Interiors Inspiration {Shades of Grey Nursery}

Well I’m now 29 weeks pregnant and it’s safe to say that I’ve entered full-on nesting mode. To the point where Rich has had to ban me from talking about interiors on a Friday night. I’m currently decorating two rooms of the house. Firstly, the ‘lounge’ part of the open-plan kitchen/lounge. Stay tuned for more about this over the following weeks. And secondly, the nursery. And today I thought I’d share with you the inspiration for the nursery.

We found out at the 20 week scan that my intuitions were right and we’re going to be having a little boy! My Pinterest board has gone a bit crazy since, and my phone is full of ALL the photos of lovely furniture/bunting/pennants/animal-shaped-cushions. It’s clear from the gallery below that there’s a grey theme going on…

The Walls

Do I keep them crisp and white, and jazz them up with bunting and pictures? Do I paint a mountains mural feature wall on the wall behind the cot, a bit like this one? Or do I take the plunge and give them a lick of light grey paint? That is the question that has been plaguing me over the last week, and seeing as this baby is due in a matter of months I need to get a wriggle on and just make a decision. The nursery is west-facing and pretty small so I think I’d have to go for a light grey hue if I was going to go down the grey paint route. I think grey can look fab against white skirting boards. I’ve tried a few dabs of Farrow and Ball’s ‘Ammonite’ (too beige) and B&Q’s ‘Light Rain’ (may be a goer but may be too dark) on the walls so if you have any recommendations for a suitable grey paint with a blueish tint I’m all ears.

The Furniture

The only furniture we’ve decided on so far is this Boori cotbed. I love the simple but timeless and classic shape, and if we do decide to paint the room grey then I think the white of the cot will stand out nicely against the walls.

We’ve already got a cot top changer (these were the subject of much discussion over on Rock My Family on Monday) – I for one was a big fan the first time round and am going to have to dig it out from the loft to pop ontop of the Boori cot.

In my eyes, a comfy chair – with arms, because I’m planning on breastfeeding – is the second most important piece of furniture after the cot. In our last house we didn’t have room for a chair in Lyra’s nursery so for night feeds I had to get madam out of her cot and go and sit in our room which wasn’t ideal. So I am enjoying the hunt for a chair – you can see my shortlist in the slider above.

I’m hoping to bring in a bit of warmth to the grey-and-white colour scheme by adding in one more item of furniture with oak/teak/birch accents. This is a theme we’ve got running through the rest of our house – white and wood – and although I initially wasn’t a fan when we moved in, I am now automatically drawn to this very Scandinavian style of furniture. I particularly love this Oeuf Mini Library but because it’s too big for the nursery, I’m trying to convince Rich that yes we do need it in the lounge, and no it wouldn’t look weird despite the fact that it’s an item of children’s furniture!

The Soft Furnishings

The whole inspiration for the nursery was really sparked by the mountains cushion in the third slider above. I’ve managed to hunt it down at Country Road (a gorgeous Australian clothing and homewares store that you need in your life, if you haven’t checked it out already) however I am beyond disappointed that they don’t seem to sell it any more. I know it’s a long shot but if anyone happens to know where I could buy one or if any of you lovely readers know anyone that could make me one then I would love you forever. *Must learn how to use a sewing machine.

In terms of window coverings, I like the look of the grey linen blinds that we’ve already got up in the room, however they are so fiddly that I may well opt for the same curtains that we’ve got in our master bedroom.

And I’ve just bought a jute pouffe that will either live in the nursery or the lounge – if this baby’s going to be anything like his sister and spend hours on end feeding then I plan to put my feet up!

The Lighting

I think we are going to stick with the grey pendant lampshade that’s already in the room, although if money was no object I would most definitely be treating the little man to this downright amazing hot air balloon light shade. (Who am I kidding? He’s not going to appreciate the thing for at least two years. And maybe not even then). And when it comes to a table lamp, I’m stumped. Do I go for a statement lamp (a rocket-shaped number, perhaps, or this gorgeous little bear), or stick to something a bit simpler like this cute little task lamp?

The Accessories

The best bit. Making it pretty. I’ve started to collect a few bits and bobs, including some cotton ball lights from Tiger and this mountain bear bunting from Velveteen Babies. Which is just the best thing ever and is currently hanging from our dining room shelves.

I’m toying with the idea of finding some animal prints like these to hang above the cot (Desenio do a cute giraffe one), or alternatively putting one or two animal heads like this elephant in the space. *Must learn how to make felt animal heads.

Along one of the walls I’m going to hang two or three rows of Ikea picture ledges to display books on, which should bring some splashes of colour into the room. I’m also planning on buying some of these gorgeous little stacking wooden toys from Sarah and Bendrix and propping them on the shelves amongst the books. And the little man clearly needs one of these ball pits for when he’s a tad older.

Another way that I plan to bring some colour and texture into the room will be through some storage baskets to hide all the plastic tat that will inevitably accumulate – I’m thinking belly baskets, baskets with pompoms, and maybe a monochrome laundry bag like this one. Whilst we’re talking storage, I’ve also recently bought some oak peg rail hooks from Cox and Cox – Rich was not happy – “FORTY-FIVE QUID for hooks?!” – I had planned to hang them in the hallway but I actually think they’d look ace in the nursery with bunting and maybe a little wooden camera hanging off them. *Must learn how to make oak peg rails.

Are you in the throes of decorating a nursery, or any other rooms for that matter? Which themes/schemes/colours have you gone for? I would love to hear all about them, seeing as I’ve used up my quota for interiors discussions with Rich…

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Slider image sources | Nursery with clouds | Nursery with whale prints| Neutral nursery | Mini Library | Scandi nursery | Monochrome toddler bedroom | Nursery with herringbone floor | All white nursery | Nursery with fox cushion | Nursery with round shelf | Nursery with vintage wardrobe | Nursery with white wardrobe | Chair with tree print cushion | Chair with rainbow buttons | Grey rocker | Teak rocker | Eames inspired rocker | Dark grey armchair