, which measures six feet square, looked like before.  Sorry for the poor quality cell phone picture.

And here is a progress picture, after the clutter was removed and the linoleum pulled out.

And here is my little helper hard at work.

and here is the after!

The major changes I made were:

1.  Painting the old wood floor with a soft white porch and floor paint.   I then stenciled large stars on the floor, using a silver metallic specialty paint by Martha Stewart (Home Depot), and a white-wash top coat.

2.  Painting the green walls with white Kilz primer and then covering everything with beadboard wallpaper.

I used a white-wash on top of the silver paint to give the stars a worn-in patina.  I used 1 part porch and floor paint to 5 parts water and brushed on lightly.  I wanted the stars to look like they were a part of the wood floor and not something that was painted on top of it.  The white wash helped to accomplish that.

 

The butter-yellow crib was mine as a baby.  My two sisters and I each slept in it.  (It is updated for current safety standards.)

Crocheted star pennant by Etsy shop HeloiseV .

I removed the closet door and made simple white curtain panels with pom-pom trim.

 Crib bedding, mobile and vintage quilt pennant banner all by Wynnbaby 🙂

 Personalized baby shirt by Tiny Sprouts.

A tiny little nursery for our tiny little wonder.

Sweet dreams, baby James.

44 Comments

  1. E, you have done it again! Amazing! I wish it were my cozy little room!

    • thanks, K! come visit and you and Miss M can have a sleep-over in the room 🙂

  2. What a wonderful little space for your little one! And beadboard wallpaper? I never knew there was such a thing – must look into it.

    • Julie, the beadboard wallpaper is a pretty genius invention! Definitely try it out-you can buy it by the roll at Lowes or Home Depot for about $20!

  3. Just beautiful! Our son also lived in a closet when he was young. Until he outgrew his toddler bed, his space ran along the eaves of our home. It was just perfect for a little boy. It wasn’t quite as beautiful as your space, but I did decorate it with border, a bookshelf and just a few toys that he needed. Sometimes small spaces are the very best!!

    • I agree about small spaces, especially for little ones. I’m sure your little boy’s spot was darling-anything along the eaves of a house is beautiful to me, love the character of it.

  4. What a perfect little nook! I would love it! I hope mommy is also getting the rest that baby seems to be getting!

  5. ooo i knew that would be a perfect spot for him! It looks wonderful Erin! He’s such a handsome little man. Big hugs!

  6. How adorable!! The space is perfect! Love the floor and beadboard wallpaper!! 🙂

  7. This may be the sweetest little nursery I’ve ever seen! So cute and a great use of space. I think my fav is the floor. I hope you have many happy memories in this little nook.

    • Thanks Vanessa! I was so happy with how the floor turned out, just how I imagined it (that doesn’t often happen for me in my renovations, ha!)

      Thank you for reading!

  8. Oh Erin!! It is perfect! I am amazed at how you could see this potential in a little closet. I don’t know what I love the most…the floor is definitely at the top of the list. Such a special space for a special little boy!

  9. Really beautiful! Well done. So cozy. I mean… I would sleep in that room 😉

    • Thanks Beth! It’s definitely cozy, just love small spaces for little babies!

  10. He is so sweet. And that nursery is just adorable. The crocheted star garland!!!

    I can imagine it being your boys’ favorite nook for years!

  11. It is beautiful! So fitting for such a sweet little one! Good job momma! 🙂

  12. Oh, this is perfect! So peaceful and adorable! I absolutely love the stars on the floor, although I seriously doubt I could pull that off! 🙂 The curtains instead of doors is a wonderful touch too! So much cozier and less closed off. That’s a wonderful idea!!!

    Shirley
    http://www.etsy.com/shop/ABowForMama

    • Aw, I love it Lay, what a great reaction, I sort of feel the same every day that I walk up the stairs and see this little space at the top of our landing!

      Hope things with the big move are going well!!

  13. I love that feeling you described of walking around the house with a tape measure in hand, and then viola! the perfect spot appears. Surely sweet baby James will look back on these pictures and along with his brother know how very, very much they were and are loved. What a gift you and your husband have given to your children.

  14. I love the nostalgic feel you’ve created in James’ special room! So fun and rewarding to think outside the box! Beautiful job Erin 🙂

  15. Such a sweet, sweet space for your new wee one! A very creative use of space that worked out wonderfully. Blessings to you all.

  16. what a beautiful space, erin! you nailed it! super cozy and so personalized. sigh! hope james is doing well…mommy too!

    ashley over @
    {hookedonhickory}

  17. Super cute idea, Erin! I do hope that you verified that the flooring did not contain asbestos before tearing it out. After spending the bulk of my career working in renovation – hazardous materials are always of the greatest concern. Best wishes.

  18. Looks Great! I think I have the same crib. How did you update it to meet safety standards? And, what process did you go through in painting your crib? Ours is brown right now, but I’m very tempted to paint it white.

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