From Third Bedroom To Nursery: It Begins…
Now that we’re done with the big bathroom makeover it’s nursery time, baby. Pun intended. The sad thing is that we love our third bedroom, so the idea that it has to somehow disappear to make way for the bean is a tad bittersweet.
Of course we’re over the moon to meet our little girl in May and can’t wait to start whipping up the perfect nursery to welcome her to Casa Petersik. We’re just use-what-you-have kind of people, so the idea of suddenly having a daybed, table, chair, rug and ottoman without a happy home had us stumped for a good half hour or so.
Then we channeled Tim Gunn (picture us putting on our make-it-work hats) and got brainstorming.
Thankfully we had already thought to relocate our third bedroom’s little wrapping paper/letter writing table down to the basement for that big makeover a few months back (along with the chair and a second chair that we’d been storing in the closet ever since we switched out two of our dining chairs for a bench).
But what about that daybed? Unless we were willing to forgo a crib (uh, not an option) it had to find a new place to live since the nursery is by far the smallest room in our house (except for the bathrooms if those count). Happily, the sunroom quickly came to mind. Sure we already have one totally cozy daybed in there that we lounge on pretty much from spring to fall. But why not bring in a second one for twice the fun? That was pretty much our thought process. And after a bit of grunting and shimmying we had it in place (don’t worry, John did all the heavy lifting while I played the role of “supervisor”).
And it didn’t look half bad. In fact it made us wish it was a bit warmer out so we could both settle in with a few good books and officially put them both to good use.
Oh and one sort of surprising discovery was that we didn’t mind the darker wood tone of the new daybed next to the existing white one as much as we thought we would (probably thanks to all of those oil-rubbed bronze sliding door sashes that bring a similar tone to the space). We’re still planning to eventually paint it white for a bit more balance (we like the idea of the daybeds being the same color but different styles with complementary but not identical bedding and pillows to avoid complete matchy-matchy overload).
And speaking of pillows, we kept many of the same ones that were on it in the third bedroom and tossed an oatmeal colored blanket over the mattress to help it fit right in with the similarly accessorized existing daybed. We like the serene and layered look but also think adding some punchy pillows to both daybeds would really wake up the room for spring so stay tuned for that in a few months…
Probably the best thing about placing the daybed along the wall where we formerly just had one small teak chair and a side table is that it provides the best view of our private backyard (since the other daybed faces in towards the house). And we can accommodate a lot more people in the sunroom now that we switched out one teak chair for an entire daybed. I smell a game night coming on…
We’re definitely glad to have found a little “interim place” for the daybed to live before it potentially goes back into the nursery-turned-big-girl-room in a few years (we’ve heard from more than a few friends and family members that daybeds make great big-girl beds when the crib is no longer necessary). Although we can see “sunroom sleepovers” in our future once more than one kiddo comes along, so who knows. It might just stay put for the long haul. I guess only time will tell…
Next we had the third bedroom rug to deal with. Since it’s jute we reasoned that we wanted something cushier like a plush wool rug underfoot for our little one. So it definitely needed a new home. But where? Well, it’s actually the exact same rug that we have in the kitchen (we loved it so much we got it twice).
So the idea of rolling the extra one up and tucking it behind the blinds above our laundry nook didn’t seem like the worst plan in the world. Now if we ever have a spaghetti sauce or grape juice incident in the kitch, we’ll have a spare squirreled away in the mostly-empty storage area above our washer and dryer (ever since we finished the big basement makeover clutter in our house has been radically reduced- woot woot).
Then it was time to ponder a new place for the ottoman. And after a bit of thought we figured that it would actually come in handy if it stayed in the nursery (for toy storage, putting up my feet when I’m nursing, etc). So our little woven friend gets to stay- at least for now- along with the asymmetrical photo collage on the wall. We might switch out a few of the framed items for some fun baby-focused art (with punchy colors to work with the new yet-to-be-revealed color scheme) but for the most part we think that the wall of frames will create a great little stimulating focal point for the beanette (of course it’ll be out of reach for quite a few years, and once she’s taller and more mobile we’ll securely fasten them all to the wall or move them entirely if we ever think they pose a danger).
So that’s how we managed to clear out the nursery without amassing a graveyard full of sad displaced furniture.
And there’s nothing more full of promise than a bare room just waiting to be transformed. It certainly came in handy when we repainted the walls (and the ceiling!) this weekend. So stay tuned for those details…
What about you guys? What have all you new moms and dads done with an old room’s furniture to make way for baby? Have you relied on Craigslist? Adapted it for the nursery? Put it into storage? Moved it to other rooms around the house? What about all you non-baby-having-individuals who converted one room to something entirely different (bedroom to library, den to home office, etc)? Do tell.
