Juniper’s “Little Adventurer” Nursery Tour

When Hurricane Irma threatened catastrophic destruction to Florida a little over a week ago, we sprung into action, battening down the hatches in preparation for the worst, hoping and praying for the best. I was even motivated to finally photograph Juniper’s finished nursery. (Apparently it requires a massive storm to nip my procrastinating tendencies in the bud.)

I’m very grateful to report that my family and I emerged on the other side of Irma safe and sound, and our home suffered minimal damage. For those of you in the paths of the recent hurricanes down south and wildfires out west facing a long road of recovery ahead, know you are in my prayers.

Today, I am delighted to share with you all a long overdue virtual tour of Juniper’s “Little Adventurer” Nursery. I hope it brings you a dose of serenity and inspiration.

For your convenience, I’ve included lots and lots of links to the items in the nursery, including a comprehensive source list at the end of this post. Some are affiliate links, meaning that if you make a purchase after clicking you, I may receive a commission at no extra cost to you. Thanks for supporting this site!

Theme & Color Palette

We made the intentional choice not to get too theme-specific with this space, but if I had to name it, I’d call this a vintage-modern nursery for a little adventurer. It’s an eclectic mix of bright white and untreated cedar contrasted with well-worn pieces and distressed wood.

We opted for a simple color palette of white, grays, and pastel mint. While we have some fun feminine touches and spashes of pastels, much of the design is gender-neutral.

Let the Tour Begin!

CRIB

Ya know how they say, “When you meet the man you’re going to marry, you’ll just know?” Well, apparently the same is true for me and cribs.

Because as soon as I happed upon the bright white, mid-century modern Hudson convertible crib by Babyletto, I knew it belonged in our nursery.

It has four different mattress levels and has gone from newborn level, to level 2, straight to level 4 over the course of a year. Our little adventurer can be quite adventurous! And I love that it comes with a 3-in-1 conversion function so it should take us through toddler-hood.

Our fitted crib sheet is gray triangle by New Arrivals Inc. And I had to do some major web sleuthing to find a crib skirt that would work with this crib model. But this one in white with a 14″ drop by Oliver B on Amazon worked well, especially at level one (though you do have to do some maneuvering around the edges).

Oh, and lest you think those are Irish twins you see, 12 month old Junie in the green dress and 15 month Junie in the crocheted top will both be making an appearance during our tour today, thanks to the magic of time travel. (Goodness, she really has grown so much this summer.)

MAP & MOBILE

Mark and I absolutely love to travel and explore new places, and we hope to pass that love along to our little lass. So Mark picked out a beautiful travel map from Conquest Maps, and we’ve been busy filling it up with a slew of blue pins for each new city explored with Junie these past 15 months. The white pins indicate places on “her” wish list of places to explore. This will definitely inspire Mama and Papa Bear as much as Baby Bear.

At first, I was worried about a map of sharp pins hanging right above the place where she spends so many hours a day. But then, we figured, eh, swallowing pins builds character.

Just kidding. We made sure it was mounted firmly to the wall and well out of reach of tiny hands. {Grin.}

And it was a happy accident to find that the wool felt cloud mobile I love so much by Olive & Bo hangs in your line of sight of the map. So, it’s almost like you’re looking down on the U.S.A. from high in the sky. Pure magic.

BLANKET LADDER

Last spring, we were building up quite the collection of baby blankets for Junie, many of them handmade, and we thought a blanket ladder would be the perfect way to display them and encourage their use.

My Mother-in-love gifted us this 6 foot handmade wonder of a blanket ladder by ClintonRustics on Etsy. The weathered gray finish worked perfectly with our nursery color palette, not to mention it’s extremely well made.

Aside: you’re going to hear me rave about a lot of Etsy artist and makers. But I truly feel all love poured into these handmade elements is what has added so much warmth and personalization to this space. Yay for supporting small business owners!

GALLERY WALL

I’m a bit of a gallery wall fiend. We have one in our living room and our Rustic Nautical Master Bedroom. And when we first dreamed up plans for Juniper’s nursery, I knew it must have a gallery wall, as well.

