Nursery Update

We’ve made significant progress on the nursery, primarily because we had a friend come to visit, and we needed to clean up the baby’s room for him (which is also our guest room and our office).

We somehow managed to scatter everything from our old office/craft room throughout the rest of the house (while trying not to let the rest of the house feel cluttered). Matt also put together the IKEA bookcase we recently bought. I would have preferred to buy a vintage shelf, but the EXPEDIT shelf from IKEA honestly seems like the perfect shelf for a Montessori room. It’s low to the ground for easy access, and it’s very sturdy. Also, the separate compartments help with order and give items their own separate spaces.

We’re still trying to sell our old futon mattress (which was our former guest bed before we bought a new sleeper sofa). We also framed three Charley Harper prints in IKEA frames (ugh, I’m embarrassed that Coconut’s room is rapidly turning into a mecca of cheap Scandinavian design!). We moved a vintage desk from our bedroom, as well as lots of old baskets (also from IKEA), into the baby’s room. I bought an Indian mirror from World Market to put on the wall next to the baby’s floor bed, as well as a big, chunky basket to use for blankets or dirty clothes.

I found myself starting to obsess about finding the perfect ottoman and the perfect fabrics to use for pillowcases and the baby’s quilt. I hate when I get obsessive in a completely indecisive way. I found a beautiful ottoman on Etsy and decided that I might be able to recreate it with mid-century modern wooden legs from Lowe’s and directions from Better Homes & Gardens.

I simultaneously realized that making my own ottoman would require me to commit to a fabric that would essentially set the tone for the rest of the room. Oh, the pressure!

I decided to liberate myself from all the inane and utterly unnecessary stress by opting for pieces that can be changed out, via slip covers. Voila! The idea came from a book I read a while ago by Amy Butler, the fabric designer. She frequently changes out her pillowcases, chair covers, etc.

Although I don’t actually see myself changing out the pillowcases and ottoman cover frequently, I feel better knowing that I can if I want to. Essentially, I could change most of the feel of the room by changing out the fabrics. I feel better with this option because my tastes change so unexpectedly (and frustratingly!). I opted for a $20 ottoman (from you-know-where), since it has a simple cube slipcover. My plan is to add some child-proofing to the edges and then use the existing slipcover as a pattern for a new one, hopefully using fabric I already have.

I’ve intentionally steered clear of “baby” fabrics and artwork. I guess I want a room that can grow with our child. The room also doesn’t have a theme. Instead, I’m striving for a simple, soothing, organized, and beautiful Montessori environment.

Here’s what’s left on the to-do list:

• Find a place for our gargantuan printer/scanner/copier
• Find a place for our paper shredder
• Find a place for our hand-held vacuum
• Sand and paint our nasty porch table to use in the baby’s room
• Find a lamp to put on the table
• Put together a portable breast feeding station
• Buy a mattress for our Montessori floor bed (instead of a crib)
• Buy fitted sheets for the floor bed
• Get my office supplies off the desk (it’s tiny!) and into some sort of containers on the wall
• Get one more frame for another Charley Harper print
• Hang all our pictures
• Replace the mirror glass with Plexiglas
• Hang the mirror on the wall next to the baby’s mattress
• Make the baby’s first mobile
• Hang a mobile hanger on the wall
• Get a new lamp for my desk
• Make pillows in cool shapes
• Buy a clock and hang it on the wall
• Buy a basket for the baby’s first Montessori “treasure basket”
• Find a shorter chair for my short desk
• Buy a big rug (although this will be difficult because Matt and I have disparate preferences…)
• Buy a little rug to go next to the baby’s mattress
• Buy a new light fixture for the ceiling (maybe)

Ideally, I’d like to get everything done before the end of the year, but I’m not going to stress about it. We still have the entire month of January if we need it. The only problem is that January is going to be packed with childbirth classes twice a week for two hours each, so we’re going to be busy.

This is so fun!