At two weeks from my due date we’re checking off a few more lingering nursery updates, like painting the closet door a bright happy color, organizing the clutter within…
… making/hanging some more art, and changing our minds in the curtain arena (you know we love a good final-hour switcheroo).
The green closet door was heavily influenced by Clara, who kept saying “my baby will like a colored door like mine but not pink” – and since a bold green door was originally in our plan back in January (which we mentioned to Clara, hence her obsession) we decided to stop hemming and hawing and just go for it.
After hanging our apple-green curtains and adding a kelly green sheet to the changing table, we worried a bright door between them would be too much. But the realization that we already had some breezy Ikea curtains from our last house meant we had nothing to lose by tossing those up to see how they looked (they used to hang on the deck sliders, but came down when we got french doors).
Although I couldn’t recoup the time I spent making the colorful curtains, they were under $10 a pop, so it seemed silly to stay married to them at the expense of losing something else we had all looked forward to in the room. And I pulled off the faux-changing-pad-cover (just a fabric remnant I tossed on to picture what a green cover might look like) when we decided a bright closet door was too hard to resist.
We still think the curtains need something (I want to line them in blackout fabric, and maybe trim them on all sides with black or brown ribbon – maybe green? Not sure) but we’re getting closer I think. And of course we still need to get a real changing pad cover, so that’s on the list.
As for picking a green door color, we relied on our usual method of taping up contender swatches to see which one we liked best in a bunch of different lighting scenarios (early morning, afternoon, late at night with the light on, etc). The winner was Irish Moss by Benjamin Moore. Not too dark, not too light, not too neon, and not too yellow or blue.
I only needed a quart to get it done (I went with semi-gloss), even though it took three coats to get a nice shiny finish with good coverage. Bold colors like this tend to look horrific for the first coat or two and then magically shape up at the end. Tinted primer probably could have saved me one coat (in exchange for one coat of that) but I didn’t have it on hand, so I just did three coats of paint instead. I applied the first one with a brush…
… but switched to a brush + small foam roller combo for the second two coats, just to knock things out a little faster. It’s the same method we used on Clara’s door (three coats of paint applied with a roller/brush combo) which has held up well for the last five months with heavy use so that’s nice to know.
As for actually getting the closet ready, that just meant organizing things (lining up shoes, putting a few empty baskets on that top shelf for future use, placing some extra toys in a bin on the floor, and transferring excess clutter to the hall closet). The hall closet is a more spacious double-doored closet, so things that we won’t use for a while like a bumbo and the play table can go in there. We’re sure the nursery closet will evolve into more sophisticated storage as the baby grows (might add some cubbies, a basket system, or a reading area on the floor depending on our needs as we go), but it’s nice to have a clean slate in there now.
We also had two nice wood frames that I wanted to hang on the curtain wall, so I was inspired by this no-longer-for-sale pear poster and just drew the shape in pencil on white foam core and used green & brown finger paint from Clara’s stash. I’m sure as the bun grows we’ll switch it out for a family picture or a subject/animal that he loves – but it’s sweet to have something there for now.
To make the lettered “Love You Forever” message below that, I took inspiration from this print from a no-longer-in-business Etsy shop, and used black construction paper and a pencil. I sketched out the letters roughly, cut them out, and laid them on another white piece of foam core. I tried to keep them all similar in height, but I didn’t get caught up in perfection, thanks to the charming irregularities in the inspiration print.
When I was done I showed John and he came up with the idea to add some color to the V’s, so I used decorative paper from my craft closet and a glue stick to attach them all to the foam core. We both love how it came out – and you can’t beat the price (free) or the amount of time it took (around fifteen minutes).
Since Clara has a print in her room that says “You Are So Loved” it feels nice to have a similar sentiment hanging in our son’s room. Sniffle.
Aren’t those wood frames nice with the stained top of the built-ins and the dark hardware on the drawers?
They also tie-in to the frames of the bike art and the changing table on the other side of the room, so there’s more balance going on.
Speaking of wooden things, we found this cute rocker at a local thrift store called Consignment Connection for $15. Clara is obsessed (even though it looks fragile it easily holds her weight) and thinks her brother is going to LOVE it. Can’t wait to see if she’s right.