A wall full of artwork and artifacts, words of truth and words to inspire, texture and whimsy…

…and one tiny white hooded sweater with little duckies that have been clinging on by a few stubborn threads since the early 80s. (Thanks, Mom, for saving this relic from my babyhood!) Junie’s first camera is at the ready to take on her travel adventures.

It always feels like a bit of a puzzle to figure out the layout of a new gallery wall, especially when you decide to incorporate 3-dimensional pieces like an origami crane mobile from your baby shower. But it was well worth the time and effort.

PRO TIP: When planning out a gallery wall, lay out your pieces on a large swathe of Kraft, butcher, or wrapping paper, and play around with the arrangement until you’re satisfied. Then, outline your pieces in chalk or pen. Remove the items and add in marks for where you’ll need to hammer in nails (using a ruler for precision). Then, you can use painter’s tape to hang the paper on the wall and hammer straight through the holes in your paper. You can easily remove the paper, and the nails remain, making the hanging process easy as pie. Massive headache saved.

{From left to right, top to bottom.}

• push-pin map: Conquest Maps
• wooden heart banner: Kate’s Crafty Heart
• “The World is Your Oyster” art print: Rifle Paper Co.
• “More Than the Moon & Stars” sign: Signs with a Porpoise
• handmade crane mobile: DIY project
• floral wooden arrow: The Rustic 4
• travel globe wall art: Kate’s Crafty Heart
• decorative doorknob wall hook: Home Goods / Amazon
• vintage ducky sweater: family heirloom
• wooden toy camera: Willow & Bass
• Isaiah 49:16 art print: Stephanie Corfee
• State Map Hoop Art: DIY tutorial
• shadowbox photo display: gifted
• Whitewashed Wood Shutter: gifted | Michael’s + Silhouette customization

We had a lot of fun incorporating travel-inspired elements into the display, and it’s an eclectic mix of treasured gifts from friends, delightful handmade pieces by Etsy artists, and even a few DIYs of my own. It makes me smile every time I see it. Not to mention, it has helped keep Juniper entertained during many-a-diaper-change.

This custom sign of Juniper’s birth stats was heartmade by my friend Kristen of Signs with a Porpoise. Kristen is one of those Instagram-friends who has become a true soul friend over the past few years. What a special surprise to open up a care package from her with this gem inside!

To the left of the gallery wall above our rocket hangs a collage of my pregnancy milestone bump shots using a nifty magnetic poster hanger (like this one).

It takes me back to that sweet season of anticipating Juniper’s grand arrival and getting to know her through kicks, hiccups, daydreams…and a hefty dose of heartburn. {Grin.}

CHANGING STATION

Believe it or not, this piece was not intended to be a changing table. It was actually a dry sink that Mark’s parents bought from Ethan Allen in the early 70s. He has many memories of proudly polishing the silver kept in these drawers during his boyhood.

A few years back, it got passed on to Mark’s sister’s family and was transformed into a changing table for all three kids. It even had bite marks in it from one of Juniper’s cousins during his teething days. Oh the stories this piece could tell!

Mark gave it a fresh coat of white paint on the exterior with peek-a-boo interior drawers in aqua (like another peek-a-boo desk you might remember). And I have to say, it’s the perfect set-up for our diaper changing needs. The changing pad nestles into the dry sink opening perfectly, with just enough space for a row of diapers and wipes. It’s almost like it was made for this express purpose!

In terms of organizing, here’s a quick run-down of what’s in the drawers and cabinet space:

• top left: hairbrushes, pacifiers, Nose Frida, thermometer, map pins, rattles and toys for distraction
• top right: lotions, butt paste, sunscreen, and to go wipes
• bottom: diapers, wipes, Diaper Genie refills, extra lotions

The changing pad cover is called Gray Arrows by Etsy artist, SorenByAngelique.

We installed some antique milk-green jadeite knobs to add to the vintage vibe and match our minty color scheme. To secure these beauties, I actually reached out to D. Lawless Hardware, a family-owned company that I met at Haven Blog Conference. I remember being so impressed by their sincere kindness and generosity and was excited to finally have an excuse to try their product.

