Nursery Renovation Update: Paint & Wallpaper

Since sharing our big news last month, we’ve been busy working on the nursery. It’s hard to believe our girl will arrive in just two short months. At this point, I’m guessing we’re about halfway finished with her room. We’ve been painting, wallpapering, furniture has arrived, I’m making textile and upholstery decisions, and we’re gearing up for the big built-in and closet install. Click through to see where we’re at with the latest update! Things are looking pretty adorable…

If you’re catching up and missed our news, be sure to give this post a read… our nursery makeover and design plans for baby Gibson. Surprise! We’re having a baby, it’s a girl, and after years of infertility, we’re expecting via surrogacy. I feel lucky that one of our lifelong best friends is our gestational carrier- it has been quite the journey, but a special one. The fact that we’re even working on a nursery for our child seems surreal. Let’s take a look, shall we?!

Paint and Wallpaper

Ever since finding out we were having a girl, Emmett and I both agreed a green nursery would be perfect. I leaned into that color palette with complementing shades of lilac, blush, and dusty rose. For the green paint, I opted for Lemon Verbena by Sherwin-Williams. It’s the perfect punchy medium shade of green that feels fun and whimsical, yet sophisticated.

It’s also worth nothing, I used eggshell on the walls, and semi gloss on the trim and door. Here is my designer guide for choosing the best paint sheen or finish. That might come in handy for your next paint project.

I knocked out painting the trim, walls, and the door. FYI, here’s how to paint a door (without brush marks). I shared a video of my process and everyone was mesmerized how smooth it turned out. Of course once it was painted, I installed our go-to door hardware and I absolutely love it against the green!

This wallpaper brand is my new favorite because you can color match their patterns to any Sherwin-Williams paint color… and that’s exactly what we did here. We used Livette’s botanical wildflower wallpaper colored matched to the Lemon Verbena paint swatch.

Textile Selection

I should have ordered fabric yesterday, but I’m having a bit of decision paralysis… there are just too many pretty options! I shared a little fabric unboxing with my swatches, if you’d like a look or want links. I’m ordering fabric for the following: window treatments, upholstered bench seat cushion, lampshades, and bolster pillows. I’m really leaning into pattern for the nursery.

After polling the audience, I did let Emmett choose the fabric for our swivel glider. It’s cute that he has wanted to be more involved in the design process for this room. I narrowed it down to three and ultimately, he liked the bouclé best. There were no bad choices! I heard from multiple moms who have the recliner in this swatch and love it, sharing that it cleans easily and disguises wear really well. Sold!

I also snagged this beautiful hand knotted rug from Quince. I’ve been super impressed with their rug selection lately, and the prices can’t be beat… you know I love them! The floral pattern felt right.

Furniture Is Arriving

The room only has three big pieces of furniture, but we have them all in our possession… that feels like a big win. Most importantly, Emmett has already assembled the crib. We landed on the Harlow convertible crib, that will grow with her. I love the classic silhouette and oak finish.

The dresser that will also act as our changing table was a budget Facebook marketplace find. Emmett has it stored at his work right now. I really wanted something vintage. It’s kind of in rough shape, so expect a furniture makeover in the near future! I’m planning to sand it and give it a fresh coat of paint.

Our swivel gliding nursery recliner arrived last week, and I’m really happy with the construction. It’s from Oilo Studio and was made in North Carolina, so the quality is top notch. The recline feature is ultra quiet, which I’m sure will prove useful.

Lighting is Installed

Emmett wired a new sconce between the windows, and put everything on dimmers (including the overhead pendant). The pendant is old- we installed it years ago, but it feels like a classic. We previously swapped an ugly flush mount and I still really like this fixture, but plan to update the shade. I’m making pleated shades for both the sconce and pendant. Emmett is also planning to light the shelf that will wrap around the perimeter of the room, for a soft soothing glow.

My Plan for Artwork

I’m planning to make all the artwork for the nursery. It just feels like a special and creative project I’d like to pour myself into… pieces from me to her. I’ve been saving sentimental florals from our journey to parenthood and plan to turn them into relief intaglios. I’m sure I’ll also pull my old paint brushes out and work on some original paintings. Who has been following long enough to remember my dog portraits?

Remaining To-Do List

While we have tackled quite a bit, we still have plenty left to do. The nesting phase is feeling very real and there is suddenly a sense of urgency to wrap things up in our house (at least in the nursery). Here’s what left on our to-do list…

• Demo
• Order furniture
• Wire electrical
• Smooth textured ceiling (how to smooth a textured ceiling)
• Replace door and hardware (how to order & replace an interior door)
• Paint walls, trim, and door
• Install wallpaper
• Install the closet built-in
• Install the window seat and built-in
• Install baseboards
• Order window treatments
• Order or make bench seat cushion
• Make pleated shades for sconce and pendant
• Sand and paint dresser
• Install outlet covers and switches (tips for making outlets & light switch plates look better)
• Make and frame artwork
• Install window treatments
• Styling
• Wash everything, organize, and put things away

Questions?

Related Posts

If you missed any of our past rooms, project reveals, or the process behind each one, I’m going to link some recent favorites for you below. We had fun with all of these!

• Our Basement Home Gym Reveal
• Entryway, Staircase, & Hall Reveal
• Outdoor Kitchen Reveal
• Basement Media Room Reveal
• Basement Bar Reveal
• Basement Bedroom Reveal
• The Camper Reveal
• Maroon Guest Bedroom Reveal
• My Home Office Reveal

Emmett and I both love spending time in this room already… I think because it feels like a dream coming to fruition and is already such a joyful space. I can’t wait to keep crossing things off the to-do list, and I feel like we’re finally to the fun part of the renovation. I’ll drop some of the source links into the slider below, if you’re curious about anything we’ve used. Let me know if you have any questions in the comment section below. I’d love to hear your thoughts so far!