Gender Neutral Nursery Tour

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Gender Neutral Nursery Tour

During my pregnancy with Luca we decided not to find out the gender until birth. It was such an amazing moment and both Alex and I were incredibly happy we chose to be surprised (read more HERE). Many people thought we were crazy for waiting to find out and I learned that you either love the idea or hate it haha. Like I said, we LOVED the entire experience through and through so when it came to designing the baby’s room it was an easy decision to go for a gender neutral nursery colors and decor. Our home is filled with neutrals, my wardrobe is neutral, I’m just drawn to that color pallet in general, so it was a very natural design process for me!

It ended up being a very slow process though because I am extremely indecisive when it comes to the details! Everything had to be just right, especially for our new baby. But I loved taking it slow, plus it gave me something to do during my nesting phase!

The nursery was our old guest room and for some reason five years ago when we moved in we decided to paint it yellow. What was I thinking!? It was hideous and I was so excited to get int there and repaint. We went with the color “Owl Grey” by Benjamin Moore. It’s a very beautiful, very light shade of grey and provided the perfect blank slate to start dreaming up and decorating a neutral nursery.

The room is also extremely tight, only 10’x12′ with only one blank wall – the three others have a door, window, and small closet. We chose to place the crib against the blank wall so we could hang a mobile and signage above. We purchased the crib (and dresser) from my favorite local furniture store, Country Willow. They took a while to come in but were worth the wait – they are stunning pieces. I have linked similar ones at the bottom of this post!

The dresser with changer top is on the same wall as the entry door which I like because it’s super easy to access for changing! We went with crisp white for the furniture and I love how it subtly contrasts the light grey walls.

Once we had the big pieces in place it was time for the fun stuff – decor! It’s so funny because I didn’t have a strong feeling either way (boy or girl) my entire pregnancy but I did have an underlying, subconscious thought that the baby inside me was a boy. I was drawn to blue tones my entire pregnancy! Which is strange for me because usually, I am more attracted to warm tones like reds and pinks.

The room needed something central to tie the furniture pieces together but I didn’t want to go with a big rectangular rug for fear it would overpower the space. I ended up going with a light blue distressed-pattern circle rug which is about 6′ diameter. Even if the baby was a girl I think the light blue would have been super pretty and I would have accented the room in other ways!

We hung shallow bookshelves on the wall opposite the crib and filled them with books we received at my shower – SO MANY BOOKS! Haha but so thankful for every single one! We chose these shallow shelves from Pottery Barn to save space. I still almost hit my head on them when I go to throw diapers out so I can’t imagine if we got normal-depth shelves. These ones worked perfectly for us!

We decided to go with these sheer curtains (in white) from Pottery Barn as well. I love how soft and light they are and feel they compliment both the wall color and the white furniture. They are another piece, like the rug, that really ties the room together. No, they are not necessary or functional, but the way they fall and drape is so gorgeous and it makes me happy!

The little touches were my favorite part and I added them here and there throughout the last few weeks of my pregnancy. I had this beautiful canvas calligraphed and watercolored by one of my favorite accounts to follow on Instagram, @Letterstou. Calligraphy is one of those things, like photography, that I don’t mind investing in. I LOVE supporting small, women-owned and operated artisanal businesses and Tammy is one of those people. Plus ALL her work is stunning and I am obsessed.

Tammy has an Etsy shop filled with beautiful work for all occasions and was able to design this custom piece for the nursery. It is so special to me because my mother wrote this rhyme for me when I was a baby. Now it hangs in my own son’s room and gives me all the feels.

I think its such a lovely touch to add something personal like this!

The alpaca theme came by accident – I was browsing the Hello Birdie Birdie Etsy shop (she is another Instagram account I love following!) and stumbled upon her alpaca mobile. It was PERFECT! We love alpacas in our family because my mother in law has had her own heard at their farm for the past 10 years. They are like part of the family!

I had to have the mobile, that was a no brainer, and then I happened to stumble upon the alpaca stuffed animal collection from Pottery Barn Kids. They were ADORABLE, and the quality is actually great, so I ordered all three sizes! I also snagged a beautiful light (kind of beachy-toned) hamper and a few matching toy/miscellaneous smaller baskets at Pottery Barn as well. For Luca’s first Christmas we purchased him the matching alpaca rocker and now the room is really complete!

The bed sheets and crib skirt were also Pottery Barn Kids purchases (I was registered there and had lots of gift cards!). I have linked similar options at the bottom of this post!

I grabbed two white lamps from Wayfair (both pretty and functional because we have no overhead light in the room). And a beautiful, inexpensive mirror from Target as well. Matching diaper caddy baskets from Pottery Barn completed the changing station and keeps all our essentials organized to this day!

I opted for no rocking chair or glider just because of how small the room is. It would have been way to overcrowded, and I am actually glad we didn’t spend the money (they’re expensive!!). I ended up being more comfortable on the couch or in bed while breastfeeding because of my C-section and the difficult recovery.

We did add in a chair that we had been storing since our wedding though! Score for repurposing and not having to buy new!! The chair is another blue item that I just felt called to bring into the room (or maybe it was another intuition thing!). It looks beautiful in its new home and I actually have used it a few times to nurse! I also paired this neutral pouf with the chair as a footrest and neutral pillow for texture and physical back support.

The finishing touches were added after Luca was born! Things like his beautiful name sign (found on Etsy), stuffed animals and some handmade blankets from his grandmothers and friends. I had the most wonderful time designing this special room for our baby, I hope you enjoy the photos!

Gender Neutral Nursery Source Links

I have linked everything possible from Luca’s nursery below!