I got it right, mainly because I recognized the ubiquitous Gulliver crib. Really the low-end room is just as nice as the high-end room. I love things like this!

I got it right, but my clues were the quality of the quilt, blanket, and toys in the second picture. Otherwise, they do look very similar to me!

I got it right too :) I recognized the high end Oeuf Sparrow crib. Both are really sweet nurseries. I like the cow hide rug idea.

I got it wrong...I thought the chair on the left looked more expensive. Guess I don't know my swanky cribs. ;)

I got it wrong. Strangely enough I was swayed the wrong direction by the mobiles of all things.

How funny, I also thought the one on the left was more expensive because of the chair and mobile. The cribs seem practically identical to me even after looking again

The mobiles tricked me too! Got it wrong

I got it right! And I don't even have kids!

I recognized the Dwell Studio organic poppy quilt and knew that was expensive.

I guessed correctly. The finer details of the chair and blanket were my tips. Although I agree that the mobile and toys almost tricked me!

Aside from the cream blankets, I actually prefer the left room. Goes to show more expensive isn't necessarily better.

The mobile got me too. And the better looking toys....

Add me to those fooled by the mobile!

yep the ouef gives it away! and the bedding and the mobile. hmmm...I guess you can't fool us design geeks but yes, the are quite similar and to the "non-geek" eye who's to know!?

P.S. I LOVE this post, it's so cool to see side by side comparison like this.

Tangent: Is a cowhide in a nursery practical? How do you clean it if it gets poop or vomit on it?

The same way they do at the dairy...?

This is unfortunate... I hate to sound like a snob, but as a designer, many people point to things like this and want to put together a look-for-less. These sorts of side-by-side cost comparisons are bad for artisans and designers alike and really don't tell the story. A good photo stylist can make anything look good, it how things feel, how they wear and how they are made that often accounts for the disparity in prices. In these photos, the gulliver doesn't look all that different from the oeuf sparrow, but in person there is a HUGE difference. A cheap quilt all puffed up and never used looks pretty in a picture, but I wouldn't want to see it after 1-5 years of use and I probably wouldn't want my kids to sleep with the polyester thing either. I live on a strict budget, but I buy quality where I can and I advise others to do the same. Photo stories like this are nothing but misinformation.

@eowes--totally agree. Quality doesn't come across in pictures--you have no idea about construction, fabric, and functionality based upon photos alone.

@eowes- You do sound like a snob. Of course there is a difference in quality, but not all of us can afford a $4,000 nursery and would still like it to look nice. It's great if you can afford hundred dollar blankets, but I can't, and I think I still deserve to have a space that looks nice. It's unfair to call this "misinformation" because it doesn't take quality into account. I highly doubt the quality of the items in the low-end nursery are so bad that they're unsafe for children. Get over yourself.

I got it right too...

@LinnyBee... wow! that was uncalled-for!

Did you miss that part where eowes writes " I live on a strict budget, but I buy quality where I can and I advise others to do the same"? I think eowes is clearly saying that she can't afford hundred dollar blankets either...

The level of unpleasantness on ohdeedoh really isn't fun and seems much more prevalent than on the other apartmenttherapy sites. There seems to be a much higher level of defensiveness here than elsewhere -- somehow, decorating a nursery constitutes a parenting choice, and thus a design critique is also a parenting critique.

Nurseries are transitional rooms; children grow quickly, their needs change, and their rooms need to change in order to continue to meet these needs...I live for good design, but even I find it hard to get worked-up over perfect nursery design... but hey, I've just given you the argument why quality and buying flexible products counts...

picked the right based on the quilts hanging on the cot.... but much prefer the left!!
that mobile is so cute, and I think the chair looks MUCH more comfortable.

@linnybee - that comment was a bit far?

I have put together 3 kids rooms and I completely agree with eowes.
Quality is always my main concern, and sometimes that means I can't afford it straight away, or perhaps I go without something that isn't necessary to be able to buy the quality item that I do think is necessary. Like eowes, I look for items that have a long life-span, and that will hold up well.
A quest for both high design and high quality doesn't, I don't think, throw me, my friends, eowes and others like us in the 'snob' bin.

I'm sorry you feel you don't have your 'dream' nursery, or you can't afford all the things you would like, but no need to take it out on eowes, or any other poster, is there?

The quilted blanket was my first clue. The toy bin made me sure. I clipped a picture of this same recepticale from a magazine last year. I love the look and it's supposed to be sturdy, but I know my boys could tear it apart.