Y’all, I was nothing but impressed by these gorgeous knobs and the company’s excellent customer service. Huge thanks to Derrick and team for providing the knobs for our nursery makeover. I never thought I could feel passionate about hardware…but D. Lawless has made me a believer.

ROCKER & POUF

Our big investment for this space was our Comfort Swivel Rocker in Performance Tweed Gray from Pottery Barn Kids.  I figured we’d be spending a lot of time nursing and napping in that chair, and so it’s where we decided to invest in high quality. And boy I am glad! It’s still my favorite place to plop down when I’m tuckered out.

The best part is that the rocker is removable, so it will seamlessly transition into the living room one day (though let’s be honest, we may just keep the rockers on!). And yes, the slip-cover is removable, too. So, if your water breaks while sitting in that chair late at night when you have insomnia and are reading sleep books {true story}, never fear.

The footrest is a very soft and snuggly white pouf from Land of Nod. It has de-poufed considerably since we first got it, but we still heart it. And it doubles as a great lounge pillow.

BOOKSHELF

We are big fans of the IKEA KALLAX bookshelf (formerly known as the EXPEDIT). They are affordable, versatile, and just so darned functional.

We opted for the high gloss white with this one and nabbed some adorable Grey Stripes Around the Floor bins from Land of Nod for the bottom row of cubes. Junie loves them as much as we do. Seriously, that child pulls them out to explore the contents (extra books!) all the live-long day. The baskets collapse easily, but they still can return to their square-ish shape. And of course, the nautical vibe fits under the adventure theme-brella for us.

I left the top row of shelves open for the books we’re reading now and a few special toys and treasures. The little suitcase has a vintage feel, even though it was a purchase from Oriental Trading. It holds Junie’s keepsakes and cards until I can get them into a baby book. The stuffed animal pig was a handmade gift.

This other shelf houses some of her favorite wooden toys that were gifted to us: rainbow stacking rings by Melissa and Doug and her box of alphabet blocks by Little Sapling Toys.

Quick pause for some playtime with those blocks!

Atop the shelf, we have a few decorative elements and practical ones: a retro clock from Hobby Lobby and wooden whale teether by Manzanita Kids on one side…

…and on the other, an old IKEA lamp for extra reading light, her monthly milestone blocks by Little Sapling Toys, and a vintage tin globe bank from CityCottage’s shop so our little adventurer can start saving her pennies for her travels. It’s never too early, right?

You can find similar vintage globe banks on Etsy HERE.

ROCKING HORSE

All great explorers need a good sidekick. And who better than this trusty steed who belonged to Mark and his siblings when they were little. Mark fixed ‘im up real nice with some repairs, sanding, and walnut oil before gifting him to Junie this past Christmas.

She has grown to really love riding him, although I’ll warn ya, he’s a feisty horse and likes to bite our pinky toes when we’re stumbling around the dark. Yowza!

WINDOW TREATMENTS

To be completely honest, the window treatments are the part of the nursery I feel “meh” about. It turns out, the balls on the ends of the curtain rod were way bigger in person than on Amazon. Also, I’ve learned it’s not easy to find quality blackout shades in white for a reasonable price. But I settled on this style with grommet finishes by Moondream, which I’d rate at a 5/10. The white could be a bit crisper, and they aren’t true “blackout,” but once we lower the wood blinds, it darkens considerably. They come extra long, so you can hem them to your preferred height or outsource them to your local tailor like we did.

WINDOW BOX

That handy hubby o’ mine poured a lot of time, creativity, and elbow-grease into this free-standing window box he built to add some privacy and beauty outside of Junie’s nursery window. He has been carefully training the jasmine up the trellis. On the cedar plank, he wood-burned a sweet welcome message to our future world traveler.

Fun fact: he made the sign well before Junie was born and before we had announced her name. It was so hard to keep it a secret. You can even spy him working on it in a past excerpt from our One Second Everyday project {THIS ONE}.

WALL ART

We have a few D.I.Y. art pieces in the corner to the left of the bookshelf.  Both have made appearances on the blog before.

First up, our “You Make Beautiful Things Out of Dust” mirror. It’s become a fun ritual for Junie and me to open the blinds in the morning or after a nap and then giggle together while looking in that mirror. I hope that the message about God on the glass is one we can teach her as she grows up.