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OH and we are using the twin bed as our changing station – my sister-in-law did this and it looked so cozy for the baby and practical for the mom. Can’t wait to see what colors yall chose!
We moved into our house over a year ago, but kept one of the four (very small) bedrooms as a junk room/cat room. Now the guest room furniture has been moved in there, the cat stuff is in the office, and the former guest room was repainted a robin’s egg blue to get it ready for baby. I’m due May 25, and we aren’t going to find out the sex of the baby so I’m trying to keep the nursery somewhat gender neutral. Very curious to see if you put a glider or rocker in your nursery. The typical gliders that everyone seems to have are just ugly, in my opinion. Here’s hoping you have a chair solution that is both comfy for nursing and not an eyesore! Can’t wait to see what colors, textiles and furniture you select for the baby room.
Have you heard of projectnursery.com? I’m not even pregnant (yet) and I love it!
As always, I am so jealous of your sunroom and now even more so because you have two daybeds! I was totally thinking of game night so am so glad that you mentioned it. And it will be so nice for each of you to have a daybed to yourselves for leisurely lounging (although I guess leisurely lounging will be drastically decreased when Bean is born). Still nice to have! Can’t wait to see more nursery progress.
Great thinking. Changing any rooms around always requires a bit of thought and “stuff” moving. Sometimes we’ve had to get rid of stuff by giving it to family or selling it on Craigslist. But I usually find places for the smaller stuff elsewhere. Sometimes furniture can be hard to move around, if you have limited space.
I wish we had a sunroom, too!
When we converted our guest bedroom to our daughter’s nursery, there wasn’t initially a lot of furniture in there. We didn’t have space for a double bed anywhere else in our house, so we donated the box spring, mattress, and rails to a local organization that provides furniture to needy families. They even took the bedding!
Baby #2 is due in August, and we are looking at converting our office into either the new baby’s room, or a big-girl room for our daughter. Regardless, we’ll have lots to move, including our vintage piano (probably to the living room), 3 desk tops from the Container Store, and walls full of elfa shelving (LOVE that stuff!!). We have a “bonus” room that was the old master before the previous homeowners built an addition. It’s currently our junk room. :P But it will likely be re-purposed into closet/storage/office space! It will definitely be a challenge!
Definitely use Craigs List and hand-me-down furniture as much as possible. I got a gender neutral crib (that converts into a fullbed!) with the intention of all my children using it. But it’s still such a short lifespan for the crib and changing table (at the most two years) it’s not worth spending the crazy money for that furniture.
I’m so excited that you are starting on the nursery. I have been waiting for you to start your posts about how you are transforming this room for your sweet little girl. I’m due my self in August. Although I don’t know what I am having yet I’m sure no matter what it is I will as always get a lot of inspiration from your blog. I can’t wait to see the final product.
We re-purposed our (my husband’s) office for the baby nursery a while back. We had our little chunk’a munk back in November. We gave the desk to his sister, and sold the office chair. The tall bookcase went to the living room to create a reading nook, and the 2 shorter ones stayed in the nursery. One became a changing table with storage underneath, the other a stand for a lamp next to the rocking chair for story time. Speaking of rocking chairs: if you plan on getting one and don’t have ideas yet, check out Ikea. You can customize the style and fabric on the cheap, and the best part is that it doesn’t scream baby rocking chair. Also, the fabric zips off if you want to change it up or clean it, and velcros on/off for an easy switcheroo.
Our first nursery was a converted guest room as well. We had enough room to keep the double bed in there, which made the late night nursings more comfortable for me and baby. I remember falling asleep in the nursery routinely. Our dresser/changing table was an entertainment center that has transitioned beautifully to a dresser.
With each child that enters our life we wave goodbye to piles of furniture that some single guy or young couple is always happy to snatch up. Our first baby got the office. We downsized to laptops we now use from the sofa and a printer that is sitting in the hallway on a table. The second baby got our “junk” room, the room that was originally a workshop/crafting/scrapbooking/escape place for me but soon became unused, dusty, and overly cluttered (hence: “junk”) due to the arrival of baby #1. So now, we have people living in all three bedrooms in our house, and our furniture has gone on to better places to enjoy life where it can be appreciated. Until the kids outgrow their toddler beds and cribs, at which point we will need all new furniture all over again…
I just painted my nursery today! I’m so exited to put baby things in there! As far as the furniture, it used to be our guest room, the recliner moved up to our bedroom and the twin bed is being stored for the time being in the basement. I wish we had room for a guest room, but for now a blow up mattress will have to do. Can’t wait to see what you did and I’ll share my nursery once it’s completed.
ps: has anyone heard from little Mrs. Bower lately? she hasn’t posted in days. Hope everything’s ok.
