Nell's Big Kid Room

Nell’s big-kid room has been such a fun labor of love (for both me, and her)! We’ve been working on it for well over a year - we had planned to “give” it to her on her second birthday but per usual Nell had her own plans and declared that she no longer slept in her crib a few months early. It all worked out as this room is a forever work in progress just like every other room in our home, and I love that it’s a curation of vintage items, treasurers from our travels, and tried-and-true pieces that I’ve been slowly collecting for her space.

This room is hands down the brightest in our home, and thankfully hasn’t been one of those kids that needs blackout conditions for sleep. Therefore I wanted to honor the naturally cheerful vibes of the space. I managed to dig up my original mood board, below, and while it’s over two years old at this point, I’m pleasantly surprised that much of my intended look and feel came to life! My overall palette was Nell’s “signature mauve” (such a great color for brunettes!) anchored in warm earth tones, creamy whites and textured brass.

I got a lot of inspiration from this HUGS print I snagged at Goodwill as well as the canvas landscape print above by artist Ash Van Loo and just sort of rolled with it from there. I also had a little collection of things I’d been saving for her room, like this linen quilt that she had in the toddler size as a baby along with the crib sheet version of these Oxford-Stripe Sheets I planned to carry into her big girl room (#nostalgia, anyone?!). Lastly I’d had my eye on these wicker sconces for years and was thrilled to finally have the perfect place to use them. The calm, serene palette needed a bit of texture to prevent it from looking too boring.

I also had this gorgeous vintage bow mirror from Facebook Marketplace as well as these sweet laquered end tables (similar here, we have this one in our guest room and I LOVE how classic and sturdy it is!) that I had the legs trimmed on to better fit the height of her bed. Lastly Nell had spotted this chippy pink chair at an antique store so we’d been saving that as well. I’ve recently added an adorable bamboo corner shelf from a tag sale to this nook as well but we’d already shot this by then :)

A few special trinkets like her first birthday hat, her tiny ballet shoes, seashells from all of our family trips to the shore, and little souvenirs from my work trips to Denmark and from kind colleagues and friends made the newer items feel immediately homey.

Next I focused on layering in texture and contrast with throw pillows (wish I grabbed this one!) and a few easy kid-friendly rugs. I also finished off her reading nook (this lounger was my inspiration and I also loved this folding option!) with a small chair and a basket of books. I didn’t go too crazy here because long-term we plan to do a built-in desk and bookshelves.

My last step (literally took me a full year) was to commit to custom window treatments (I used The Shade Store as I could include installation). I tried so hard to by standard options from a lot of places but all three windows were not traditional sizes and it ended up being only a few hundred more to go custom. It was still extremely expensive IMO and I haven’t been blown away by the quality but I do really love the look.

And that’s it! Scroll down for the full reveal and to shop the look, especially the Serena & Lily staples that I’ve been curating for this room for years. I know she will always remember this room; even with the “reading nook” is transformed into a treasure trove of Polaroids of her and friends :)

Thank you to Serena & Lily for generously providing the pillows, comforter insert, and select bedding for Nell’s room. I have purchased these items for ourselves multiple times now and am so grateful Nell can enjoy the gift of a well-made bed.

Sconces, additional bedding, and any other S&L items seen here were purchased personally - they are my tried and true.