If you swung by the blog a couple of weeks back then you might have seen my inspiration post on how to create a modern unisex nursery. Essentially the post was all about sharing all those images I’d collected along the way to creating Hector’s nursery. This week, as promised, I’m sharing the real deal – Hector’s very own grey oasis of calm – or at least that’s what I tell myself anyway. If I’m being really honest then it’s my favourite room in the whole house and I’d be fibbing if I said that I didn’t go and lie down in there every so often and enjoy the peaceful tranquility as Hector plays with his trains around my head.

Colour Scheme

Our last house consisted of a pretty much all-white colour scheme so I was keen to move on to pastures new and embrace a bit of colour from an interiors perspective in our new home. I wanted something warmer and more resistant to the general wear and tear that life brings us (in reality I just don’t want to have to repaint as much!). I touched on the fact that we haven’t quite moved into house number two just yet in my last post but that didn’t stop me from whipping out the paintbrush in Hector’s temporary room at my mum’s. We opted for Fired Earth’s malm which looks taupe both on the web and in the sample swatches but in reality is a very soft grey and very flattering. The woodwork was painted in Dulux’s Grecian White eggshell which is an off-white shade in order to make the grey pop and to complement the picture ledge style shelves from Ikea.

Luckily John Lewis make the perfect curtain pole to match the paintwork in Hector’s room and I paired these up with some grey ticking stripe curtains also from the store which I knew would stand the test of time from babyhood until his early childhood at least. On a side note I should probably mention that if you’re looking for a complete black out curtain then it’s worth investing in these linings to block out the light completely.

Furniture

At the moment especially given that Hector’s room is a generous size, we don’t have all that much furniture to fill the space so it looks slightly empty and unfinished at present. I’m not losing any sleep over it though as I’d love to add a tipi such as this one and this awesome rocking sheep (although I think Father Christmas or the Grandparents might have to stump up the cashola for this one) in one of the corners or two. Plus at the moment it gives him oodles of space to crawl around whilst bashing everything with a piece of train track. Yep that includes my face.

I was quite fussy when choosing the cot. Although it was purchased when Hector was about two months old, it was important that it was unisex in style so could be repurposed for baby number two and that I actually liked it. I’m not sure about you but it seemed to me that so much that was on offer in the baby furniture world was…well…naff. It was a chance booklet that my mum brought back from one of her trips to M&S that revealed the wonders of the Winchester Cot Bed to me and I was instantly smitten. Granted it’s not cheap and I did wait for a 20% off day to appear before committing to buy but I’m really pleased with both the quality and design of it. And yes I’ve not yet found another that I like better.

The chair and sheepskin are both from French store Caravane – a shop I fell in love with when my mum introduced me to it on a trip to London. We saw the chair when I was eight weeks pregnant and at that point Ste and I hadn’t told anyone about the exciting news. Mum remarked that it would make such a good nursing chair when we were lusting over it in the window and I was convinced that she knew and was letting me know how happy she was – mother’s intuition and all that. As it turned out she hadn’t a clue but took it as a sign nonetheless and bought us the chair as a pregnancy gift.

The last key piece of furniture was the ‘Teramo’ chest of drawers from Barker and Stonehouse which is by the well known brand Ercol. We wanted a fuss-free, oak unit that wouldn’t present a toppling risk and which would grow with our baby. Frankly we didn’t see the point of spending an extra £200 or so just for a slight rim around the top of a chest of drawers in order to make it an official changing table. It’s sturdy and well-made and will be just as at home in 15 year old Hector’s bedroom as it is now.

Storage

Yep there’s a whole section dedicated to storage. My name is Lolly and I’m addicted to baskets. Seriously though I can’t be alone in hating the plastic tat that Hector seems to accrue by the truckload on a daily basis? So any chance to hide and conceal and maintain the appearance of soft grey serenity is definitely seized upon!

Special mention must go to the picture ledge shelves from Ikea which I’m guessing from the many conversations we’ve had previously that you all have in your own homes already. They are epic and I only wish they did them in grey too. Come on Ikea! I purchased three of the 115cm lengths to house Hector’s books and knick knacks although I really want this bookcase too.