I’ve actually just heard from Katie! She mentioned that she was trying to figure out why things aren’t posting on her site… so she’s definitely on it. Stay tuned for her much anticipated return!
xo,
s
Can’t wait to see your new nursery!!!! Don’t forget, daybeds make great toddler beds (put them backwards against the wall and you have built-in safety rails!).
We lived in a 2 bedroom house when we had our first baby. The second bedroom was already an office/guest room. We swapped the desk for a crib but left the daybed/trundle in for guests and a future “big girl” bed.
Funny crib story: I drove by a neighbor’s garage sale on the way to work and spotted the perfect white crib. I didn’t have time to stop but called my hubby and asked him to check it out. He stopped (dressed in a suit for work) and bought it on the spot but the family coudln’t “hold” it until after work. The crib was too big to fit in his car so he had to push it down the street (still in his suit) to our house. What a dedicated Dad-to-be!!
A friend told me about your blog! LOVE IT!! I now have two small children, and I must say, decorating takes on a whole new challenge when “baby/kid stuff starts taking over. ( I am a minimalist and it still takes over) I look forward to future posts on creative toy storage, baby proofing (love the white coffee table in the sun room, but all I can see is a bruised up baby face), time, and cute photo displays. We ended up ditching our coffee table until the kids are older.
I hope I’m not coming across negative. I’m quite practical and our sweet little house just seems to get more crowded each day with love and fun… and kid stuff.
We just did this too! Say goodbye office, hello nursery! I’m due April 22nd with a boy. We were able to move a small armoire up to baby’s room from the finished part of the basement and also brought up the crib and changing table from basement storage (we purchased it from a coworker a few years ago, finally putting it to use!). Then we moved the desk down to the area the armoire was in the finished basement and set up an office area there. One misplaced armchair joined the couch and loveseat in the basement family room and the switcheroo was complete. It works really well and actually makes use of a small section of our basement that wasn’t really doing anything.
You should definitely keep that extra daybed in the sunroom. Even though the room already felt finished before, somehow, with the extra daybed, it feels even MORE finished/perfect. Gotta love those happy accidents, right?
btw for what it’s worth I think you should paint the white sofa bed to match the darker one….I agree with you…the frame of the darker bed really highlights the similar lines in the doors and the rest of the room. I think the darker tones are more dynamic with the white and offwhite furniture and floaty window treatments……just my two cents.
I mean, whatever you end up doing I’m sure it will be way better than I could have imagined anyways. But seriously. Just think about it.
Can’t wait to follow along with the nursery progression!!!!
When we moved from a house with a family room and a living room to a house with just one living area, we had to find a place for our two futons that had been the family room furniture. One is a full/queen, and the other is a twin. The full/queen became the guest bed (we didn’t have a guest room in our previous house, so there wasn’t already furniture designated for that). It’s nice because we keep it in the “couch” position when we don’t have company, so there’s more room in there. The twin became our toddler bed for a number of years while our two boys grew up. It was great because it had an armrest on both sides that kept them from falling out, and, in usual futon fashion, part of it folds under, so it was shorter than a regular twin bed. Now that they’ve outgrown it, it’s become our little “loveseat” in our master bedroom, but when in its full twin position it can still sleep one of the boys when we have so many guests that they need to give up their beds. Yay for multi-purpose furniture!
I continue to seethe with jealousy for your sunroom….
It’s crazy how you can almost always find a new place for a piece of furniture, once you think about it differently. And if not, it’s always good karma to help furnish a relative’s collegiate dive.
You will love having the ottoman for storage in beanita’s room. When she becomes more mobile (crawling, sitting, etc.) it will greatly aide in her pulling herself up to standing. She’ll probably enjoy figuring out how it opens and closes (my 1-yr.-old son can’t walk past anything without figuring out how it’s all put together).
You may also consider putting some of that art down lower where she can reach it and engage it! You’d be amazed by how well babies can concentrate on art work (especially when they are not inundated by tons of stuff). We put several black and white animal photos (IKEA) on the wall above a low shelf, so when our son pulls up to play they are at his eye level; now he has taken to getting them off the wall to have a closer look. The frames have plastic rather than glass fronts, but frames can easily be attached firmly to the wall to remove the risk of breakage… safety first! Here’s an awesome newsletter I got from the Michael Olaf Company about art for infancy (and up through early childhood): http://www.michaelolaf.net/newsjan2010.html they are also a great source for toys and their catalogue offers wonderful insights about early childhood development (if that interests you).