Slowly but surely, this room is coming along – we even think we have a plan for the wall behind the crib after this post o’ brainstorming (thanks to everyone for their thoughts and ideas!). We might wait until the baby’s here to knock that out, but in the meantime everything from the toys on the built-ins to those elephants marching across the crib sheets and our new green closet door is making us more excited than ever to bring home this little man of ours.
Even though we’re not done in here, we worried we’d miss the chance to re-take our family picture before the bun is born (a tradition that we started with Clara), so here’s the one we took when we started on the room back in January…
… and here’s one that we snapped yesterday. Could I be more pregnant? I laughed and asked John if he inflated my bump in photoshop (or hid my legs). Turns out I just look like this and my belly really is that far out in front of me. #watermelonsmuggler
And just because I can’t resist a good waaaay back shot, here’s how the room looked before we moved in last summer.
Even though we still have a bunch of remaining to-do list items, it’s definitely feeling more like a baby-ready space.
So our to-do list officially looks like this:
- get a changing pad cover
- line the curtains with blackout liner and add some sort of black/brown/green trim detail?
- tweak the wall behind the crib with wallpaper, a stencil, slatted wood, or some sort of accent color (we have a plan… we think…)
- make a woodsy little cuckoo clock (since I made one for Clara, I’d like to make a charming little rustic one for the bun as well)
- add an overhead light on a dimmer since nothing’s there at all right now (wish we could check this off but we can’t agree on a light we both like)
- possibly add a softly colored ceiling someday? maybe sky blue to add another color to the mostly green/yellow/neutral/white palette?
- add sconces to wall between the built-ins in a few years (we’ve decided these will be more functional after the crib is swapped out for a twin bed, to be used as reading lights)
Is anyone else making art? Having a curtain change of heart? Or painting something a bold, saturated color? We never could have guessed we’d have a bold foyer door along with two in our kids rooms, but they’re proving to be somewhat addictive.
Psst- To read about all of the nursery updates from the beginning, here’s how we painted all the pink trim, laid new hardwood floors, got a rug, painted the walls and ceiling, added built-ins to each corner of the crib wall, tackled some baby bedding, hung some extra thick crown molding, filled up the built-ins, made some curtains, added a cabinet for open storage and diaper changes, and made a mobile for over the crib.
Psst- Wanna know where we got something in our house? Just click on this button:
Katie K says
Might I suggest a charcoal or medium grey changing pad cover? I think that would look great! Sorry if someone’s already mentioned it (I didn’t have time to read all the comments)!
YoungHouseLove says
I’m leaning that way too!
xo
s
Gwen says
LOVE the green door! So glad you switched out the curtains for the light sheers. Sorry, but I was never in love with the apple green ones. I knew you’d pull it all together like you always do, though!
Looks so great, guys!
Evie says
Oh YEAH! The Barnacle will love his room. The green door is wonderful, you guys! ( …and I have to reluctantly say that I’m glad the green curtains came down, as much as I did love them…)
Exciting weeks ahead! Ahhhh! Won’t be long now!
Chelsie says
I love everything about the room – LOVE! So very happy and excited for your family. :-)
We had a house fire back in November that ended up being a full gut-job. One of the ways that we dealt with losing so much of our stuff was to try and create at least one item for each room ourselves – and there’s one in particular that we’ve (just about) finished and are super ecstatic about!
https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=10152748500258975&set=a.10151923437783975.1073741827.655668974&type=1&theater¬if_t=like
https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=10152748500258975&set=a.10151923437783975.1073741827.655668974&type=1&theater¬if_t=like
It’s our kitchen sink! This is one of the biggest projects we decided to tackle and are SO happy we did. We initially thought of pouring concrete counters and that evolved into making our kitchen sink. We made the mold, poured the concrete, stained and sealed it, and then made the stand. It was a long, messy process, but we are in love with the result. I can’t wait until we finish the house (and all our other projects!) and are able to move back home!
We’ll be keeping your family in our thoughts and look forward to seeing pictures of your family of 4 come home too!!
YoungHouseLove says
Wow! That’s so much work!
xo
s
Donita says
Love the nursery! Great family picture! You are an adorable pregnant mama. Your poor back, you are probably SO ready to hold that baby bump in your arms. Have a great week!!
