Her Tasty Life

As you may have seen over on my Instagram page, our sweet baby boy Blake has finally arrived! Weighing in at exactly 8 lbs, and measuring 22 inches long, our big, beautiful bundle of love made his debut into the world on Sunday, July 23rd at 12:06pm and we couldn’t be more in love if we tried.

Bringing Blake home to his nursery was just incredible. From a room that started out as an overflow for storage and some mismatched office furniture, to a beacon of baby nursery decor, the transformation was pretty amazing. Having our little, precious baby in the room we’d so carefully assembled just for him was really powerful and emotional — I just can’t even begin to describe how overwhelming the homecoming to the nursery was.

Getting everything ready was no easy feat, and like most first-time parents, we procrastinated the hell out of it. I had people a month before Blake’s due date peeking into the totally unfinished room and giving me sympathetic eyes that all too eagerly said “you better get this shit together, girlfriend.” LOL. With some help from my personal shopper at buybuy BABY and a couple fun decor tricks up our sleeve, Eric and I managed to not only get it together, but pull off a room that embodies a cozy, ethereal vibe fit just perfectly for the prince that now occupies it.

Working with buybuy BABY to establish some of the main “anchor” pieces of furniture was my first order of business. I knew I wanted clean lines and midcentury modern styling and they helped point me in the direction of this Babyletto Scoot crib that was absolutely perfect. It had all of the elements I was looking for (I’m obsessed with a walnut wood finish) and helped to set the tone for what dresser, glider, and additional nursery decor accessories to steer towards next.

Bedding was outfitted by Liz and Roo and was the idyllic monochromatic compliment to the crib and grey tones throughout the room. The little arrows and feathers felt very gender neutral which I loved since most of the bedding I was seeing elsewhere seemed classically geared towards boy or girl. This could work for any baby’s room and is easily dressed up with fun blankets and fuzzy pillows.

I’m particularly fond of this navy ottoman pouf as a unique (and comfy) focal point in the room that I paired with a soft gray DaVinci glider. Not only does it provide some fabulously whimsical extra seating, but will be an awesomely soft piece for Blake to pull himself up on when the time comes. It has been really popular with visitors and everyone seems to get joy from this playful pouf. It was the one piece I almost returned because I wasn’t quite sure what to do with it at first (it’s quite large) but it found a home nestled at the base of the crib, and I’m so glad it did!

Although there is no obvious “theme” to the nursery, we did stick to a few elements that repeat throughout like clouds and sheep. Basically it was what came to mind when I thought of babies… soft, fluffy, sweet. Cars and trains didn’t seem to fit my decor style and I wanted a look that was gentle and cozy while still having a slightly more modern and ‘grown up’ edge.

I went hunting for a cloud wallpaper that I thought would be perfect for an accent wall behind the crib and found this darling, watercolor cloud pattern removable wallpaper (score!) from Chasing Paper. The limited edition print was exactly what I had in mind for the room and I’m thrilled with how it came out. Not only were we easily able to install it ourselves over a weekend, but the wallpaper is 100% removable and we can just peel it right off when we’re ready to transition his room back to a guest room or into a more “big boy” look and feel. How cool is that? You can check out their current line of kids wallpapers right here.

For baby’s dresser and changing space, I pulled a few tricks out of my ‘ol design hat by dressing up this otherwise utilitarian space with this fun circular shelf from Target and by changing out the drawer pulls on this Child Craft Soho dresser. Doing something as simple as switching simple silver pulls for something a little more luxe can really transform a basic item into a signature showpiece. I fell in love with the lucite and satin gold pulls the second I saw them and knew they would be a great little compliment to the gold shelf above.

We outfitted the changing table exclusively with products from The Honest Company to keep things natural and safe for baby. It seemed like a no-brainer going with a single source brand that could provide all of the items we need with no compromise on quality or wellness. Knowing I’m using organic, healthy baby products makes me feel good and eliminates the constant ingredient fact check worrying. Which as all new moms know, we worry enough already, we don’t need to worry about wipes and shampoo, too.

We capped off the room by outfitting this little nook with a custom sleeper sofa in navy suede so that guests have a place to sit – or sleep – while coming to visit Blake. Extra seating was important for me when finishing the room as the nursery is always a popular gathering place for friends and family, especially in the early weeks when baby is just newly home.

And thus far, hanging in the nursery is just my favorite. It brings me calm, joy and peace and feels like the safe sanctuary that we always intended it to be. I certainly hope that Blake feels the same… when he’s not thinking about naps and milk.

Big thanks to buybuy BABY, Liz and Roo, Chasing Paper, and The Honest Company for helping to create this perfect space for our little prince.

all photography by: @welcomehomechicago