Holt's Nursery
Alex and I welcomed our son, Holt Anthony, on September 22. We feel incredibly lucky to have such a happy and healthy baby boy and are cherishing every minute with him!
When approaching Holt’s nursery design, there were three things I knew for sure. It had to incorporate trees, fly fishing and beadboard.
Holt came two weeks early, on the very day we were planning to install the beadboard. While we didn’t end up finishing his nursery until he was nearly three months old (whoops), we are thrilled with how it turned out. Most importantly, Holt loves his room! That sounds silly to write, but the high-contrast wallpaper, and the soft shadows the sconces throw against it, could entertain him for hours. We joke that his changing table is his favorite place in the house.
Holt’s wallpaper is called In the Oak by Borastapeter, which I purchased from Wallpaper Direct. It is the perfect nod to our careers as arborists. Because Holt’s room is north facing, I was worried that the deep green paper and limited sunlight would make his room feel dark. I selected soft white accents to brighten the room up and strategically placed a mirror opposite the window to reflect extra light (a favorite trick of mine!).
We spend a lot of time in this little corner. Every night, I sit in this cozy Pottery Barn Paxton rocking chair and feed Holt before putting him to bed. The Chenille is soft and the perfect fabric for a nursery. I was worried the white would get very dirty, but it wipes clean easily and has held up fine for us in these first 5 months. And there have been plenty of times Alex has sat down in it with his dirty work clothes on!
This wooden lamp with the built-in side table is a very special piece of furniture. It was in my grandpa's office/den room. It is the perfect spot for Holt’s bottle and a glass of water. I am so happy to be able to use it in his room and am thrilled that it matched so perfectly.
At just over 8x10’, Holt’s Nursery isn’t very large. I would have loved to use a small bookshelf on the floor, but with the radiator in the way, we had to use wall-mounted shelves. I love the look of these scalloped shelves from Nestig. A creel basket mounted on the wall is the perfect accent piece to this corner. I found the old, wicker fishing basket on Facebook Marketplace.
The nursery does not have a closet, so we turned to our friends at Greystone Custom Cabinetry and Manayunk Timber to create a beautiful custom built-in wardrobe below the dormer. We couldn’t be happier with how this piece turned out. I love the pull out hamper in the bottom right corner.
Alex and I picked out the walnut slab countertop. The rich wood is gorgeous. I love the creamy cabinets, the dark wood and the unpolished brass hardware together.
I love these sweet little Smith & Hawken wooden ducks that I found on Facebook Marketplace. I wish that company was still around!
I bought these two Visual Comfort sconces second-hand at Valley Attic in Locust Valley, NY. The sweet painting on the right is also from the same store. The green mirror is linked here and the wood dresser is linked here. Holt’s canvas diaper caddy is from Crate & Barrel. I love how many diapers it fits and all of the extra pockets are perfect for diaper cream, a hairbrush, the dreaded nasal aspirator, nail clippers, and more! The organic cotton changing pad is from Naturepedic and has wiped down easily for all of our big messes. Finally, the ultimate workhorse of the nursery is our Munchkin Diaper Pail. The Arm & Hammer Baking Soda insert is genius. I have never once smelled dirty diaper odors in Holt’s room!
Of course our tree-themed nursery needed tree art! I was on the hunt for the perfect piece and can’t believe our luck that Colleen at Sugartown Art & Antiques found this gorgeous French painting for us. It looks incredibly similar to our favorite local Katsura tree at Morris Arboretum.
I love the Webster Convertible Crib from Serena & Lily. Spindles are a classic choice that will always be in style! Holt’s Muslin Crib Sheet is also from Naturepedic. Our friends, Sara and Doug, generously gave us the Nanit baby monitor. I love checking Holt’s sleep stats and he loves staring at the red glow of the camera at night. Win win!
While I had fun choosing all of the different furniture and decor for Holt’s nursery, I am always reminding myself that the most important thing is the happy and healthy baby that goes in it!
