With just a couple of weeks to go before it gets its new inhabitant, I am stoked to show you our calm and coastal gender neutral nursery today!!!
Since we weren’t finding out the gender of this baby, and because it’s our usual style anyway, I wanted the nursery to be a totally neutral, calm, and relaxing space that would fit in with the rest of our house and grow with the child for many years. I combined textures like soft fabrics, distressed wood, driftwood, and metal and used muted colors like off-white, taupe, and gray to keep it all consistent. The distressed wood finishes and colors plus a few fun sea-inspired toys and accessories bring in that coastal beach vibe I love so much without going totally “beachy”.
Here is my original design board for the space, which I think came out pretty dang close to the room…I love when that happens :)
And now here is our calm and coastal gender neutral nursery!
Subtle colors, mixed textures, and a slight beach/coastal vibe that is suuuuper relaxing.
Let’s take a turn about the room, shall we?
I’ve linked all the sources at the end of the post if you see something you love!
*affiliate links included for your convenience, click here to see my full disclosure policy
This space used to be our guest bedroom and has our beloved DIY shiplap wall (painted in Sherwin-Williams “Peppercorn”) which I was really excited to have as a focal wall now, and immediately pictured a vintage-style metal crib centered on it. I teamed up with Wayfair and found the crib of my dreams there with this dark iron 4-in-1 convertible. It’ll grow with the kiddo from crib, to toddler bed, to daybed, all the way to a full-sized bed someday. I was really nervous about ordering a crib online but the quality is amazing and it was a breeze to put together. (How stinking cute is that little crocheted pelican I won at a silent auction for a local birding club?!)
I kept the dresser from our guest bedroom set in the room to use as our changing station since it gives us a ton of storage. Above the dresser I did a little gallery wall (because #allthegallerywalls) and put a soft pendant drum light in the corner for additional light. A couple of collapsible baskets will serve as laundry hampers.
The nice wide dresser top gives us plenty of room for the changing pad (with my DIY tray) as well as various supplies. My friend Sarah used that wall-mounted wire cubby at her coffee station and I knew it’d be perfect for this wall too to keep a quick supply of our cloth diapers at the ready in a few months. I filled the rest of the gallery out with our DIY driftwood sign from our pregnancy announcement, a sign by my good friend LZ with a beautiful and meaningful quote, a fun octopus print I found at an arts festival, some of our 4D ultrasound pics of the little one, and then a shadowbox of some pressed algae from my Etsy shop (these new pieces will be in the shop later this spring!). The little “no wake zone” sign was made by my sweet friend Jenny for my baby shower :)
As I showed in the last update post, I used these awesome drawer divider guides and some scrap battens to make compartments in the drawers for all those little baby clothes and accessories. The right side holds clothes, burp cloths, sleepers, socks, etc. and the left side is for cloth diapering supplies (we’ll be using all GroVia cloth diapers and am already in LOVE with them, how pretty are these?!). The middle cabinet is for more diapering supplies like wipes and some disposables. I’m sure this will get rearranged as we get into a real routine but for now this is what we’re going with and I love how easy, cheap, and customizable using those guides and battens as dividers is.
Across from the crib is the not-so-large closet and the corner of the room where the rocker went. The previous closet door opened out and was hinged on the right so to save more space we decided to go with a sliding barn door using this oh-so perfectly chippy antique door I scored last fall and a rustic barn door hardware kit.
For some reason I was really intimidated to install this because of the funky sized old door (shorter and thinner than a usual door) but we worked it out and think it looks amazing now! I wrote up a tutorial about how we approached the install and will have that for you in a few weeks. Next to the door are a couple of metal hooks for conveniently hanging bags and stuff and I’m debating on possibly putting one of my hanging book holders behind the door or maybe even doing a little chalkboard wall behind it someday too.
I crammed as many storage options in the closet as I could with a 6-cubby shelf, my DIY hanging crates, room for hanging clothes, a little basket at the bottom, and big baskets at the top. Extra cloth diapers (told you I was already obsessed), medical supplies, breastfeeding supplies, toys, blankets, swaddles, books, clothes, and diaper bag/traveling things are all stored in here.