Lauren says
LOVE the room and I think the curtain swap was a great idea. The kelly green of the door is more soothing than the granny apple drapes : ) One question: No rocking chair? Just curious, as I know that was a decision I toiled over for my nursery. Attactive ones that don’t cost a fortune are hard to find! I ended up going with this one, but got it from Wayfair for $550: http://www.rosenberryrooms.com/358-mesa-adult-glider.html?utm_source=googlepepla&utm_medium=adwords&id=65387925985&gclid=CMvArN6Fwr0CFchQ7AodiXcA-Q
YoungHouseLove says
I just had a regular chair in Clara’s nursery, and I ended up nursing all over (in bed lying down, on the couch, in a parked car, etc) so I think I’m just happy with a regular chair.
xo
s
Megan D says
I love the new curtains and green door! I’m liking this room now.
Colleen C says
I used the tutorial on Prudent Baby to make changing pad covers for the boys. Both times I used remnant fabrics from their quilts and minky. So it all coordinated and had fun colors. The ones in the store are just so boring and I wanted cool ones! They only take about 15-20 minutes (the ironing takes the most time!). I’ve made a few for friends too, they’re fun to have custom to your room!
YoungHouseLove says
Thanks for the tip!
xo
s
Catherine says
There is a book called “Love You Forever” by Robert Munsch which is absolutely brilliant. I can’t recommend it highly enough.
It started as a song to his stillborn children.
“I’ll love you forever,
I’ll like you for always,
as long as I’m living
my baby you’ll be.”
Anyway, you can listen to the entire thing at http://robertmunsch.com/book/love-you-forever# . Love it – always makes me cry but in a good way.
YoungHouseLove says
I love that book. My mom read it to me as a kid!
xo
s
Sarah @ 702 Park Project says
I think adding some pom pom trim to the white curtains would be super cute! Plus I bet Clara would be excited to share the pom pom idea from her canopy. :)
YoungHouseLove says
She would love that!
xo
s
Jessica says
Loooooove the green door!
Sasha says
I totally had that same rocking horse as a kid! So many feels (not the least of which is OLD)!
Someone gave it to my Mom when she was expecting, so It could be 1970’s/80’s vintage. As far as durability goes, I can’t say for sure. Mom always went on and on about how much that rocker cost her friend-It was like a “thing”-we were not allowed to sit on it past the toddler years.
Maybe you scored big time, or maybe Mom was just sentimental.
Either way, it is great seeing it here on YHL! Blast from the past!!
Heather says
Ah! I just really love how this nursery is shaping up…I feel like he’s going to be one sophisticated and charming little bun based on his soon-to-be new surroundings, haha. I like it…a lot!
FuzzyEgg says
What an awesome room! (Green is one of my two favorite colors.)
As for the curtains, I think that once they have liner behind them, the pattern on the fabric will be much easier to see because it won’t be washed out by the light. It could give them a whole different look!
Clara says
Where did the smaller wooden frames come from? Love them!
YoungHouseLove says
They were a gift but you might find something similar at Michaels or Target.
xo
s
Michelle says
Saw the caption “maybe something goes here?” between the window and closet door… A DIY growth chart would be cool – maybe a rustic-looking stained wood which continues to tie in the wood details throughout the room.
Maureen says
I love this green! Looks great! I’m pretty sure I have said this before, but I really think this room palette could work for a girl as well. Or, a great neutral room when you don’t know what the baby will be.
Alisa says
So cute! Love the color scheme. Great job!
Janelle @ Two Cups of Happy says
Those curtains are like a breath of fresh air! I love the art that you made too. I hand-letter most of my stuff, but cutting out words would be a fun switch. Thanks for the idea!
Marci says
I looked at the changing table and immediately thought the cover should be a green (or yellow) and white pinstripe. This entire rooms is just adorable. Lucky little man!
Marie says
I don’t know you and I just well up at your family pic! You look stunning and I just love the excitement surrounding the birth of a new baby. I work in pediatrics and every day is a wonder and a joy.
As for the nursery, I LOVE the white curtains as opposed to the former choice. It makes the green door just pop! I swear you must have more than 24 hours in your day…seriously, how do you get so much accomplished?
YoungHouseLove says
Aw thanks Marie! We are pretty much working around the clock these days, but knowing we just have two weeks until the showhouse is mostly done (and this baby comes) makes it doable. It’s like a spring instead of a marathon.
xo
s
Sally SU says
I LOVE everything about the bun’s room! I was inspired by your apple colored curtain project back when your first posted about it. I made some for my son’s room after reading your post. Thanks for the inspiration! Although you have removed them now, the room still looks GREAT and I love the green closet door! Wishing you all the best as you wait for the arrival of your sweet baby boy!