His rattan basket filled with soft toys is from Tea And Kate and I’m resisting the urge to buy this  and this to add to the collection. His leather bucket was actually repurposed from my own home office and you’d never guess that the white basket from The White Company houses a huge collection of wooden train tracks from Brio. Actually I can’t wait until he’s old enough to appreciate the beauty of this particular toy. Lastly I purchased this huge paper bag from This Modern Life to keep the vast majority of his bulkier toys in and I can hand on heart say that it’s been a godsend.

The French postal sack for Hector’s toys came from a pop up shop in Burham Market in Norfolk when we visited for our baby moon. I like to think of it as a subtle nod to his French ancestry on my side of the family.

Accessories

I think if anything choosing the accessories for Hector’s room was my favourite part of the whole process and I can’t wait to see how these will change and evolve as he grows and begins to choose bits and pieces himself. I’m praying that he’s not like his dad and won’t ask to have Thundercats wallpaper in his room when he turns six though.

The hanging fabric clouds have always been a favourite of mine and were something that I picked up for the grand total of £11 in the sale at Cloudo Kids when I was pregnant last summer. They’re by a French brand called Pompon Petillant but you can buy similar at Velveteen Babies. I’m still tempted to get this one to add to the collection…

One of my favourite things to do on a rainy Sunday afternoon is to get out all the pictures from when my sisters and I were small and to rifle through them pointing out all of the funny things we used to wear and how cute/ugly we were. It seems only right then to pass on such an experience to Hector and his siblings one day so I make a conscious effort to snap away as much as possible all the funny/not so funny moments that happen every day. Admittedly most of my photos are taken on my phone but I do try to use my Nikon DSLR camera when I can and I’m actually pretty good at printing them off via Simlab which offer a brilliant service. I’ve framed them up in these white lacquer frames also from The White Company which they’ve since sold out of which is a shame since they’re such good quality and were so reasonably priced. I like these ones from Marks and Spencer as well though.

Ste picked up the silver mushroom lamp for Hector recently from The White Company but unfortunately they’ve now sold out but they do a similar version which is also available at a discount too.

I spotted the ‘My Dad is better than Batman‘ sign on a awesome site called Zilvi which sell a whole host of cute and hilarious ‘Dad Flags’. I also invested in an ‘H’ wood letter tile which sits propped on his shelves for the time being. Both are great quality but I would suggest to keep them out of the way of little hands until they’re old enough to appreciate them a little more.

Continuing the ‘H’ theme, I also invested in a cushion from Miles & Tate based in Australia with Hector’s name inscribed on it in monochrome. It’s such a lovely quality and each name is hand-drawn in a personalised design. It matches the ‘Hector’ grey felt name bunting that hangs above the clouds perfectly from RMS team favourite Studio Sappor who is a bit of a genius when it comes to creating anything beautiful out of stuffed felt. The rabbit cushion is from Rebecca Kiff and I bought the raindrop from Stories For Autumn on Etsy and the penguin is from Chykaboo also on Etsy. The ‘It’s Ok’ banner which hangs above the chest of drawers was actually purchased for our house to be hung near the top of the stairs but it perfectly slotted into the spot by the changing mat and Hector loves reaching for it when he’s having his nappy changed.

The two black and white prints propped on the top of the shelves were purchased from Paperfelt on Etsy and framed at my local framers using white mounts and black cores and a simple black wooden frame. I actually quite fancy having them in my own bedroom…

Lastly the blankets propped on the edge of Hector’s cot are just a small selection of many from The White Company, Cologne & Cotton, Bonpoint and from my own childhood which I switch in and out depending on the time of year and Hector’s needs. We used a fair few of the smaller thinner blankets when he was smaller but now that he’s ten months, most of them end up being used as playmats until he’s old enough to have them inside his cot without being smothered by them. Obviously for health and safety reasons I wouldn’t advise layering up the sides of your cot with piles upon piles of blankets; these have only been placed here for decorative purposes and usually they’re safely packed away.

So there we have it, Hector’s nursery. I’d love to hear about your little one’s room decor and any furnishing ideas particularly relating to taking a nursery through to a toddlers room which essentially will be our next step. If I’ve missed any details that you’re keen to hear more about then just let me know in the  comments section below and I’ll do my best to give you all the goss.

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