This rocker y’all…You guys, it is HEAVEN! So many people told me that if I splurge anywhere in the nursery to splurge on the rocker/glider since I’ll be spending so much time in it, and I agreed. I am a firm believer in spending more on important/prominent pieces that will be used often and this was definitely worth it. My conditions were that a) it was a rocker instead of glider, b) the fabric couldn’t be snagged by little cat claws, c) the fabric needed to be stain-resistant/durable, and d) it needed a high back that had wings where I could rest my head. I already knew exactly where my dream rocker would be that would give me these options, Pottery Barn Kids, and found the perfect one in the perfect fabric in the perfect color. I went with the Performance Everyday Velvet fabric in “Silver Gray” and it is sooooo soft. I hit up a sale along with a ton of rewards points and coupons so I scored it for about $400 off to boot! Another great selling point? That they also sell matching feet for it which converts it into a regular chair when we’re done using it as a rocker. So we will have this beauty for a looooong time <3
Another bonus? That big comfy tufted ottoman is a storage ottoman that holds a TON of stuff too! All of the extra crib sheets and larger blankets are stored in it with plenty of extra space still.
While I love that shiplap wall with all my heart, the space above the crib needed something. I didn’t want to hang anything on the wall or obstruct much of the wall, but of course love a good mobile. It took me forever to come up with something that wasn’t too obnoxious in the space, too large, too complicated, or too expensive. I also wanted it to be on a smaller-scale since the ceiling fan is right by it and is a decent statement piece already. You guys know I hoard driftwood so CLEARLY the mobile had to involve it somehow. I knew I wanted things hanging from a few larger pieces and after playing around with a handful of different objects, I finally realized that just small pieces of driftwood looked the best. An evening with some screws and fishing line and ta-da, this super simple little mobile was born. I think it worked perfect and will be sharing the little tutorial with you in a few weeks!
I had originally planned to have two tall bookcases flanking the crib but in the end decided that wouldn’t give me much room over by the changing table so I just got one to put on the left side. This three-shelf unit with cabinet below fit perfectly, was the color/finish I was looking for, and was a steal with some Cyber Monday discounts. I’m really happy to have some display space for those cute little baby mementos, more space to stash things in little baskets and such, and of course more hidden storage with the cabinet below.
Picking out a rug was one part of shopping for this room that wasn’t the easiest. I initially wanted an off-white textured wool rug with a subtle pattern in it, but after admitting to myself that off-white really was too silly then having the only ones I liked at that be in the $500-700 range, I decided to look for something slightly different. I still really wanted something with a lot of texture but needed something more affordable that would hide messes better. I ended up finding exactly that with this beauty from West Elm and snagged it for an awesome price on Cyber Monday too! I was worried the jute and wool would be kind of scratchy but it isn’t at all. It is super cushy and the pattern is busy enough where any oopses won’t be so easily noticed. I tossed a faux sheepskin on it by the changing area just for a little luxury underfoot during all those changes, and for cute photo opps.
I used my go-to rug pad for in here as well, the Nature’s Grip from RugPadUSA which is made for laminate floors, made to size, and is made out of completely natural eco-friendly materials. It has their highest durability and grip rating as well as being low profile which all should keep the rug nice and secure when a kiddo is active in here.
I didn’t think our guest room could get any more relaxing and beautiful until it got transformed into this space. It seriously is the most relaxing room and is filled with items, styles, colors, and materials that we just love. I come in here all the time to just piddle and look at all these fun little items, imagining what it will be like to actually get to use them soon. I love to hang out in the rocker and relax, and even the cat likes hanging out in here now.
We are so happy with how everything came together! I was happy to still squeeze in some DIYing before I felt too huge, and feel we got really lucky in finding the perfect new pieces like the rug, crib, rocker, and bookcase for great deals that allowed everything to be brought together nicely.
I asked Matt what his favorite part of the nursery was and after answering the rug first, he said really it’s just how cozy and relaxing the space is and I have to agree with him. No way can I pick a favorite part (although the crib and rocker are up there). We can’t wait to bring our new little squish home to this space in just a couple short weeks and really make it theirs even more.