Jihane says
This room is simply perfect. The showhouse, your house : you amaze me every time. I mean, you’re even better than soooo many interior designers who actually studied for years. I guess it’s the result of your talent+passion+patience+hard work! Thank you so much for the constant inspiration.
Jessica says
SO much better!! Love the door and the airy curtains! I think a chunky green grosgrain down the side would be wonderful, Poms may look a little girly? Sewing a changing pad cover should be pretty easy, just straight line, MADE has a great tutorial http://www.danamadeit.com/2008/07/tutorial-crib-and-toddler-bed-sheets.html
YoungHouseLove says
Thanks Jessica!
xo
s
Lauren H says
Where is your crib from? It’s too cute!
YoungHouseLove says
That’s the BabyMod from Wallmart about 4 years back. Oddly enough it was a good eco friendly option.
xo
s
Diane says
I love the room it looks so light and airy very comforting looking. Besides getting a lamp or light fixture I wouldn’t change anything until the little guy arrives and puts his personality on things. Sherry you look great I hope you are taking time for yourself. Your schedule tires me out and I’m not about to give birth!
Stephanie says
I LOVE the green door! I love this room! My kiddos (boy 4 & girl 3) share a room I wonder how I could incorporate this for my daughter to love! Any suggestions? BTW im really glad you guys opted for changing the curtains! Also, do you ever have problems with Clara pulling on curtains? My son thinks he’s Tarzan!
YoungHouseLove says
Curtains with ring clips are awesome because they release without the bar coming down! Clara doesn’t do it, but before I knew that it was nice peace of mind.
xo
s
Raesha de Ruiter Zylker says
I literally teared up at the picture of you three!!! Or I guess I should say 3.90 of you!!! I have such love for your little family and can’t wait for your new little one!!!!!
Lily says
You look gorgeous! And I can’t wait to see what goes on that wall behind the crib… I wonder how that poll turned out!
xo Lily
http://whilemyboyfriendsaway.blogspot.com/
Allison says
I love it so much! We just had a baby in Feb and I’ve been obessing about finding her a wooden horse since in the Chinese Zodiac it’s the year of the wood horse! http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Horse_(zodiac)#Wood_horse
Angel says
I LOVE IT. I feel like you guys really liked green + neutral in your first house and I really liked it, and it feels like a little bit of that making its way back, but way better.
This is, for sure, my favorite room you have ever done. And that is saying a lot. Its beautiful and balanced, pops of color offset with natural materials. Fun for a child but still calming. I want to move in. Great work!
Bonnie says
I love the changes. The green color on the door is the perfect green. Just curious if you guys plan to take a blogging break for at least a few days after the Barnacle arrives. And did your morning sickness ever improve?
YoungHouseLove says
Morning sickness is still going, but with two weeks left I have my eye on the prize! Haha! As for how we’ll blog once the bun arrives I’m sure a newborn will be a whole new ball game so we are going to play it by ear (depends what kind of baby we get).
xo
s
Justin says
I’m so glad you got rid of those green curtains! I held my tongue before (it’s your house after all), but I thought those curtains were horrible. I loved the direction that the room was headed in, and then those things went up and I could barely look at them – they were so garish.
The new curtains are much better! The green door is very charming!
Lisa E says
It would haven been really nice if you still held your tongue and just complimented on the change. Nobody likes their taste or efforts slammed.
Aimee Di Croce says
I love the green door! I agree the curtains need a little something extra. I think a trim of some kind would look good. Or if you found a similar fabric that has little spots of green in the pattern that would look even better I think. Can’t wait to “meet” the barnacle.
Megan says
The room looks fantastic! Definitely the perfect, cozy place to rock and cuddle your little one.
Angela says
You look great, Sherry! Hang in there…he’s almost here!
As a mom of two teen boys, whose rooms smell decidely worse, I love the sweetness of this room and how it will grow with him. My vote for the changing pad cover is this one with the mustache fabric as nod to the mustache man!https://www.etsy.com/listing/184156951/changing-pad-cover-geekly-chic-returns?ref=shop_home_active_9
…or this one, just because I can’t get enough. Where was all this awesome stuff 17 years ago with my kids?!
https://www.etsy.com/listing/126953211/charcoal-arrow-contoured-changing-pad?ref=shop_home_active_2
YoungHouseLove says
Fun! Love the links!
xo
s
Sara says
This room is so much fun, guys – I love the painted door!
