The nursery folder
The IKEA furniture, Etsy finishing touches and small things I wanted ready before he arrived.
The furniture we started with
IKEA · April 2021. We chose the white-stained HEMNES eight-drawer dresser and an AURDAL wardrobe combination. The next order added AURDAL drawers, a HEMNES glass top, wooden PLOCKAR knobs and two sets of SKUBB organisers.
There was a satisfying amount I could decide at this stage. Where the little clothes would go. Which drawer I would reach for first. How much room we needed to open everything.
For somewhere to sit, we chose the Babyletto Kiwi electronic recliner and swivel glider with USB port in Performance Grey Eco-Weave, from Dear-Born Baby.
Light, curtains and a few more shelves
The May IKEA order included extra AURDAL shelves, grey MAJGULL blackout curtains, a white SKOGSKLÖVER roller blind and LEDARE bulbs. In June, we ordered the MISTERHULT bamboo pendant lamp.
The furniture made the room useful. These were the choices that began making it feel like somewhere we would spend time.
The pieces with his name on them
HickoryHollowDesigns on Etsy. We ordered a 24-inch round wooden nursery sign in a natural finish, with white and silver lettering. Devan sent a mock-up for us to check before it was made.
OakandVineCreations. A personalised birth-announcement disc with a keepsake bag, and a set of wooden monthly milestone discs. These were the small things I chose while imagining the photographs we might take.
The walls and the mobile
MyTommyPrintsUK. A set of three digital safari animal prints: three illustrated animals. Katy emailed the 8 × 10 files. Buying the digital version meant arranging the printing and frames separately.
BabyMobileAnn. A felt nursery mobile with cloud, moon and rainbow details. I liked having a few softer shapes among all the furniture edges.
The smaller purchases
Our Amazon purchases included a Cubo Ai Plus monitor, NICETOWN blackout curtains and a Pearhead triple-sonogram keepsake frame. There were baby carriers and everyday supplies too, but those belonged to life around the room as much as the nursery itself.
For another room project, I would keep one list across all the shops. It is remarkably easy to remember that you still need something while forgetting that you have already ordered it.
A few questions I would keep
- What needs to be within easy reach, and what can live in a cupboard?
- Have we measured the furniture with the drawers and doors open?
- Is the artwork a print, a digital file or a framed piece?
- Have we checked the spelling and layout of anything personalised?
- Which orders are still on their way?
I would leave the last line blank. There will be something we only discover once we start using the room.