I had every intention of posting a tour of Ford’s nursery when he was yet a newborn, but for a variety of reasons (including the fact that we made an out-of-state move late in my pregnancy), it took a little longer than expected for his room to come together. By the time we were all settled in, I was in the throes of early first-time motherhood, and, well, other things took top priority.

This space is now more of a baby-turned-big-boy room, but it is without a doubt one of my favorites in our home. I simply couldn’t let any more time pass without capturing this nursery that has come to hold such significance. It has served as the backdrop to countless nursing and snuggle sessions, and it has seen a lot of firsts in both my journey as a mother and Ford’s as a growing baby and, now, toddler.

I hope you enjoy this special peek into what I’ve come to regard as a sacred space in both my home and my heart.

Without further ado…

This giraffe was used to make our pregnancy announcement back in May of 2017, so he has definitely earned top-shelf status. He’s a Jellycat stuffed animal, which is one of my favorite brands thanks to their superior quality and super-soft materials.

Ford was almost a Chicago-born baby, hence the Windy City print. Chi-town is such a big part of my and my husband’s story, and I love this little ode to the city we called home for so long (including the majority of my time spent pregnant with Ford).

The Columbus print shown above was purchased from etsy, while all of the white gallery frames came from Target. Notice the other Jellycat stuffed animal—this one was a gift from Ford’s first Christmas. Our glider and accent table were also Target purchases, while the white shelves are actually picture ledges from IKEA.

A quick note about these books: Night-Night Ohio was gifted to us by Ford’s Aunt Tessa, and it quickly became a bedtime favorite; the photo book is from Pinhole Press and is a family album that Ford loves to flip through (I especially love that it features out-of-town family members that we don’t get to see in person very often). As for the books partially hidden under the dino, they’re two of the most treasured (and most beautfiully illustrated!) books in our collection: The Jesus Storybook Bible and Thoughts to Make Your Heart Sing, both by Sally Lloyd-Jones.

I’ve picked up a few crib sheets here and there, but this one is my current favorite. It’s from Pottery Barn Kids, but has since been discontinued. (This sheet from Crate&kids is similar!) As for the dog, it’s probably safe to say it’s the best purchase we’ve ever made. Ford absolutely loves it, and he sleeps with it every single night.

Our dresser/changing table was thrifted by my husband long before we ever became pregnant with Ford (it was originally in our bedroom). Once I decided to use it in the nursery, it’s mid-century style paved the wave for the design of the rest of the room. The dresser’s flared-legs aren’t shown in the photo above, but our crib and accent table share this same signature mid-century quality.

Other items featured above: The changing pad cover is from PBK (it was a baby shower gift, as was this one, which is especially soft and cozy!). The wire wall baskets were purchased from World Market, and the two-toned ceramic planter is from Crate & Barrel (it’s been a few years since I made both purchases, and I wasn’t able to locate these exact items online).

The monogram “F” featured above is from Anthropologie, and I remember the moment I purchased it like it was yesterday. It was one of the first items we bought for the nursery, and it was especially exciting because it represented our future son’s newly-decided-upon name. The wooden Ohio rattle was something I gifted to Ty on his first Father’s Day (this was a few months before our big move to Columbus!), and the books and toys shown were mostly given to Ford by various friends and family members. The customized felt pennant is yet another etsy purchase I particularly love.

Other things worth mentioning:

• The paint color used for the walls is Benjamin Moore’s Gray Owl, lightened by fifty-percent with a matte finish. Most experts would advise against using a matte or flat finish for a wall in a kid’s room (it’s quick to show imperfections and is easily roughed up and hard to clean), but I have come to love this non-shiny look and am so pleased with my decision to go with it despite the warnings. I especially love the way the color looks when the late afternoon sun is pouring through the bedroom window, which is precisely when I snapped all of the pictures for this post.
• Our crib is from the west elm x pottery barn kids line. If there’s anything in the nursery I would consider a splurge, this would be it (although I had an amazing discount code at the time of purchase!). The good news is it’s a convertible crib, and you can buy a coordinating conversion kit for a rather reasonable price when the appropriate transition time comes, which means you can get more use out of it per child.

Well, I suppose that’s a wrap! If you’ve made it to the end, thanks so much for joining me on this tour. I hope it has served to offer some inspiration and helped to spark some ideas of your own. My best advice when designing and decorating a nursery? Have fun! Make a budget and a plan, and then have a ball getting after it. If you’re anything like me, you’re going to log a lot of hours in this room, so I think it’s important to create a space in which you truly enjoy spending time.