Lynne Wesenberg says
LOVE the nursery!!! You guys are so awesomely talented. Thank you for sharing it with us and for being real. So many blogs I love just show the results and not too much detail so it seems like it was a piece of cake (and something I could never accomplish). But you guys share it all, which makes it seem doable and what “normal” people can do! Your bun is so lucky to have some a fun room awaiting him!!!
Tristen Engelman says
What happened to the arrow patterned wall paper John got for the changing table wall? I thought you guys were going to do that, it was super cute!
YoungHouseLove says
We were debating it for sure, but John came up with another idea for behind the crib. Not sure if we’re going to use the pattern somewhere else (in the closet? On a fabric somewhere since they print it that way too, etc).
xo
s
Katherine says
Love the curtain switch out to accommodate the green door, it looks great! And the rocking horse is so super adorable.
Emily says
You should check out Land of Nod’s Nighty Night bedding. They have the cutest green dragon pillow that would look cute in the room.
Also, love the room!! Good luck with the final weeks of pregnancy.
Leah says
LOVE the room! So great; not stereotypically “boy”! Also, I think the new curtains and losing the green changing cover makes the room look so much better : )
ashley @ sunnysideshlee.com says
love this room and all of the personal touches!!
Susan says
Ball fringe! that’s what those curtains need. you know the small furry balls hanging off a strip of ribbon….Tommy Symthe is a fan ( via Sarah Richardson)
Ami says
I love love love the green door but I’m really missing the green curtains! Can you snap a pic holding them up on one side or something just to see? Bc you’ve paired the cute Kelly and lime green combo elsewhere in the room so I think it could be super cute there. Maybe add a Kelly green border to the lime curtains?? Random thoughts. I just think you lost that wall when you removed the colorful curtains.
YoungHouseLove says
We’ll try to remember to take that shot for you in the next post. We just felt like it was a lot of color for one corner with a neutral built in across the bay so it was sort of lopsided if that makes sense :)
xo
s
Jenna says
Getting a changing pad cover was on our last-minute to do list as well but little man came before we could get one. Our “make-do” cover was a waterproof pad and a receiving blanket and it stuck. It needed washed so often that we never got around to anything else and it works well for us.
YoungHouseLove says
That’s awesome!
xo
s
camille says
Slightly off topic, but do you guys know any way I can find that same rug? It would be perfect for my living room. But I know you found it at Homegoods! Any chance you know how to track down Safavieh rugs? I tried an internet search but couldn’t find it….
And I really, really like this room. I just had a baby boy myself and he will soon be sharing a room with his sisters–I’m working on a new palette of grey and cream with pops of coral.
YoungHouseLove says
I think on the original rug post someone in the comments linked to it when they found it. Hope it helps!
xo
s
Kim says
Love the shade of that green door especially with the hardware and warm brown of the wood.
My recommendation 2 – 2 Changing pads at a minimum and some flannel cloth to layer over it. Unless of course you love doing laundry every time you change the baby. I had 3 covers and a multitude of those top cloths and was forever going through them for the amount of times my son sprayed when removing his diaper. But you must have some from when Clara was a baby? Good Luck!
YoungHouseLove says
Yes we have some extras from Clara :)
xo
s
A says
Weirdly enough, my son (who is 3 and potty trained now) NEVER “went” with his diaper off. Ever. He went a couple times in his baby bath tub as an infant, but never ever while being changed. Not once.
I still washed the pad cover every once in a while just to make it “fresh”, but nope, not a public pee-er. (Still isn’t to this day – won’t pee outside if his life depended on it. Bathroom or nothing!).
YoungHouseLove says
So funny!
xo
s
Lauren says
I love that green door! It looks great! I want to paint all of my closet doors now! : )
*PS – I hope you didn’t let some of your commenters change your mind about those curtains! I know there were (and still are (HUSH, people!)) some really negative opinions about those light green curtains. Would’ve loved to see a picture of them with the new door just to see if was “too much” as you say. : )
Thanks for sharing your home with us. I love following along with your journey.
Jerrika says
Where did you get the new wood frames?
YoungHouseLove says
They were a gift but I think Target or Michaels might have something similar.
xo
s