Here you can find the tutorials for the DIY projects you see:
Hanging Closet Storage Crates
DIY Changing Pad Tray
Installing a Vintage Barn Door
How to Make a Driftwood Mobile
And meet the room’s new occupant here :)
Wayfair | Crates & Pallet | Crownbolt | RugpadUSA | Summery Umbrella Designs
shiplap paint
wall paint
laminate flooring
iron convertible crib
rocker
rustic tall bookcase
dresser
ceiling fan
tufted ottoman
side table
jute and wool rug
faux sheepskin rug
pendant light
storage cubby
blackout drapes
curtain rod
barn door hardware
burlap cord cover
velvet Boppy cover
ivory faux fur pillow
faux fur cable throw
table lamp base
table lampshade
bees crib sheet
table clock
seagrass baskets
cubby half bin
stripe cubby bin
wire basket
wire cubby basket
cloth basket
diaper bag
wall cubby
seagrass basket
seagrass basket
diaper pail
changing pad cover
metal wall hooks
metal caddy
glass jar
drawer divider guides
white frames
leather sign
quote sign
octopus print
pressed algae print
wooden blocks
wooden rattle
Gray Kitchen Makeover
Rustic Patio Makeover
Light and Bright Master Bedroom
Share this!
Oh my goodness! This is THE MOST tranquil, relaxing and beautiful nursery I’ve ever seen! I am head over heels in love with that gorgeous crib and the sliding closet door turned out so perfectly! It’s absolutely stunning Emily!
Thank you so much Kristi!! I’m so jealous the little one will get to be in here so much :)
Oh my gosh, I loooove everything! What a calm, beautiful space! I am so excited for you guys, congrats, can’t believe it’s almost here!! Enjoy!!
Thank you so much Meg!!
Ah it’s so perfect, Em! Love all the calming colors and textures, it’s going to be the perfect place for your little peanut to come home to!
I do much better with textures instead of colors ;) Thanks Bre!
EMILY!! I ADORE it!! Everything is so perfect. It’s so you. I’m so excited for you guys!!
Thank you friend!!!
I don’t even know where to begin. You put so much thought and detail into every inch of this space and it’s absolutely gorgeous. From the sliding door to the beautiful crib, it’s all so perfect. Great job momma!
Ha, maybe a little bit too much considering it’ll all probably get trashed and changed up once babe is in full force here ;) But we are in love with it nonetheless! Thank you Katie!
Looks great , Emily! Can hardly wait for the new little niece or nephew!
We are so ready to meet little Parker too! Thanks Ruthanne!!
Emily, this is BEAUTIFUL. I love every little space in this room!! That barn door is so gorgeous, and that shiplap wall is perfect!! That little baby is going to love this room and feel so calm and peaceful in it. Great job!!! :)
Thanks so much Amanda! Fingers crossed it’ll make a calm and peaceful little baby :)
It’s so gorgeous, Emily! I love all the different textures and the neutral vibe. You are so good at creating a coastal without making it look beach house cliche.
Thanks Amy, that’s exactly what I strive for!! To me it’s all about the textures and not about literal kitschy beach decor :) (although a little narhwal light never hurt anyone)…
This turned out SO beautiful! It’s perfectly you and I love all of the coastal touches. Your babe is going to LOVE calling this place home! So so excited for you :)
Thank you Erica!
Beautiful nursery! I am so excited for you both and also for Grandma. This precious one has a special angel watching over.
They do :) Thank you Ann Marie!
Emily-
WOW!!! Absolutely gorgeous – you are amazing, I love, love, love it.
Beach treasures for the win!! I think there’s room to squeeze in a fish mount too someday ;)
I’m telling you, you make me want another baby just so I can have a nursery like this! My favorite EVER!
So, did I miss something, or who is Parker?
Ha! It’s definitely been my favorite room to work on so far! And Parker is the newest family arrival from Matt’s cousin, no name hints for ours ;)
Really nice!! Just needs a couple of purple accents ;)
MK
Ha, thanks! I think there’s a purple diaper stashed away in case of a girl so that can count ;)
Wow! It’s beautiful! I hope our nursery turns out half as sweet :)
Aw, thank you Cassie!! Every single nursery is a beautiful space when there’s a little love and happy family in it <3
Love this and it’s the inspiration I was looking for! What fabric/color is your PBK rocker?
