White Cape Update: Baby girl nursery
Turning our guest bedroom into a nursery/little girl room that I'm honestly jealous of
The White Cape is a newsletter that shares the interests, evolution, and changing perspective of my little white Cape Cod-style home, and the people (mostly me) inside it.
Please note: Today’s newsletter focuses on preparing for a new baby and the details of our daughter’s nursery. We completed this room in 2022, and I’ve included links for items that I could find. I do not receive any incentive for sharing these links, so please feel free to enjoy as my gift to you.
If the topic of motherhood, pregnancy, babies, or anything else pertaining to parenthood are not interesting to you at this moment, please feel free to skip this one.
From 2020-2022 we knocked out a slew of home improvement projects, spending all of our non-working time making our home ours. The timing of this couldn’t be more convenient: we were newly married, the pandemic was still going strong, we had no plans, and we had no kids. We could take on big projects like turning our backyard into an outdoor oasis, installing custom built-in bookshelves in our living room, and completely refreshing the front exterior of our house.
When I became pregnant in early 2022, we went on a mad dash to finish those projects and be ready to retreat into our cave for the newborn winter months. Before our daughter’s arrival, we needed to create a space that could be hers, that would feel peaceful while she was a baby, while also growing with her to provide a space for comfort and independence.
Our house has three bedrooms: two quite large rooms upstairs and one smaller room downstairs. We use the largest room as our primary bedroom, the small downstairs room as our office, and the other was a vacant guest bedroom that we’d use, honestly, for storage. It was the perfect spot, practically begging for someone to occupy it.
The room has two windows, one of which is a dormer, with slanted ceilings and wood flooring. There is a walk-in closet that was unfinished, and charming features like a reading nook and “cubby hole” that offers a huge amount of storage space. It was a perfect canvas to work from.
First: The closet
I have no idea what the previous owners used this closet for. When we moved in, it was entirely empty and had the original wall paneling still inside. This signaled to me that it might have just been a random area for storage, which seemed like a huge waste of space.
We removed the carpet, installed wood flooring to match the rest of the upstairs, and installed two simple cabinets. Thankfully, the previous owners left a significant amount of flooring panels that had been left over from their remodel. We have plans to replace the light fixture, add additional shelves between both of the cabinets, and add hooks along the blank wall for hats, bags, coats, etc.
Next: The accent wall
We knew we wanted the style of the room to be bright and relaxing, but we also wanted to add some visual interest and a fun wallpaper for our baby to observe. Choosing the wallpaper was the hardest part of this project: we wanted something that showed florals or nature, with a feminine tone that wasn’t in-your-face pink, and—this was crucial—peel-and-stick. We ultimately decided on this beautiful floral watercolor design from Pottery Barn and couldn’t be happier.
Wallpaper: Watercolor Floral Peel & Stick Wallpaper from Pottery Barn
Then: The furniture
We thankfully were able to keep a lot of pieces that we already had in the space, like the tall black dresser, the mirror, the changing table hutch, the hanging plant, lamps, and the nook pillows. All we needed were the crib, side table, rocker, foot rest, area rug, and smaller decorative details.
The tall black dresser was mine all throughout my 20s living in D.C., and the changing table hutch was the old TV console that my husband and I bought when we first moved in together (ha!).
Crib: Gelato 4-in-1 Convertible Crib by Babyletto in Washed Natural/White
Mattress: Crib Mattress by Newton Baby
Rocker: Kai Rocker by Babyletto in performance natural with light legs
Side table: MaxSmeo White Side Table from Amazon
Rug: Luna Washable Shag Rug in off white from Rugs USA
Hanging planter: Mkono 8 Inch Ceramic Hanging Planter from Amazon
(Pictured) Bassinet*: Uppababy Vista V2 stroller with bassinet in jake by Uppababy
(Pictured) Bassinet stand*: Uppababy Bassinet Stand in espresso by Uppababy
*The bassinet lived next to me in my bedroom, but we kept it in the nursery until baby arrived.
Finally: The nesting
Once I reached about week 32 I was READY for baby to arrive. I needed—needed—to organize my space in a way that felt essential to my wellbeing. It was dramatic and weird, but once everything was washed, folded, stored, and shined, the amount of relaxation I felt in my body was the ultimate satisfaction.
We added the final details to the room, like hanging the Amanda Gorman quote from the 2020 presidential inaugural poem, plus folding and putting away all newborn and 0-3 month clothes, and putting the “baby stuff” that we received as gifts from my shower in their place.
Storage boxes: Household Essentials Storage Boxes with Lid from Amazon
Wall Art: Amanda Gorman print from Etsy
Having a beautiful room to rock in, nurse in, and play in for hundreds of hours during my daughter’s first few months of life was amazing. Watching her turn the space into her own little sanctuary has been rewarding. Within the next few months we will transition her into her “big girl room,” replacing the crib and rocker with a full-sized bed, and adding more storage for toys, books, and fun.
As always, thank you for being here.
Kelly
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