Evie’s room has been a labor of love. It took 8 paint samples and two full coats before we found the color we wanted. Cody painstakingly hung, then moved, then rehung frames and walk shelves to appease his (at the time) very pregnant wife. (Apparently pregnant Ashley = indecisive Ashley.) I hot glued myself to the wreath on E’s door more times than I could count. And, it took us until two months after she was born to finally settle on a reading light and call the room complete (for now).
It seems to be done just in time, too. We’ve gone from a little newborn who only naps when held or in her bouncer to an independent baby girl who knows how to self-soothe and sleeps happily in her crib for more than an hour several times a day (moms everywhere, you know why we’re celebrating that!). Her nursery is getting a lot more use these days!
So without further ado, here’s little Evie’s room.
The wreath on the door is holds several special memories. It’s made of flowers leftover from our wedding (we used silks in all of the bouquets) and a letter “E” from the baby shower that our mom’s threw for us.
This dresser was one of our first buys. We recommend it to everyone – Affordable, big, and sturdy. We purchased a changing pad separately and made our own little diaper station rather than buying “nursery” furniture in hopes we would get a little more life out of the piece. The Madame Alexander doll was a gift given to me when I was a baby, and the stuffed Piglets were from my first trip to Disney World. I love that these memories from my childhood now have a place in Evie’s!
DRESSER // MIRROR (SIMILAR) // LAMP
Our original inspiration for the nursery, as I shared in our sneak peek, was our honeymoon in Africa. We tried to carry that through with the baby animal drawings on the wall and many of the stuffed animals. The rest of the room is fairly neutral both to go with the feel of the rest of our house and ensure everything could grow with her, or the next baby.
CRIB // LITTLE LOVE BANNER // RUG // OTTOMAN // BOOK STORAGE BENCH
This rug = heaven. It’s SO fluffy. We’re always finding the pups trying to take a catnap up here.
RUG // TOY BASKET
At her shower, we requested that guests bring their favorite children’s book instead of a gift. I can’t wait to read them to Evie and tell her about the people who picked them for her. Even our family in Louisiana who couldn’t travel in for the shower sent in books for our little girl with the sweetest notes in them, all packaged in a box with their photos. I LOVE them all!
But, book storage did create a challenge. We had some wall shelves but needed more. This mudroom bench works perfectly and was only $100! Such a great find.
BOOK STORAGE BENCH // BOOK LEDGES // BOOK STORAGE BENCH
And perhaps my favorite finds of them all – the rocker and lamp in our reading nook. I had my heart set on a big wingback rocker but couldn’t find one for less than $800. Eek! Then one magical Saturday, the rocker of my dreams was mismarked online during a Pottery Barn sale and we picked it up for a mere $300.
The lamp was the latest addition and the quality is amazing. It’s much taller than other lamps we looked at, which was necessary given the height of the chair. I love the soft light from the included Edison bulb, and the dark brass matches her crib perfectly. Cody fell in love with the price – less than $200 – and how expensive it looks versus comparably priced lamps. I kind of want the matching table lamp for our formal living room now…
I just love how everything came out. I can’t wait to make memories in this nursery with our baby girl!
LAMP c/o LAMPS PLUS // CHAIR // RUG // OTTOMAN // BOOK LEDGES
SHOP OUR NURSERY FAVORITES
Photos via the incredibly talented Becca Sue Photography