Living in a rented one-bedroom with a new baby has its challenges. Terrible cream walls and beige carpet aside, the main one being that you can’t exactly create a Pinterest-worthy nursery for your tiny human. I wasn’t particularly bothered by this because I knew that even if we did have the space, I’d still prefer to keep my daughter in our room for her first year. But I did still want to create a special little space just for her.
Since I knew we would be sharing a room and being on a tight budget, I focused on incorporating the baby stuff into our existing furniture. Our dresser doubled as a changing table for example (which I snazzed up with some removable wallpaper on top) and we added another dresser in the only other available spot in the room. We worked with what we had and though it’s not super glamorous, it’s cute and cozy and serves its purpose.
I didn’t want to overwhelm the space with stuff and instead focused on the basics. Since the crib fit at the foot of our bed nicely, I opted not to get a bassinet and instead have our daughter sleep in her crib from the beginning. I focused most of my decorative touches on the gallery wall adjacent to the crib. With a few IKEA frames, some shelves and stacks of books we were in business.
I didn’t have a theme per se, just some elements that I wanted to incorporate including my love for elephants and some aviation and travel touches for dad. I added the large map (a removable wall decal) to add some interest to an otherwise bland wall. I used gray and white as my main color scheme with pops of colors in the books and toys and airplane mobile.
Since we do live in a rental, my decorative options were a bit limited but that didn’t stop me from creating a cute little nursery corner as I like to call it. We chose not to find out the gender, but this neutral nursery corner was the perfect place to welcome our little love once she finally arrived. Creating a nursery in a small space is definitely possible, especially since babies really don’t need all that much! The most important element is that it’s functional and works for your family’s needs.
If you’re finding yourself in the same situation I was in here are my tips for creating a nursery in a small space:
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Repurpose – Repurpose your existing furniture to double up as something for the baby. Yes, that might mean you have to sacrifice some of your things (just ask my husband!) but that’s just preparing you for life with a baby ;P
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Make an impact – Create a focal wall with decals, frames or whatever decorative item you prefer. It doesn’t take a lot to make a big impact, even one wall will do!
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Make it functional – If you’re trying to make use out of every square inch you have, you absolutely cannot lose any function to design preferences. Use your materials wisely and incorporate elements that you’ll actually use.
Furniture sources:
Crib Hudson Babyletto in Washed Natural
For Like Ever Poster
Keekaroo Peanut Changing Pad in Sable
Wall Decal
Picture Ledge Shelf in White
All images by Margo Photography
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