Thanks for the ideas and the link Renee! You know I love Montessori (or maybe you don’t, but I went there from first through sixth grade). Off to check it out…
xo,
s
I can’t wait to see your color palette/ mock-up! You must be having so much fun redecorating an entire room. Keep us updated!
We decided to pawn our future off to my sister, who needed a new desk and such for her place. Now it’s kind of sad though because there is still no baby – with a totally empty room that I don’t want to decorate because we are wishful our miracle baby will happen soon. In the meantime, I suppose it is one room that I shut the door and only vacuum every once in a while just to see the cool marks on the pretty carpet hehe :)
I loved turning my guest room into my nursery for our baby boy, 3 months now….one idea or suggestion…dont feel the need to buy a “traditional” changing table…we had these (http://www.ikea.com/us/en/catalog/products/80053933) old Ikea dressers in our spare room, and just painted them white with navy drawers, added cute Michael Aram (from Lowes) airplane drawer pulls and just put the changing pad on top. The changing pad comes with screws so you can screw it in the back…ours works out great, plus we have tons of drawer storage now for him.
In our old house we had the spare bedroom setup as a rec room. We moved into our new home when I was three months preggo and never put anything in the future nursery. I am now 7 months along and painting a Beatrix Potter themed mural throughout the room. It’s moving slowly because I can’t easily reach the bottom of the walls anymore, but it’s so much fun! We use bedroom #3 as an office/art studio now. That room will be the real challenge for us when we are ready for baby #2… but we have a while for that one!
I can’t wait to see what you do in the nursery! I love your page and your ideas!
Sherry, I’m so happy to hear you say this is one of your favorite rooms in the house – I couldn’t agree more! I’ll be sad to see you go, Third Bedroom, but I can’t wait to see the new nursery!
Let’s take a moment to mourn the dear bedroom…RIP :-(
Moment over! Baby coming! Whoop-tee-whoo!
Lindsay
Congrats on your upcoming little one! We have a 20 month old, and before he was born we converted a spare bedroom/storage area into our baby’s room, starting when I was about 5 months pregnant. Ripped out the rug, installed hardwood flooring, installed crown molding, and painted. Had to finish painting the doors after the baby arrived, but everything else was done (but painting trip while 8 months pregnant is not something I want to do again!).
I found a Bellini crib on craig’s list for supercheap. I looked there for a glider (which yes, are super ugly but I spent HOURS in it nursing, it was very comfortable, and we still read books in it every night), but couldn’t find what I wanted and so ordered one new online (look around for the best price). I used a Medela nursing stool with the glider which helped my knees. We kept the glider in the family room in the early months (did I mention he nursed alot?) so that I could watch tv or just hang out with my hubby but when he started being distracted we moved the glider back to the nursery. We used a dresser we already had for a changing station.
Other things that were handy – sound machine, blackout roller shade for the window, and an extra table between the glider and changing table where I could put a waterbottle, lamp, box of tissue, diaper supplies, etc.
Two web resources, in case you haven’t found them yet:
Ask Moxie (http://moxie.blogs.com/askmoxie/) great info on pregnancy, breastfeeding, parenting, etc
Sew Liberated (http://sewliberated.typepad.com/sew_liberated/2009/04/finnians-montessori-room.html) – has a great description and pictures of a nursery set up following Montessori principles. Very cool ideas about keeping things kid-focused (pictures down low, interesting textures/materials, etc.).
I am sooo glad to see your post. I am going crazy with what to do! We’ve got a room crammed full of furniture. It was the game room before I moved in, and then it became my craft room/guest room/music room/storage.
Now nursery. ARrrghhhh! The twin bed and rocking chair have to stay, so there’s not much room left for a crib, much less a cute nursery. :(
I’m looking forward to seeing what you do, but I’m sure I’ll cry out of jealousy :)
I know several others have already said it… I think daybeds are great in nurseries especially for nursing mothers. For me, nursing was soooo much easier lying down. That said, I understand that a daybed plus a crib could crowd the room. It’ll be warm enough when beanetta is born, so you can just nurse on the daybed out in the sunroom!
…And I know you aren’t there yet, but just wanted to throw in a comment about your crib placement. Consider what’s on the other side of the crib wall. If I remember correctly, your sink/toilet are opposite one wall in the nursery. Running sinks and flushing toilets are good nap dealbreakers. So maybe that wall wouldn’t be the best choice. Maybe a ‘floating’ crib that sets out from the window for safety? Just a thought bc this happened in our first home with our first baby and we eventually moved his crib away from the wall to solve the problem. It ended up looking better too!