LOVE this room! Where is the ceiling fan from?
Thank you Liz! The ceiling fan is a Hampton Bay from Home Depot a few years ago, here’s a similar one now (aff link):
Hi Emily,
What color and fabric did you end up picking for the rocker? I too am expecting and have multiple cats! Thanks.
I keep meaning to add that to the post, sorry about that! I got the Performance Everyday Velvet in “Silver Gray”…and I just noticed when I went back to double check the color name that they’re having a furniture event and it’s $200 off right now ;)
What a gift you have. Absolutely soothing and fresh looking. Connor is one very blessed miracle and gift. I know your heart is full. I am so excited for you and your beautiful family. I know Grandpa is glowing.
Ahhh it’s perfection!! How exciting! You did a beautiful job. It’s the definition of calming
We are expecting our first child in august – working on our nursery details!
I adore your flooring- if you don’t mind sharing, what is it? ☺️
Thank you so much Kati, and congratulations!! The flooring is a handscraped laminate by Armstrong in “driftwood” that we had installed a few years ago. Here’s an affiliate link to it online:
I love this nursery! Such a beautiful job. I also love the diaper bag in the closet, where is that from?
Aw, thanks so much Ashley! The diaper bag is the Skip Hop Duo in French Stripe :)
Hi,
Love everything about this room. Curious to know what color is on the walls (not the ship lap wall, the others)
Thanks Chelsea! The other walls are Sherwin-Williams’ “Alpaca”
What a beautiful nursery. I wanted to let you know that I am featuring this if you don’t mind.
Thank you Alyssa! And of course! :)
Love this! This is my inspiration for my baby girl’s room. Quick question, where did you get the grey changing pad tray???
Aw, thank you Steph!! The changing pad tray was actually a quick little DIY I did which you can find HERE ;)
Beautiful nursery! Love the accent wall. Is the peppercorn color lightened? Would love to use this color but other versions of it look much darker. Thanks!
Thank you Laura :) No, my Peppercorn paint was not lightened. I’m sure the morning light from these windows makes it look lighter in some of the photos. I always suggest doing a test pot in your space to see how the color looks in there because it’s crazy how much paint can look different in different rooms!
Gorgeous!!! What color is the trim? Thanks.
Hi Melissa! Are you referring to the trim on the shiplap wall (the dark gray)? Or the trim in the room in general (white)?
Absolutely beautiful!! Can you share where the hanging blue baskets in the closet are from? Love them, so unique!!
Thank you Kathy! The hanging baskets are a DIY project, you can find the tutorial here: https://tableandhearth.com/2017/01/simple-hanging-closet-storage-crates-with-rope.html
Would you mind telling me where you got the “M”? I’ve been looking for a good one. Thanks!
The little wooden “M” on the gallery wall is from Kirkland’s a few years ago, and the striped M in the bookcase is a DIY that you can find here: https://tableandhearth.com/2016/10/copper-textured-yarn-monogram.html
What size was your faux sheep skin rug?
Is the West Elm rug soft? I’m trying to decide if I want to order that one or a cheaper one from target?
Love this nursery! I’m totally duplicating it for my son that will be here in a month or so!
Congratulations Jennifer!! So happy you love it <3
The faux sheepskin is the 3'x5' size. The West Elm rug is SUUUPER soft and cushy and I love it to death, however, I have found that it sheds. I've never had a wool rug before so this may just be the norm with them, but it leaves little white fibers all over everything that gets put on it (i.e., my clothes, baby's cloths, and baby's slobbery hands). I keep vacuuming it hoping it'll get better but so far no dice. Maybe look around and see if you can find a similar style in a less sheddy material...I have been eyeing this one, this one, and this one if I were to go wool-less.
Just trying to get an idea as I place an order for a couple of things. What size is the rug you got from West Elm?
I got the 5’x8’ size but the 8×10’ would have been a little bit more cozy I think. Also, just a PSA about this rug, it sheds a TON. Even after a year of vacuuming we are still left with little white hairs all over us and baby when playing :/
What size of the Haven Faux Sheepskin rug did you get? Is that a 3×5 or 4×6?
