When I grow up I want to be an interior designer...baby room project

Ok, Ok, yes I'm actually a fully grown woman who works in insurance and my job is okay but my dream job would be as an Interior Designer


When I go to hotels, peoples' houses or watch TV and films I am constantly taking in the interiors creating a mental mood board of various aspects that I love. So when I fell pregnant I delighted in the opportunity to design a unique nursery for my daughter. Cutesy printed borders and candy pink walls were a no-no for me. I wanted something stylish, a bit different and with a designer feel (without spending a fortune). I was really pleased with the finished result and spent a LOT less that the bog standard three piece furniture set from Mama and Papas. Here's a sneak peek at my attempt to 'interior design' my daughter's nursery...

One of my favourite pieces in my daughter's room is the light shade...

I originally saw this style of lampshade on the Vita Copenhagen website and it wasn't cheap! But after a little Googling I found a similar style from BnQ for a quarter of the price.

My other favourite thing is the wardrobe from Maison du Monde a company in France. They sell great furniture and this wardrobe was no exception. Although it was the most expensive piece in the room it was worth it as I fell in love with it as soon as I saw it (well actually after the 3 hrs it took to put together! - who invented flat pack furniture? 😡)

To tie the rest of the furniture in I up-cycled some good ole Ikea oak veneer drawers, that originally were in the room, by painting them white and adding grey accents.

I am all for upcycling and saving money so rather than purchase a brand new cot we used my husbands old metal cot that his mum had held onto for 30 something years - did someone say hoarding! It wasn't the prettiest thing but I loved the sentimental aspect to it and with a little dressing up using modern bedding, bumpers and a mobile it scrubbed up well.

Books are an important part of every childhood so to encourage my daughter's love of literature I created a reading corner. I wanted the books to face forward rather than sit in a typical bookcase with only the spine showing so Great Little Trading Company book ledges were just what I was looking for (and it was a bonus that the startcut outs matched the wardrobe).

I also created a large multi-coloured 3D letters feature wall. I purchased some large plain wood letters from the internet and painted them using paint tester pots to fit into my colour scheme. (I used the same grey paint on some of the letters, the drawers, the skirtings and door frames to create a really cohesive feel).

For me I feel finishing touches make the room. As a fan of decals (when used in moderation) I placed some silver stars across the walls and added a Dr Seuss quote above the book corner. I also hung some paper poms poms in the corner. These are sooooo cheap and create some visual stimulation for baby as well as adding additional texture and interest to the room. Rather than pictures the final finishing touches were framed teddies (don't worry my daughter had plenty of others to play with).

I hope you like it as much as I do or at least get a little inspiration from something you've seen. I truly believe you don’t need to spend loads to create a really amazing space. Work out your vision, add a few key ‘wow’ pieces, dare to experiment and with a little imagination and work you can have a unique room that has that ‘designer’ feel.