Olivia’s Boho Nursery

I’m so excited to finally share Olivia’s nursery with you! Over the last several months I’ve been adding pieces here and there to finally finish it (at least for now, we both know I’ll constantly make adjustments). When I started planning this space, I initially dreamed of a neutral room with hints of blush and what I got was a colorful boho nursery full of playful elements. I couldn’t be more pleased!

Thank you to Kira Kurc for helping me with the design. She pushed me to use more color (especially pink) than I ever have in a room. The result is a vibrant, happy room for Olivia to enjoy for years to come.

I can’t get enough of this rug from Unique Loom. It’s gorgeous! The colors are beautiful, the texture plush and everything you want to have under your feet during the many hours of rocking, shushing, cleaning and, of course, playing. It quickly became the focal point of the room.

Choosing a crib was a more daunting task than I expected. I wanted it to be safe, stylish and in my budget. My sister found this brand, Babyletto, on Amazon and what sold me on their products was their standard for safe materials. Their components exceeds ASTM International and U.S. CPSC safety standards! In addition to that, their designs are beautiful and easy to assemble. The style we chose is the Hudson 3-in-1 Convertible Crib in Natural.

Then came the crib mattress. I knew I wanted something non-toxic (or as close as I could get) and preferably with an organic cotton cover because it’s more breathable. Little girl runs warm, so a synthetic would just make her uncomfortable. Ultimately we decided to go with the Organic Dream Crib Mattress, but the Newton mattress was a close second option because of the breathability.

Creating a story for Olivia with personal touches from Trent and I’s childhoods was an important element of this room. That’s where these small shelves came into play: we could put a few special things on display that one day she will hopefully use.

I grew up loving horses. Everything about them fascinated me! Thankfully my mom held onto my collection of toy horses so that I could pass them down to little OJ. On the bottom shelf holds Trent’s childhood Converse sneakers – how freakin’ cute are they?! So small! His mom saved them and cleaned them up for us. I can’t wait for Olivia to wear them with jeans, dresses and skirts.

If you follow me on Instagram then you know that this dresser went through a major transformation. I bought this refurbished early American-style piece from a local consignment shop. At the time it had been painted bright teal and for some reason I had to have it haha! Years later, I decided to make our changing table. In order to do that, it needed a little bit of a makeover.

I painted the dresser with Annie Sloan Chalk Paint because it’s easy to use and a little goes a long way. To get the lighter blush shade, I mixed 1 part Antoinette and 3 parts Pure White. The interior of the drawers were in pretty rough shape (literally), so I decided to cover them in wallpaper. After this experience I do NOT recommend this if you are a first-time wallpaper user like I was. I specifically ordered from Spoonflower because they use the least toxic adhesive I could find and thought that using pre-pasted wallpaper would be super easy…it was not. In the end I got so frustrated I ultimately hot-glued the wallpaper to the drawers. Thankfully, this print is available in many different media through Spoonflower so you other options and can use an adhesive of your choice should you not want to pursue the wallpaper route.

Two more details that I love: the brass clock and the framed Mister Michelle print. The clock was my late father’s and I think of him every time I look at it. Michelle Robinson is a black artist I found on Instagram during the beginning of the Coronavirus pandemic. The print is titled “Home” and after reading the meaning of the name from the artist I knew it was just perfect for Olivia’s nursery. It reminds me that raising a child takes a village and that home is where your heart, your community, is.

Trent made the changing pad tray from leftover oak we had on-hand. I’ve linked several similar styles above.

In terms of toy storage, we went with banana leaf and macramé baskets from World Market. We knew we would be busy with a newborn and wouldn’t have a lot of energy for organizing, so this was an easy way for us to keep her toys contained in one place. World Market is one of our favorite destinations for home goods because you can find really unique, beautiful pieces at great prices. That’s also where we purchased the floor lamp (with a handle foot peddle to switch it on and off) and the faux fiddle leaf fig tree.

As a self-proclaimed bookworm I hope that Olivia will love reading as much as I do. Fingers crossed! Naturally the reading corner is something I’m really proud of. I’m most excited that we (myself, family and friends) have come together and created a collection of books where diversity is celebrated. Making sure Olivia grows up seeing and learning about people who are different than her is extremely important to us. I can’t wait to share them with her.