Calm and Collected

 

The Basics

With its nurturing nature theme and nifty storage nooks, this nursery is the type of sanctuary many parents dream of for a new child. Gentle colors soften the room's clean-cut modern style. Rugs, pillows, and artwork sport animal and botanical motifs, and a painted tree climbs the wall, cuddling baby under a quiet canopy of oak leaves and songbirds.

With no closet and little square footage for furniture, though, a storage solution that wouldn't take up precious floor space was essential. So built-in kitchen cabinetry takes advantage of crawl space behind the walls to contain clutter and clothes.

 

Inspiring both the color palette and nature theme, the leaf-pattern crib set was the starting point for this room. Its midcentury modern appeal is gender-neutral, translating easily if the nursery later becomes home to a baby boy.

 

Who would guess a kitchen island could double as a changing table? The height is just right, and this one offers ample storage for diapers and other necessities. The casters lock in place or allow the table to be moved for more play space.

 

Installing a bank of cabinets in unused crawl space provides oodles of storage. Cabinets with pullout baskets, open shelves, and see-through fronts mean toys are accessible to kids, but clothes, shoes, and other items can be hidden behind closed doors. Opting for several coordinating small rugs can be more economical than purchasing a large area rug, and it's a fun way to create different play zones for active siblings.

 

Inspired by leaves in the crib bedding, this sensational silhouette is an easy do-it-yourself project -- the more imperfect the better. Using acrylic paint a few shades darker than the wall color, hand-paint a tree trunk and branches, then add birds and leaves as desired.