Thanks for the tip Dana! If we have the same luck as John’s two sisters (who both gave birth in the last six months) our baby will sleep like a rock just like theirs do. You can literally vacuum under their cribs and they don’t even flinch. Fingers crossed…
xo,
s
Can’t wait to see what you guys do with the nursery. Just wondering if you have any video posts planned. You guys haven’t done one in a little while and I love your video posts.
You’re reading our mind Miss J! We just recorded a video last night so as soon as we cobble it together and add some music we’ll be in business. Stay tuned for something hopefully coming next week…
xo,
s
You might want to wait on buying a crib. We’ve never used one, and our son is 9 months old now! You just never know what will work for your little one until you meet. :)
We bought a crib and NEVER used it. Two kids later and we had a brand-new, never-used crib donated to a friend. (Not sure if she ever used it either.) It was a very large and expensive laundry basket. :)
The daybed looks great in the sunroom, but I’d put it back in the nursery. The Sew-Liberated (Finn’s Montessori Room) is really beautiful. If I had it all to do over again, that’s the route we’d go.
I love the daybed in the sunroom but I agree with others – don’t paint it! You mentioned that white will go in a little girls room but so does chocolate brown. My furniture growing up was darker wood and it looked great with yellow bedding…then pink bedding…then blue bedding. Apparently my favorite color changed often!
Can’t wait to see what else you have in store for the nursery!
When we found out we were expecting a second child, we needed to move the home office out of the third bedroom. The third bedroom became our daughter’s big girl room, since it had a great walk-in closet. The nursery was converted from girly to boyish (okay, it’s actually pretty gender neutral), and all of the home office items got a new home in our previously empty breakfast room. We found that we actually prefer having the home office in a more centrally-located space because it’s easier to interact with everyone else and keep an eye on the kids.
Congrats on the bean! We have 4 soon to be 5 of us crammed in a 1000sqft shoebox (fixer-upper) of a home in DC. I would suggest waiting until the baby comes to buy a lot of your baby stuff, this way you can get a feel for how you “parent” and what your baby actually need. Because if you live in less than 3,000sqft and lack walkin closets it going to get very cluttered very fast. Just keep asking yourself can I use this for something else later on and do I have room to store this when it’s not in use?
With that said, Ikea has some great baby stuff that is very city / small space friendly and I have seen some great ikea crib hacks.
A traditional sleigh cot would look so lovely in that room. We had to move house when our little one came along – she has the best furniture in our entire place!
The only thing in the soon to be baby’s room is a full sized bed. Which, will go into storage for a couple years until my son is big enough for it. Quite simple for me. :)
Congrats on the “May Project”! In t.v. land, there’s a good twist to a story to keep things interesting and here in blog land (of course, this is your real life we’re talking about) a new addition to the house should spice things up a bit.
I enjoy your site . . . but . . . being a mother of two, I was sort of waiting to see if little ones might change how you decide to decorate. While I too like your third room, it has had it’s time, the memory will live on and now a new season awaits, full of decorating promise, as well as a love like you’ve never know.
Best to both of you!
Hi there! This is my first time on your blog and I absolutely love it – so cute! Wondering what kind of flooring is in your patio room? We have a room that looks very similiar and are looking to make it more “indoor” instead of “outdoor” and your flooring looks perfect. Great stuff!
Hey Jennie,
So glad you found our blog! It’s actually painted concrete in the sunroom. Here’s a post all about how we transformed it: http://www.younghouselove.com/2008/08/how-to-paint-a-floor/
Hope it helps!
xo,
s
Love your blog! I’ve been looking for Montessori ideas for decorating the nursery. Would love links, photos, ideas, etc.
Thanks so much!
Pat
Hey Pat,
Feel free to google around for those- we know there are a lot of Montessori moms out there with blogs all about that!
xo,
s
About a month ago we inherited a white crib and knew that we needed to transform our (only!) guest room into a nursery (I haven’t hidden my “mother hunger” all too well). Problem is our house is super tiny (960 sq.feet tiny) and we didn’t want to put the guest twin bed in storage so we took a day to move stuff around. (The office will become a smaller office/playroom). We moved over the twin bed against a wall and placed the crib against the opposite wall right next to the dresser (that we will share with the baby of course) Tada! The room actually looks bigger then it did before – even though we added a huge piece of furniture. My next plan is to paint the ceiling Benj. Moore’s “constellation.” The walls are a light sage blue/green and the light blue ceiling will offer our little one (oneday) a soothing color to look at. Inspired by y’all! Thanks!