It is a 3’x5′ Hannah :)
Thank you! I ended up reading the comments and finding that above, I apologize for re-asking. I did have a question, do you sell anything like your driftwood mobile on your Etsy account? I would buy one in a second from you!
No worries Hannah! And unfortunately no, right now I just have the prints in there. Other than finding the time to gather the pieces and make the mobiles now, I just wasn’t able to figure out an economical way to ship a completed one, everything I looked into said it would be about $70 to ship a 2’x3′ mobile like mine :/
REALLY strange question for of you, when you got your rug from West Elm and put it out in the bedroom, did it have an odor? Like sulfur or rotten eggs? If so, was it something that went away? How long did it last?
Ha, not strange at all :) Actually, I do remember it having a smell when I first got it. Not quite sulfur or rotten eggs but more just musty/damp. It still smells like that sometimes if it’s really humid and hot outside or if we leave the ceiling fan off and the door closed for a while. I’ve never had a wool rug before but I’m finding that there’s some nuances/issues that come with them such as this and also shedding :/ It is still super cushy and looks brand new after a year now so that’s good at least!
Hi Emily, can you share where you got the palm ceiling fan? Been searching high and low…in love with yours! Thanks!
Our fan is from Home Depot about five years ago so unfortunately it’s no longer available but HERE’S one that’s pretty close. Hope that helps!!
Absolutely gorgeous. Timeless and tranquil. I love the oblong “love” throw pillow that you have in the crib! Do you remember where you got it from?!
Thank you Danielle! It was from HomeGoods which is unfortunately why I can’t link to it for you, but I have seen pretty similar ones on Etsy via this search. Hope that helps!!
I know it has been a year since your little one was born, but I am just seeing this post. Your room make over is beautiful It has certainly inspired by baby’s room make over.
How did you have your mobile?
Thank you so much Heidi! Happy you found it no matter the time :) And he’s 17 months old now but his room is pretty much exactly the same as in these photos still so it’s worked great for us…still our favorite room in the house. You can find a full tutorial on the mobile HERE!
Is your changing pad cover gray or white? Can’t tell from the picture. This is an absolutely beautiful nursery!!!!
Thank you Leigha! It is a light gray, found HERE
Love the color palette of this nursery! Did you by chance lighten your Sherwin Williams Peppercorn accent wall paint color at all? I just painted a large sample on my nursery accent wall and it look SO DARK! I love how yours is more of a chalky slate color. Lighting in my nursery looks similar as well, as there are 2 large windows covering most of one wall. Thank you!
Thank you Susan! No, I did not lighten my Peppercorn. The light is super hard to work with for photographs in this room so it does appear lighter in these photos than in real life. Early/mid-morning is the only time this room has a lot of natural light. Even though it is darker in person I still love it so much :) Definitely get a sample of it lightened some to see if that gives you the more slate color you like though.
This nursery is simply the best!! Congrats! Can you tell me the trim color. You made a very special room blessing to you and your little one.
Thank you
Thanks! I am not sure what the trim color is as it was here when we moved in, but it’s just a basic bright white.
Where are your curtains from? Love this room!!! 😍
Thank you Amanda! The curtains are from Pottery Barn Kids and can be found here: http://rstyle.me/n/b7wpvnb6jtf. A full list of sources can be found at the end of the post if you need links to any other items!
Can you tell me what the color of the other walls are?
The other walls are “Alpaca” by Sherwin-Williams. Here’s an old post from when I chose that color that may help: https://tableandhearth.com/two-new-loves/
Could you tell be where the metal baskets in the cube organizer are from? I’ve been searching for some that will fit in my same organizer and can’t seem to find ones that are quite the right size. Thanks!
They were from Target also, although it looks like the exact ones aren’t available anymore unfortunately. HERE are some similar ones that would fit too though!
Hi Emily!! We are setting up my sons room and I absolutely love the ceiling fan. I saw the one you linked but it isn’t the same as the one in the pictures. Do you know where the fan pictured was purchased?
Hi Chelsea! Yes unfortunately the fan we have is no longer available so I always try and link the closest one I can find. It was originally from Home Depot.