Finding out that I was pregnant after over a year of trying was one of the happiest days of my life. The excitement that came along with those little blue lines was overwhelming. And so was the thought of the journey that was to come. My husband and I, who had just moved into our first home, quickly realized that we had only 9 months to prepare for the arrival of our baby. In that time, we'd have to choose a name, figure out what supplies we'd need at home, learn about raising a small human, and get a space prepared in our home that our little one could call their own.
When we moved into our home two months before, not knowing when we would be lucky enough to get pregnant, we had set up our house a little differently than we would have if we had kids or were pregnant when we moved in. This meant that our primary bedroom needed to move to the main floor where our office had been, and our office and guest room would need to move upstairs into the former primary bedroom. Which meant our former guest room would be the perfect spot for our baby's nursery. Though we loved our primary bedroom up in the second floor loft space, we didn't want to be going up and down the stairs in the middle of the night to be with our baby, and we didn't want our baby's room to be the only bedroom on the first floor.
When we moved into our home two months before, not knowing when we would be lucky enough to get pregnant, we had set up our house a little differently than we would have if we had kids or were pregnant when we moved in. This meant that our primary bedroom needed to move to the main floor where our office had been, and our office and guest room would need to move upstairs into the former primary bedroom. Which meant our former guest room would be the perfect spot for our baby's nursery. Though we loved our primary bedroom up in the second floor loft space, we didn't want to be going up and down the stairs in the middle of the night to be with our baby, and we didn't want our baby's room to be the only bedroom on the first floor.
Choosing the Theme for the Nursery
When it came time to discuss the theme and decor for the nursery, I had a few ideas in mind, but some of those would only work if we were finding out the gender of our baby. Since Jeff and I opted to wait until after baby was born to find out, we needed an idea that was gender-neutral, fun, and inspirational. Enter the giraffes.
We'll need to travel back in time a few years to understand how the giraffe theme came into play. Even as adults in our 30's, we put together a short Christmas list every year. This is because we do a Secret Santa gift exchange with my siblings and it's good to provide ideas of things you actually would want and use, and not a gift of assorted prizes won from a Dave & Buster's (this did happen). Jeff and I typically struggle to think of items to put on the list, but one year, Jeff decided he wanted to add "giraffe decor statues" to his list and see what happened. Though he didn't get a giraffe statue during the Secret Santa gift exchange, his mom, who also saw this list for ideas, came through with stylish wooden giraffe statues of varying sizes. Since we lived in our apartment at the time and didn't quite have a great spot to display them, they stayed at Jeff's parents' house for a few years until we moved into our house.
Now, before we found out we were pregnant, the giraffe statues were going to find a home in our new home office. After we found out, the thought occurred to me that we could do a safari/giraffe themed nursery and, just like dad, predetermined that our baby's favorite animal would be a giraffe. At least until baby was old enough to decide on a favorite animal on their own! These cute curtains from Opalhouse at Target that ended up in the nursery were previously being used in the home office, but fit the theme perfectly and were used as a main source of inspiration for the baby's new nursery.
We'll need to travel back in time a few years to understand how the giraffe theme came into play. Even as adults in our 30's, we put together a short Christmas list every year. This is because we do a Secret Santa gift exchange with my siblings and it's good to provide ideas of things you actually would want and use, and not a gift of assorted prizes won from a Dave & Buster's (this did happen). Jeff and I typically struggle to think of items to put on the list, but one year, Jeff decided he wanted to add "giraffe decor statues" to his list and see what happened. Though he didn't get a giraffe statue during the Secret Santa gift exchange, his mom, who also saw this list for ideas, came through with stylish wooden giraffe statues of varying sizes. Since we lived in our apartment at the time and didn't quite have a great spot to display them, they stayed at Jeff's parents' house for a few years until we moved into our house.
Now, before we found out we were pregnant, the giraffe statues were going to find a home in our new home office. After we found out, the thought occurred to me that we could do a safari/giraffe themed nursery and, just like dad, predetermined that our baby's favorite animal would be a giraffe. At least until baby was old enough to decide on a favorite animal on their own! These cute curtains from Opalhouse at Target that ended up in the nursery were previously being used in the home office, but fit the theme perfectly and were used as a main source of inspiration for the baby's new nursery.
