One of the logistical hurdles of adding a second child into our lives [1] was figuring out where exactly to put him. Our two bedroom, one bathroom home lacks any of the square footage perks that could be reimagined as a small nursery with the right amount of creative ingenuity — no large closets or transitional "office nooks" exist. So after deciding that our toddler's bedroom would have to double as a nursery, we knew we needed an expert's help figuring out a layout, choosing furniture, and coming up with storage solutions [2] to make the shared bedroom work.
Decorist [3], an online interior design company that helps you decorate your space virtually for a flat fee, helped us do just that and more. Briana Nix [4], one of Decorist's elite interior designers (and a mom of an adorable baby and toddler herself) partnered with BuyBuy Baby [5] to tackle our project. As a mom of two small kids who also share a bedroom, she understood all of our practical needs and made us realise how having a beautiful, cohesive space could actually make the room feel larger, even with more stuff in it. To make sure the space felt personal, she channelled our history and hobbies into a design scheme that captured our California-Oregon roots and love for exploring the outdoors.
What We Changed
Briana's first suggestion was to pull the entire room together with a cohesive colour palette and theme. Taking my Oregon-raised husband and my California girl roots into consideration, she built the design around the vintage-inspired California Republic and PNW (Pacific Northwest) flags, and chose a soft sage green colour by Lullaby Paints [6] for the walls. Coordinating the two beds with accessories like the black and white buffalo check pillow sham [7] ($30) on my toddler's bed and the black and white gingham crib sheet [8] ($20) and cross swaddle blanket [9] ($35) on the baby's crib helped the two biggest furniture pieces complement each other.
After we ditched the big media cabinet that was shoved against the far left wall, there was plenty of room to fit our convertible crib [10] ($360, originally $400) and upgrade our toddler to a twin bed [11] ($400). This cubby bookcase [12] ($250) is even taller than our Ikea toy storage piece and can fit everything from toys to books.
Hanging this acrylic book shelf [13] ($200 for a set of two) puts bedtime stories at close reach while also doubling as wall art. Instead of a lamp, the wall sconce provides the perfect amount of reading light without taking up any table or floor space.
The cordless roman shades [14] ($70-$260) not only soften the room, but also have a blackout backing and cellular fabric that provide two extra layers of insulation — a bonus for keeping energy costs down during Summer and Winter months. Having a cordless option was especially crucial since the crib is so close to the window. The chunky knit rug [15] ($84-$1,261) adds a layer of cushy comfort, but also helps to unify the space.
Pulling out favourite toys and books with beautiful illustrations is a great way to decorate with what you have. This little surfer-friendly VW bus reminds me of the car my grandparents had when I was a kid, and I can't help but smile.
Instead of having our blue club chair against the larger wall next to the closet, Briana placed this cream-coloured rocking chair [16] ($500) in the more narrow space between the windows. This freed up the wall next to the closet for another piece of storage furniture.
We chose a midcentury-inspired dresser [17] ($589) that can double as clothing storage and a nappy changing station with this Keekaroo Peanut Changer [18] ($130) placed on top.
Instead of giving up the top drawer of the dresser for storing nappies, wipes, and toiletries, I wanted to use it for the boys' clothes. I used cheap drawer organisers to help keep everything tidy and separate and figured out the perfect solution for storing nappy-changing essentials close by.
With the closet right next to the dresser, I hung an over-the-door storage system so that I could quickly grab whatever I needed while changing nappies. The best part is that it didn't take up any additional space! We stuck the same cubby bookcase [19] that we used for toy storage between the bed and crib for extra clothing storage in the closet. The square-shaped cubbies accommodate any 13"x13" storage bins, which can easily be found for less than $10 a bin. They're perfect for corralling shoes, hats, and other bulky items.
Aside from nappies, wipes, and nappy rash cream, the closet storage system is the perfect spot for collecting medicine cabinet essentials, dummies, and receiving blankets.
I was worried that making room for the baby would make my toddler's already limited space feel even more cramped, but it's had the opposite effect. He loves being in his room more than ever — and so do we. From his cosy, reading-friendly bed nook and rocking chair to the eye-catching art and toy displays, his sense of curiosity and adventure is celebrated in every inch of the space, and baby brother is along for the ride.