And then, there’s my grandfather’s text message turned into watercolor art. This was my first project that I created with my new Silhouette Curio machine. And it’s a fun tutorial if you’re diggin’ the watercolor craze like I am, but prefer a “paint inside the embossed lines” kinda method!

I couldn’t resist including a few photos of Junie and her great-grandfather, Rev. Gordon Cathey himself! Oh what a blessing to behold their sweet relationship.

OPEN SHELVING CLOSET

Welcome to my magnum-opus: Junie’s open shelving closet. {Cue the heavenly host.}

I had way too much fun dreaming and scheming this design. I’ve tweaked our set-up quite a bit over the last 15+ months, but I’m happy to say we’ve landed on an organization system that works fantastically for us. Everything has its place!

First things first, Mark removed the closet doors for me, which added even more depth to the room. Then, in lieu of a dresser for clothes, Mark installed two cedar planks (mmmm, they still smell good!) to provide some surface area for baskets and bins in which to organize her clothes.

In fact, I plan to dedicate an entire post to sharing what is exactly in these bins…but for now, here’s an overview of where the bins are from.

The 5 gray bins on the top shelf were a Bed, Bath, & Beyond find (bringing in that nautical vibe in the grommets).

Her skirts, tees, dresses, and sweatshirts hang on gray velvet hangers using some swoon-worthy Closet Dividers by Lucy Darling.

I found fabric half bins and fabric quarter bins by Threshold at Target that were great for her clothes. Essentially, they’re like dresser drawers just pulled out and nested on shelves. I worried they’d get cluttered and look messy, but I’m actually more motivated to stay on top of folding with the open shelving. Because when I do, this closet makes the type A in me swoon! I also incorporated a few of the smallest SKUBB boxes from IKEA, too.

On the floor, we have her Pillowfort laundry basket followed by three large round woven bins in white by Room Essentials, all Target finds. And I heart them. They make cleaning up her toys and stuffed animals so easy.

Juniper’s learning to help with clean-up!

This closet is quite deep, so we have a few larger items stored in the back like extra clothes, push-toys, and her Lotus Travel Crib.

The shear curtains were from IKEA and we had them hemmed to fit that closet. The curtain rod was an IKEA find, too, whereas the curtain holdbacks were found on Amazon.

The map bird garland on high was the last element I added to the nursery this spring and were made by Etsy artist LaMiaCasa in Belgium. They are double-sided and so beautiful. They help bring a dash of wanderlust to this side of the room! Mark has dubbed this garland his favorite decor piece of all.

RUG

We’re actually renters, so wall-to-wall carpeting was not an option. But we opted for the next best thing: edged off carpeting that goes all the way to the walls (with maybe just a half-inch of wiggle room). We had it custom-cut for this space through Home Depot. And we bought a play mat to use as a rug mat beneath it.

Truthfully, I was so skeptical this would work, but Mark had a vision, and I’m so glad he saw it through.

I can’t tell you how many times all three of us find ourselves sprawled out on that comfy rug, laughing about Junie’s latest quirks or tag-teaming a nail-clipping sesh or reading Little Duck for the hundredth time. No wonder it’s our favorite spot in the house!

It was Mark’s idea to have the nursery be a no-shoe zone, so there’s usually a pile of flip-flops by the door. At first it was just to keep that rug as dirt-free as possible. But now I like to think it’s a physical symbol of letting go of worries and to-dos, and embracing a spirit of rest and play when we enter that space. There’s really something to it.

ENTRYWAY

Mark’s Christmas gift to me last year was a large wall ruler for marking Junie’s height as she grows! He used a plank of cedar and a wood burner to create it.

I’m still pinching myself over how much she grew in her first year.

The hook is the only remnant from our old guest room (a Hobby Lobby find), but it has served as the perfect spot for hanging her towels after bath time.

And I’d be remiss if I didn’t shout-out the pom pom yarn wreath on the nursery door that was handmade with lots of love by our beloved friend Robin. It’s the definition of cozy!

To Close

And there you have it, folks! Juniper’s travel-inspired “Little Adventurer” Nursery. I hope you enjoyed this tour as much as we did sharing this special space with you all.

