Genevieve Morgan | French Botanical Nursery

I cannot believe it has been almost six months since our second little girl was born! I am so excited to share a few images from her nursery, sources and some shots of her in that sweet, tiny newborn glory! She was only 6 lbs 6 oz, so our Genevieve was a small one. I'm so thankful for this calm, peaceful space in our home and wanted to share how we pulled it together without costing too much. There is something so beautiful about preparing room in your heart and home for new life. The nursery has always been so much more than a pretty room to me; it's a place where I express how deeply grateful I am for the gift of life and the unique way I see it forming. 

When I was pregnant with Eleanora, all I saw was brightness. Her name, in fact means "shining one" and is she ever! Her bright white room, sea-foam blue then merged to a more vibrant blue room filled with flowers, white roses mostly. She is bright in every sense of the word. For Genevieve I couldn't get away from a feeling of peace and calm over her life and personhood. I chose soft things for her, muted tones and a natural feel. It was like I could see her, toddling around with her dark-hair, deep-blue-eyes in the space. It was so bittersweet to redo this room right after I'd made it Elle's big girl space, but it brings me so much joy to make it special for each babe. (And my saintly husband repainted both bedrooms for me to make it happen!) It will always be how I show love, to make things beautiful for others, as I have come to realize. 

As much as I love decor and creating beautiful spaces, I also don't have an endless budget or desire to spend much on decorating. Since I felt like I should pull back on bookings for a season, our flexibility to make these projects happen was a bit less than with Elle. It also makes me so happy to find a creative way to solve problems! So here are a few ideas I found to furnish a room on a dime...well a bit more than a dime I suppose! 

1) Sell unneeded items: I had quite a few gowns from workshops and other photography projects that I sold to be able to do this room. It was a bit sad to let them go, but I honestly didn't want to use them again or have a need for them to be collecting dust! I purged my own closet as well. We sold a tall vintage dresser from the spare room to purchase the long, dark one to double as a changing space. The carpet, curtains, paint and dresser were all purchased due to selling other things! 

2) Get inspired by high-end and find cheaper options: A child's room is just not where I'm going to invest in something luxurious. I ADORE linen curtains and little moses baskets, but was not going to pay $$$ for them. Ikea has beautiful curtains for much less, and I found the moses basket for a 1/4 of the prices of some other nicer options.

3) Repurpose Art & Find Creative Decor Ideas: Beautiful artwork, again, is just not something I'm going to spurge on in a nursery. This is mostly due to the fact that I know I'll redo it in a year or two! Now, I love Genevieve's room so much that I think I will try to keep it for a while. But you never know! At minimum, she might want a different feel when she's 6 or 7. Hooks are my new favorite decorating find because they are so easy, as well as practical! Why not display those adorable baby clothes, bonnets or bows as decor? The botanical prints were found by searching for free botanical print downloads and printing them myself. I would purchase a frame one at a time out of the grocery budget so it didn't have to be all at once. The map of Paris was an old print from eons ago, and made new by getting a matte and putting it over an old framed chalk board! It's actually my favorite piece now - and I still have the chalkboard behind it should I ever desire to switch it back. Plants also make excellent decor. They are such beautiful, inexpensive fillers. My sweet friend Jenny Sanders so kindly did the hand-lettered art for us as well!  

We started with the paint color and rug, then slowly found items to add to the space. I'm so thankful that we were able to create this sweet space for these fleeting days of baby-hood. So many memories have already been made here.

Sources:

Paint: Wichkam Gray by Benjamin Moore
Rug: Overstock
Crib: Jenny Lind (old from Elle)
Dresser: FB sale
Hand-lettered Art: Jenny Sanders
Moses Basket: Badger Basket
Garden stool: TJ Maxx (old from Elle's nursery)
Mirrors & Hooks: Hobby Lobby
Crib Skirt: Handmade (Old from Elle)
Prints: Vintage Botanical Drawings, free download
Map of Paris: Old vintage
Chair: Pottery Barn (old from Elle)
Curtains: Ikea
Curtain Rods: Target ($12 - they are so good for that price!)
Lamp: Target
Vases: Miscellaneous from other parts of the house