Rajvee's Thoughts: Planning for the Nursery

Over the last couple of weeks I have been planning for the design of the nursery for my baby. As I have already purchased the furniture and have decided where each piece will go (matching taupe crib, wardrobe and change table from Mom & Co.) the next step is to choose the paint colour.

After looking through numerous pictures and blogs to give me some ideas for wall colour and design I came up with the idea to hang wallpaper on one wall which will have the crib adjacent to it for contrast. And after much mindful debating I chose a navy blue and beige plaid design which would complement the furniture and window and door in the bedroom. But I had to be okay with not painting the other walls blue since it would not match the wallpaper and upon realizing that blue is not the only "boy colour" available I made the choice to go with a colour that would complement the wallpaper. This colour turned out to be some shade of brown and, although I have not yet chosen the exact colour, I have an idea of what it will be and I am very happy with it.

I had originally had the idea to paint or order some sort of simple mural for one of the walls like a tree with flowers, but after finding out that I was having a boy I could not really decide on a design and I also did not know who I could find to help with such a design since I have little artistic talent. I happened to stumble upon a google image of a beautiful nursery in which one of the walls had a blue, white and grey argyle design that mimicked a boy's sweater and I thought it was brilliant. However, after visiting the blog on which the image was posted I withdrew my initial desire towards such an idea since it was actually tediously drawn and painted by the mother-to-be. And although she posted very detailed instructions for the design I was not about to get my hands dirty for such a task. So that is how I decided on the wallpaper idea.

The main issue with my wallpaper idea, which I only realized after the fact, was that I could not find it on the island in which I live, Curacao. So I thought the next best solution would be to order it online and either ship it to my address or my family address in Canada and they could subsequently ship it to me. I chose the latter.

I am almost 23 weeks and I almost have everything I need to get started on the nursery. I just have to buy the paint. As well, I still have a few minor repairs that are still pending such as the hardware replacement on the window, installation of a screen for the window which I have already ordered and purchased and installation of a ceiling fan which will be done after I have painted the room.

I actually won't be doing any of the painting myself since I am pregnant and it is not advised but will hire someone to paint and to also patch some holes in the wall sand parts of the walls. My husband and I will hang the wallpaper since we want to make sure it is done correctly and seeing as wallpaper is not sold on the island, how can I be confident that the person I hire will even know what wallpaper is??

I also recently purchased a crib bedding set online from Amazon and shipped it to my family address in Canada. My mom will be bringing it with her when she comes to stay with me for a couple of months when I have the baby. It is a 4-piece set which includes a comforter, fitted sheet, dust ruffle and bumper. The design is plaid with beige, chocolate brown and a dark navy blue/black. After searching through hundreds of designs I found it on an online American store but it was out of stock. And just when I thought I would have to continue my tedious search I found the same set on Amazon. Now, looking back I think that it would have been wiser for me to choose the bedding before selecting a wallpaper design. Nevertheless, I found exactly what I was looking for, but it required additional effort and patience.

There will still be a few additional things I will need to purchase to complete the room such as a rocking chair or recliner with small ottoman, wall hangings, curtains, change pad with cover, wash basin and a lamp. I am really looking forward to seeing the outcome of this project and it has been a lot of fun so far. I'm really glad that I started the project when I did because there are so many factors that need to be considered such as the length of time it will take to receive shipment of various items like furniture, wallpaper, etc. and the time you will need to spend on purchasing items and completing repairs.

I have posted pictures of the wallpaper and bedding that I have selected for the room.

Enjoy!