Ya know, when I was first gathering inspiration for this space, I noticed that most of the adventure and travel-themed nurseries out there were for little boys. But I’m so glad that didn’t stop us from embracing this theme for our little gal! It has fit her to a T.

And my hope is that this tour has perhaps sparked some nursery ideas for future little gal adventurers out there, too.

In the words of the “The Immortal Bard,”

Though she be but little, she is fierce.

Real Talk

And before I sign off, let me acknowledge that these photos have captured Juniper’s nursery in its cleanest state ever and without its less-photogenic monitor, sound machine, diaper genie, and trash can. I can attest that this space looked like a disaster area no more than fifteen minutes later. And I’m cool with that. Because in truth, I’d much rather spend my time making messes playing with my gal rather than keeping a spotless nursery.

So, here’s my word of encouragement to anyone for whom feelings of inadequacy or trepidation have bubbled up during your internet searching for nursery inspiration:

Your little adventurer will not remember how Pinterest-worthy their home was…but rather, how much love was in it. And by George, you’ve got love in spades to give. Your little one is destined for an EPIC adventure as your kiddo.

And you can take that to the bank!

 

 

Source List

FURNITURE:

• crib: Babyletto
• blanket ladder: Clinton Rustics
• changing table / drink sink: family heirloom
• rocker: Pottery Barn Kids
• pouf: Land of Nod
• bookshelf: IKEA
• rocking horse: family heirloom

TEXTILES:

• fitted crib sheet: New Arrivals Inc.
• crib skirt: Oliver B
• changing pad cover: Soren by Angelique
• white blackout curtains: Moondream
• sheer closet curtain: IKEA

HARDWARE:

• knobs and ferrules: D. Lawless Hardware
• window curtain rod: Amazon
• closet curtain rod: IKEA
• curtain holdbacks: Amazon
• bird hook: Hobby Lobby

WALL ART:

• push-pin map: Conquest Maps
• wooden heart banner: Kate’s Crafty Heart
• “The World is Your Oyster” art print: Rifle Paper Co.
• “More Than the Moon & Stars” sign: Signs with a Porpoise
• handmade crane mobile: DIY project
• floral wooden arrow: The Rustic 4
• travel globe wall art: Kate’s Crafty Heart
• decorative doorknob wall hook: Home Goods / Amazon
• vintage ducky sweater: family heirloom
• wooden toy camera: Willow & Bass
• Isaiah 49:16 art print: Stephanie Corfee
• State Map Hoop Art: DIY tutorial
• shadowbox photo display: gifted
• Whitewashed Wood Shutter: Michael’s + Silhouette customization
• Pregnancy Milestone Collage in Magnetic Poster Hanger: Amazon
• “You Make Beautiful Things Out of Dust” mirror: DIY tutorial
• Nursery Watercolor Art: DIY tutorial
• large wall ruler: DIY project
• pom pom wreath: DIY project

ACCESSORIES & DECOR:

• mobile: Olive & Bo
• little suitcase: Oriental Trading Co.
• stacking rings: Melissa and Doug
• alphabet blocks: Little Sapling Toys
• retro clock: Hobby Lobby
• whale teether: Manzanita Kids
• lamp: IKEA
• milestone blocks: Little Sapling Toys
• globe bank: Etsy
• map bird garland: Etsy

STORAGE:

• bookshelf bins: Land of Nod
• gray bins: Bed Bath & Beyond
• hangers: Amazon
• closet dividers: Lucy Darling
• fabric half bins: Target
• fabric quarter bins: Target
• SKUBB boxes: IKEA
• laundry basket: Target
• large white woven bins: Target
• curtain:
• felt ball garland: etsy
• cedar wood shelves:
• closet organizers:
• hangers:

RUG:

• gray carpet: Home Depot

WALL COLOR:

• aqua smoke: Behr

Full Disclosure: I received free knobs from D. Lawless to facilitate my review; however, you can bet your bottom dollar that all opinions are 100% my own. This post also contains affiliate links, meaning that if you make a purchase after clicking through, The Thinking Closet may receive a small commission at no extra cost to you. Thanks for helping to support this site!