Penelope's Nursery
/I promised photos of Penelope’s nursery long ago and am finally here to share them with you. I’m really happy with how her room came together! Take a look!
For Penelope’s room, I knew I wanted a neutral base to use as a jumping off point for the other decor. I decided to paint the room white using Behr’s Polar Bear. I have used it in other rooms around our house (including Finn’s room), so I knew I liked it. You can see all of my inspiration for her room here.
I searched and searched for a bookshelf / toy bin storage option for this spot. I wanted something gray that could hold both books and toys. I really like the look Pottery Barn Kid’s Market Bins, but the price tag was a little out of my budget. I eventually found the Nataly Combo Bin Storage Unit on Wayfair, and it checked all of my boxes and was even better than I hoped because it was tall enough to accomodate a lamp without little hands being able to reach it. (One thing worth noting—Other reviewers mentioned a smell when they set up the unit. I experienced this as well. We left the window open in the room for a few days to let the smell dissipate and haven’t noticed any smell since then.)
I like having a lamp in a nursery to offer a softer light before bed and for night feedings. I found this beauty at a thrift store, and I love it so much!
The zebra is from my parent’s, and I think of them often when I see it. :)
We never had a sound machine with Finn, but I caved and got one for Penelope’s room; it’s this one. Finn’s room is across the hall, and there were many times when he would wake her up accidentally. I’m glad we got it, though, because I would get so frustrated with him if he was loud in the hallway. Now I don’t feel so anxious about possibly waking her up.
Before Finn was born, I worked in an office, and they had this giant cork board. One day they were getting rid of it, and I asked if I could have it. We used it in our last house as a command center, and then hung it in this room when we first moved in, which served as our office. When we moved the office upstairs to make room for Penelope, I decided to leave the cork board. I like that I can change up the art and can later put up her creations. For now, it has a variety of prints and pictures I have collected over the years. The banner is the main star of the collection. I used Shanty 2 Chic’s free printable banner, and then added a dark pink border with a marker. The ribbon is a coordinating maroon color.
My aunt made the flower crown for my 5th grade play of Hamlet. I was Ophelia.
This big basket of burp clothes by the chair was a lifesaver. Penelope spit up a lot the first six months or so, and it was so handy to be able to quickly grab a burp cloth when disaster struck. I found the basket at Goodwill, and it fit this little cubby perfectly.
We got Penelope’s crib off of Craigslist (it’s the DaVinci Jenny Lind 3-in-1 Convertible Crib), and it is perfect for the room. We still have Finn’s old crib, but it needed to be painted and just didn’t feel right for the space. I love the style of this one so much! (The striped crib sheet is Burt’s Bees from Amazon, and I highly recommend them. They are soft and fit really well.)
The art above her crib is so special to me! I got the birds print when Dylan and I were in Paris (two summers ago). I hoped some day we would have a baby girl so I could use this in her room. :) The one on the right is a painting I made a few weeks before Penelope was born. I wanted something that would play off the colors in the bird print so they went together as a set. I made an abstract painting first, and I just didn’t love it. It was too bold for what I wanted. Then, I came across an idea that was perfect. Like birthstones, each month has a flower associated with it. The flower for April is the Sweet Pea. The idea of her as our little sweet pea was enough to win me, but the colors and graceful, wispy flow of the plant was just what the room needed. I am so proud of how it turned out, and I absolutely love it paired with the birds!
My sister sent the Swan Mobile, and because the white swans blend in with the white walls at a distance, it is like this beautiful secret that you don’t notice until you get up close to the crib. It adds a really soft, soothing vibe. I also love the meaning behind it—the five swans represent the five countries of Scandinavia. I am of Danish heritage, and Dylan is Norwegian, so it is particularly fitting for our family.
Across from the crib is Penelope’s dresser and changing pad. I found the dresser on Craigslist, and I love the beautiful french provincial style. It allows for a lot of storage, which is great because the closet in this room is small, and it doubles as a changing station with our beloved Keekaroo Peanut Changer (which is absolutely worth the money for anyone asking).
The grouping of three little pictures to the left of the dresser are from when I was a baby. I had forgotten my parents had given them to me, but I’m so glad I found them as I was organizing a few boxes in our attic.
Well there you have it! The colors are more muted than I usually use, but I’m so happy with how the room came together. Thanks for taking a little tour of this space that’s so special to us!
