All American Boy Vintage Nursery

Description

An all-American boy's vintage nursery that will grow with him, and will help teach him all about the special men in his family.

Design Inspiration

The old, worn oak chest was my original inspiration for the nursery.  It was something that had belonged to my husband's father, and as soon as we found out we were having a boy, I knew we just had to use it!  I loved the way time had given it so much natural character.  I wanted this nursery to have a vintage feel, but I also wanted it to incorporate details that pointed to the history of our little boy's family, and this chest really started me in that direction.

Decorating Style

I decorate with things that I like -- so I guess I'd call my decorating style personal, but I sure do love all things vintage!

Project Details

Crib: Franklin and Ben "Providence"

Bed Skirt: Restoration Hardware Outlet

Curtains: RH Baby and Child

Rug:  Rugs USA

Changing Table: Craigslist find painted by Helen Nichole Designs (HelenNicholeDesigns.com) who also made the table topper and painted the little yellow side table by the chair.

Hand Painted Hymn Art:  BurlapBohemian on Etsy.com

Changing Pad Cover:  Land of Nod

Clocks:  World Market/Hobby Lobby

Light Fixture: Overstock.com

Wood America Cutout:  Hobby Lobby

Wallpaper: The Wallpaper Co. on Ebay

Stool: Homegoods

Planes:  Homegoods

Monogram letters:  Joann Fabric

Laundry Basket:  Tuesday Morning

Aviator Tddy Bear: Amazon.com

Bookshelves:  Spice Rack from IKEA

Favorite Items

My favorite item is probably the crib...  I had all these plans to just pick a cheap crib this time since I had gone all out with buying all the most expensive, matching nursery furniture for my first child's room and thought surely I could do something more economical this time around, but I saw this crib and just had to have it!  Doh!  At least it will last him for a long time, since it converts to a regular bed, AND I saved money on the other furniture in his room by not going so matchy-matchy which I very much prefer.  I also love the blue dresser/changing table which gave me a chance to work with Helen from Helen Nichole Designs who did such an awesome job painting this Craigslist find!

Advice

One of the biggest things I did at the start of this process was to talk to family members and ask them what they might contribute from their history to the project.  I discovered that both my grandfather and my husband's father were in the Navy, and so I was able to put together some of their memories, pictures, and honors from that time in a shadow box that really helped me figure out the other elements I wanted to incorporate in this room.  Other meaningful items in the nursery include the baseball mitt, which belonged to my husband's grandfather, the little sweater onesie that belonged to my husband, and an old book of nautical charts and a model ship belonging to my grandfather, among lots of other little things!