Luca’s Nursery Reveal
It’s no secret I love all things girly, including decor; florals, blush pink, white fur- you get my vibe. So when we found out our baby to be was a BOY, I was clueless when it came to designing his nursery. I remember thinking, “what can I possible do that is cute?” When I initially scrolled through Pinterest, I was underwhelmed to say the least. I saw a lot of monochrome/geometric nurseries and also rustic baby rooms, and while I can appreciate those in other people’s homes, neither vibe has ever really spoken to me. I did give them a shot at first, and gathered a few things from Homesense, but I just wasn’t excited about them (so I later returned them).
After a few weeks, I started to have a vision for the room. A vision I was excited about; something I was feeling. I guess I would call it bohemian. I think it started with cactuses and just grew from there. I knew I wanted warm and light tones for the room, as to compliment the rest of our home. I wanted the room to have a Southern Californian, surfer vibe. We love spending time visiting Palm Springs and LA every winter, so I wanted to bring some of those feels into the area. Once I had this concept in my head, the space easily came together. Needless to say, I had so much fun decorating this room and fell in love with it!! Boy rooms can be just as much fun as girl rooms!
One of the first things I purchased was the bedding set. I feel like this is a good place to start, to kind of centre the room around. The cactus crib sheet and change pad cover are both from Little Unicorn’s Prickle Pots collection. We also love the matching swaddle set. All of their linens are light, breathable muslin, that keep getting softer with each wash. The crib was a hand-me-down from Bella (we recently transitioned her to a ‘big girl bed) and was originally from Ikea. White pom pom cotton crib blanket was a gift from my friend Desiree, which she found at Marshalls.
One product that was on the ‘must buy’ list this time around, was a comfortable rocking chair/ glider. Last time around, we purchased a modern rocking chair and went for aesthetic over function. With the amount of time spent rocking and feeding your baby in that chair, it is definitely worth investing in a comfortable one- and this is a consensus amongst my mama friends. If you’ve ever looked into purchasing a glider, you know they come with a price tag, which is one of the reasons we didn’t invest in one with baby number one. After scouring the internet for a chair that checked all my boxes (neutral, fabric, comfortable, and under $500), I was so happy to find this Graco oatmeal upholstered glider on sale at Best Buy of all places. When it arrived, it fit the space perfectly! It is cozy and I can sit cross legged on it. The only challenge might be keeping it clean, but I have layered a fur throw on it for some extra coverage. I found the crochet ottoman, which compliments the chair nicely from Homesense, along with the tree stump night table, which I think will be super handy to hold books, a drink, or my phone. Dream catcher is also a fab Homesense find- I just customized it by replacing the silver ribbons with a woven taupe ribbon to coordinate with the palette of the nursery better.
My friend Maja handmade the macrame plant hanger above the rocker. Succulent is from Garden Architecture and pot from Dollarama. The plush llama seat was a fun addition to the room from Luca’s grandparents, which they found in store at Costco! The black out curtains were also a Costco find, and I am super pleased with them. They were affordable (I think $50) and get the job done, blocking out any rays from the room.
Probably one of the most difficult pieces to find for the nursery was art work/ frames that I liked. I made bi-weekly stops at Homesense but never found quite what I was looking for. I had an idea in my head, and when I get one of those, it’s hard for anyone to change my mind. I wanted two framed cactus prints, in a birch wood frame. So I had to get creative to make it happen. I found the frames online at Ikea, but they are only sold in stores, so we had our friends bring them home for us. I found the digital prints on Etsy, and they were super affordable. I had the digital copies printed using Parabo Press and was super pleased with how it all came together! If you are interested in having anything printed, use the code TBZPVT at Parabo Press to save $10!
Can we just talk about this mobile for a second? Gah. I LOVE it. I had been admiring some similar cacti mobiles on etsy; however, they were all pricey and I didn’t find the one. I liked different aspects of mobiles but none of them were exactly what I was looking for (do I sound hard to please?- If my husband is reading this, you aren’t allowed to answer that question ;). So I asked my mother-in-law who is a talented seamstress if we (aka she) could sew a cacti mobile for her only grandson’s nursery. As always, there was some hesitation on her end, that she wouldn’t be able to do it, but she agreed and it turned out amazing! I ordered felt from Benzie Design and picked up poly-fil, an embroidery hoop, and string from Michaels, and she got to work! It was quite time consuming but I appreciate it and will cherish it forever. Definitely going in the keepsake box!
Cacti and lamas seem to go hand in hand and I was ecstatic to find this large plush lama stuffy by Queen West Trading Co., at Homesense because it goes so well with the crib linens. However, I feel like he is a little lonely in there but I haven’t found a companion for him. I’m looking for another stuffy or two, as well as one or two small pillows. If you have any suggestions or ideas, please leave them in the comments below.
Luca is one lucky guy, having so many talented people fill his nursery with love. His daddy built these book ledges by hand. All he needed was a few inspiration photos and he went to work. They came together even better than I anticipated. He picked up the supplies from Home Depot, stained them, and viola. A perfect little weekend project. Luca’s room is on the smaller size, so we opted for these ledges rather than a book case, to make the most efficient use of the space. The ledges are perfect to display beautiful books, including Luca’s Cactus Baby Book and some of our favourite bedtime stories like The Magic Bunny, Oh The Places You’ll Go, and In My Heart. Fringe baskets were another Homesense fab find, and a nice little home for our blankets and stuffies.
On the wall across from the crib, is Luca’s dresser and change area. I absolutely adore how this space in the nursery came together. The dresser is the Songesand from Ikea, but we opted to swap out the matte black handles for some gold hardware we found at Home Depot, which instantly elevated the look. It is a nice height for changing and has lots of space. Upper shelf is also from Ikea- the Ekby. I was looking for a round rope mirror for some time but they were usually too rustic, so my husband actually just attached a rope to this white Homesense mirror and it had the same effect!
The wall hanging was- you guessed it- from old faithful Homesense and I love the coziness it brings to the space. Same goes for the cute little tripod lamp, which gives off a surprising amount of light. The cactus hooks were an Indigo find and seem like they were made for this room. I like how they display his knit bonnet, Baby Oxfords from Sweet N Swag, and dried eucalyptus from Bill’s House of Flowers.
It’s all in the details. Ceramic cacti were a pleasant Ikea surprise. Wipe warmer is so necessary and this one is clean and simple. That cute little egg is a ‘Gro Egg’ from Oyaco. It is a room thermometer, that tells if the room is an appropriate temperature for your little one. It is perfect for anxious mamas like myself, and to settle arguments with your spouse about whether the house is too hot or too cold ;) Plus it acts as a night light.
I saved the best for last… How gorgeous is Luca King’s custom name sign from the talented local maker Saskatoon Chic ?! I collaborated with Saskatoon Chic to design this unique piece that completes his bohemian nursery. They were so easy to work with, knowledgable, had so many options to choose from, and were super open to trying new things as well! The hexagon is such a statement piece that everyone notices when they walk into the space. I especially love the two tones, which tie the colours of the room together. The photos don’t even do the sign justice; the details are stunning in person (both names are raised/ 3D). This will be something we keep and treasure for a lifetime, as it will easily transition into a big boy room (ok, I’m not ready to think about that yet). I can’t thank them enough for creating this for us!
Besides the pillows and stuffies for the crib, the only other things I am still on the hunt for are a cactus piggy bank and a photo frame or two for the shelf/dresser. Let me know if you have suggestions!
A big thank you to Desiree Martin Photography for photographing this sweet little space for us!
Xo Kk
