I don’t find out the gender of my babies. The surprise, the excitement, the guessing, the wives tales…I wouldn’t give it up for ANYTHING. It’s like Christmas as a child all over again. So when we bought a new home before our second baby Shepherd was born we were in a predicament. I REALLY wanted to go all out with the nursery, and that’s tough to do when you don’t know the gender. I had dreamed of using my friend and one of the best interior designers in the game right now, April Tomlin Interiors for a nursery for years but when I approached her about doing a gender neutral one she was hesitant. I knew she would be. She is bold and goes at a room 100% and she literally said, “Mallory I can’t do a gender neutral room for someone with your personality.” Haha, I loved that. So here’s what went down…
So when I went to the OB the next time and said I don’t want to know the gender but my designer needs to so she can do the nursery. Immediately came all the questions, “Will you not go in the room??” “What if she slips?” “What if Ford walks in, who will go get him? You’ll see it!” But April and her team had it all figured out. And she created the most magical baby nursery I had ever even seen!
She immediately got to work and sent all the pieces to a warehouse upon arrival. Then they would do the install when I went into the hospital. The only thing they did was paint the room, Sherwin Williams Snowbound in an Eggshell finish and do the wood detailing on the walls. The week before I went in they hung the light and curtains and covered the light with a trash bag so I couldn’t see it. It was the surprise of my life. I broke down in tears the first time I saw it. I almost split my C-section open as I my knees went out from under me I was so taken aback. It has such a feeling as soon as you walk in. It’s like the room is alive. So here are all the details of my favorite room in my house…finally.
I love all of the textures in these pillows. They make this daybed come to life! Also on the subject of daybeds. A lot of people ask about putting a daybed in the nursery. There are two reasons you may want to consider. If you’re having your mom or mother in law or mothers helper or night nurse come over at any point to help with the baby or if your husband is going to give you a couple nights of sleep its great to have. I slept up there for months on and off with Shepherd being on a completely different floor than us. Also we had a 1 year old so Kyle had to get some sleep to be able to have the energy for him the next day. If you have a nursery close to your master you probably don’t need one. I love this one though because it almost doubles as a couch. April really turned it into a versatile piece for us and its a central piece of the room.
She really brought it alive with pillows. Here are a few tips April has on pillows. 1. Use down pillow inserts 2. Whatever the size of your pillow cover is, purchase the pillow insert 2 inches bigger (it looks fuller) 3. Get your pillows from different places and mix them so they don’t appear so matchy matchy.
Pillows: Etsy, Target, West Elm Bunny: JellyCat
Dresser, Changing Pad, Curtains, Drawer Dividers, Small Black and White Art Behind Daybed: @ryleeandcru and moon art behind changing station
I LOVEEEEEE Crate and Kids. Like it is my obsession. I fell in love with Crate and Barrel while registering for my wedding then my love affair continued to spill over for Crate and Kids once I got into the kid zone. A ton of pieces in my nursery are from them. Including this dresser and the crib. The dresser is linked and I recommend it to everyone now. I have drawer dividers in it for organization and the depth and length of the drawers is so much better for storage than any I’ve seen. And the crib is the unexpected pop of color to keep it playful, fun and boy. Also there’s a huge sale on Crate and Kids right now click HERE.
Crib and White Shelf
Another place I love to source things is Minted. Nope it’s not just for cards anymore…it’s for everything, including amazing art. This HAHAHAHA picture embodies our family. It’s messy and fun and full of literal laughter. April and her team crushed that choice.
A rug is another thing I learned makes a big difference in a nursery. You want something super soft. Something you can literally lay a baby on. I love this one. Like LOVEEEE this one. Also the little white shelves are so great for a nursery or a big boy room! They’re also from Crate and Kids and I have them in Ford’s room as well. You can find them HERE and they’re also on sale. Post on that one coming soon!
Something I also learned in this process is to get playful. The huge art, the colored crib, the books and animals and tiny olive tree they just all make this room feel so special and sweet and playful all at the same time.
Also mixing textures and layers with everything. Blankets, baskets and pillows can transform a room and really make it feel styled and complete.
And lastly something that’s really cool and special to me is how this room feels so Shepherd. When we were trying to come up with a boy name we had NOTHING. I couldn’t find a boy name I was in love with for the life of me. I went back and forth from family names to cool boy hip names to biblical names. I just couldn’t find the right one. Just like with Ford’s name Shepherd came to us in the final hour. A special boy needs a special name. Shepherd seemed wise, holy, grounded and a little bit classic to me from the second I laid eyes on him and I wanted a name that felt like him. So we picked Shepherd Haynes(Haynes is Kyle’s mom’s maiden name). I came home to the nursery and there was a little sheep rocker toy and a sheep blanket draped over the side of the bed. I thought oh they must have heard his name and did these little sheep things after they found out his name was Shepherd…nope they did them before. Totally meant to be and a little sign to me that that’s what his sweet little name was meant to be.
I hope y’all enjoyed this little walk down memory lane and the story behind this beautiful nursery for our beautiful boy. Be sure to check out @apriltomlininteriors for constant inspiration and @crateandkids for ideas. And I’ll link everything in the nursery in a list below! Also you have to watch the YouTube video of when I saw it for the first time. I cry every time I watch it.
Window Treatments: Shades: @theshadestore, Curtains: @loomdecor, Small Black and White Art: @ryleeandcru, Wall Color: Sherwin Williams – Snowbound, Pillows: Etsy, Target, West Elm, Blankets: Crate and Barrel/Crate and Kids, Daybed, Rocker, Books, Marble Table, Embroidered Baskets, Baskets, Light, Map, Poufs, Lamp, Daybed, Haha Art, Rug, Crib, White Shelf, Dresser, Changing Pad, Curtains, Drawer Dividers, Moon Art
Designer: April Tomlin Interiors Designer’s Website: http://www.apriltomlin.com