Picking the Right Furniture
Now that we had a theme and design inspiration picked out, it was time to choose the right crib, dresser, glider, and other furniture for the nursery. This set us on our research to figure out what brands were safe for our baby and would be best for their room. We came across Delta Children and their stylish assortment of baby furniture. I knew I wanted to have white furniture in the room to match the doors and baseboards, as well as provide a nice canvas to incorporate more color throughout the space with a rug, curtains, and other linens. After debating between a few styles, we chose the Spencer 6-in-1 Convertible Crib from Delta Children. Having a crib that can be converted and used for a many years as our baby grows was important to us, and this crib can do just that. It can easily convert to a toddler bed, daybed, sofa, and even a full size bed as our child grows.
The next piece was figuring out a dresser and changing table. Again, Delta Children had a great option that would be the same color as the crib and provide plenty of storage for baby's room. We chose the Gap by babyGap Legacy 6 Drawer Dresser from Delta Children, with the Baby Gap Changing Top to be able take advantage of the top space to be able to change baby's diapers and store the diaper caddie with all of the necessary supplies.
The final big piece of furniture we knew was crucial for a comfortable and functional nursery was a glider. During the design process for the nursery, I had debated what of our existing furniture would potentially need to be in the room. We have a Pottery Barn daybed that was in our office which now needed to find a new home. We had bought the piece specifically for our office, but it unfortunately did not fit in the upstairs space where our office and guest room were now combined, since we already have a queen size bed to use for guests. Since this daybed was a recent purchase, I knew the fabric would still be available if we wanted to get a glider to match if we wanted to put the daybed in the nursery. Eventually, I realized that it would feel too cramped to keep the daybed in the room and not work with the other furniture we needed to have in there. But, I still opted for a glider from Pottery Barn in the same fabric since I loved how it felt and looked, and would go if these two pieces would need to be in the same space in the future. We ultimately decided on the Paxton Swivel Glider & Recliner from Pottery Barn in the Pebble Heathered Chenille fabric. Not wanting to deal with a manual recliner, we did opt for the power recliner.
The next piece was figuring out a dresser and changing table. Again, Delta Children had a great option that would be the same color as the crib and provide plenty of storage for baby's room. We chose the Gap by babyGap Legacy 6 Drawer Dresser from Delta Children, with the Baby Gap Changing Top to be able take advantage of the top space to be able to change baby's diapers and store the diaper caddie with all of the necessary supplies.
The final big piece of furniture we knew was crucial for a comfortable and functional nursery was a glider. During the design process for the nursery, I had debated what of our existing furniture would potentially need to be in the room. We have a Pottery Barn daybed that was in our office which now needed to find a new home. We had bought the piece specifically for our office, but it unfortunately did not fit in the upstairs space where our office and guest room were now combined, since we already have a queen size bed to use for guests. Since this daybed was a recent purchase, I knew the fabric would still be available if we wanted to get a glider to match if we wanted to put the daybed in the nursery. Eventually, I realized that it would feel too cramped to keep the daybed in the room and not work with the other furniture we needed to have in there. But, I still opted for a glider from Pottery Barn in the same fabric since I loved how it felt and looked, and would go if these two pieces would need to be in the same space in the future. We ultimately decided on the Paxton Swivel Glider & Recliner from Pottery Barn in the Pebble Heathered Chenille fabric. Not wanting to deal with a manual recliner, we did opt for the power recliner.
Finding the Perfect Finishing Touches
With the theme in tact and the perfect furniture on the way, it was time to find the finishing touches (besides the curtains) to bring the whole design together. We already had the giraffe statues to include with decor, but we'd need a nice, soft rug to go over our wood floors, a bookshelf and other storage for decor and other items, and shelves and wall decor to finish it off. I opted for the Stella Ivory Rainbow Tufted Rug from Ruggable for a soft & washable option. This brought a bit more color in to the room and went perfectly with the curtains. I then found the perfect Safari Mobile from West Elm that was a big of a splurge, but was a little treat to add to the design and was just too cute to pass up.
Mini Wonder from Alice & Wonder in Chicago is where I found the Rainbow Striped Loop Lumbar Pillow, the Golden Sunrise Lumbar Pillow, and the I Love You to the Moon & Back Hang Sign.
A few other sweet touches I added to the room to complete the design...
Mini Wonder from Alice & Wonder in Chicago is where I found the Rainbow Striped Loop Lumbar Pillow, the Golden Sunrise Lumbar Pillow, and the I Love You to the Moon & Back Hang Sign.
A few other sweet touches I added to the room to complete the design...
Leena Kirt
Hello! My name is Leena Asuma! Welcome to my little corner of the web where I enjoy sharing about my life, creative pursuits, and adventures. If I had to sum myself up, I'm a storyteller, digital marketer, social media maven, & brunch enthusiast.