I buy boxes, baskets, and buckets for their toys and it's all they want to play with the toys are always under foot.

The only thing I'd covet from the more expensive nursery is the quilt. And even then, my MIL made each of my kids heirloom quality handmade quilts and crocheted blankets.

Plus the love factor...priceless.

wow, i was right!

I'm going to play devil's advocate here, but I do see where linnybee is coming from. Maybe her comment was a bit far, but a lot of us here are on tight budgets and we all come here to be inspired and to see how we can create a nice looking nursery without breaking the bank. A side-by-side comparison is one way of doing that. I know that quality does not compare with some of these items, but Ohdeedoh can attest that a lot of parents have sworn by the Gulliver crib. If you can afford the Oeuf crib, then awesome! I wish I could but I know I can't justify the price considering we are on a limited budget. I ended up buying a much cheaper but sturdy, well-constructed and good-looking crib for half the price.

I do see eowes point of splurging when you can, and that is exaclty what we are doing with the stroller and the crib mattress!

I guessed right because of the mobile. I figure, if we have it, surely it couldn't be part of the fancy room!

I never look at these High/Lows as an All-or-Nothing endeavor, since plenty of times, there are items in each vignette I prefer more... for proportion or price or whatever.

Every room should be a combination of invest, save and splurge.

If a parent is buying something for a kid that the kid will outgrow quickly, and their home and lifestyle make storing used stuff for the kid's potential kid unreasonable, then I don't see why a parent should pay more for the more durable version.

Oh, I got it--the more durable version will be handy if a second child is planned...never mind!

Beautifully said, agentlemonade!

I got it wrong. I actually thought the blankets on the left looked more luxe, and I like the "cheaper" room better! :)

Are those drop cloth curtains?

Oops, I just looked at the link... they're not drop cloths. :)

i finally based my choice on the right because of the blankets! I would def go for lower end on a babys room because in a few years its all going to change. We bought sheets for our (2nd) childs room. And an extra storage thing. Other than that everything was hand me down. If I had 4,000 to spend I would use it for a play ground in our back yard. Not on decorating my baby room.

I'm totally feeling what patrick said. We splurged on the Sparrow crib (in walnut - LOVE!) but bought our rocker for $40 on CL. I like the high/low thing because you can decide for yourself what is worth investing in and what to save on, but still get the look you're going for.

We have five children, so buying/receiving quality items in the beginning really paid off for us.

We've only bought one cot (and we hired a second one for 6 months), and we bought high quality cot bedding and blankets, which are still in great shape almost 8 years later!
I think there's also a lot to be said for furniture that grows with a child. Our cot becomes a twin bed, chair, desk. All our other kids beds are toddler size, but convert to full size. (My husband and I hope they last til the kids leave home!)
We also did the high/low thing, and have lots of thrift store/ebay purchases in our house. And I come from a big family, and we all lend stuff to each other when babies are born etc.

At the end of the day, no one is a better or worse parent for spending $4000 or $40 on their nursery, but I often think the inference is that they are. Different parents have different priorities, and people sometimes fail to realise and respect that.

Went straight for quilt quality... but the clothes basket really fooled me, the one on the right looks SO LOW END.

I think the whole point of sites like apartment therapy is to help the everyday person learn about design. What better way than to put two "identical" rooms next to each other? As consumers, we are free to make the best choices for ourselves but the help offered by this site is both unique and comprehensive. LONG LIVE AT and go buy whatever y'all want....it's your money!

Call me crazy but when I was reading the post I thought $1,500 would be expensive! Clearly I'm in the wrong profession if a $1,500 nursery is low-budget :)

(I'm a professor)

You're not the only one PineTree... why would I put a $299 cow hide rug on a toddler's floor??

The room on the left costs less, but I don't think anyone was calling it "low-budget."

There are lots of nursery-on-a-budget posts on here though, if you are looking for that specifically.

nmw, Agreed.

I've noticed some cowhides in stores that are outgassing what seems to be formaldehyde, which infants shouldn't be exposed to, so sniff leather stuff before buying it.

Price and quality don't always go hand in hand. Sometimes you are paying a premium for a designer name and not much else. We actually chose the Gulliver crib after looking at quite a few modern cribs in a variety of price points. We considered the oeuf classic crib and dresser but looking at them in person, the quality was atrocious for the price. $800 for MDF? Yes it's formaldehyde free but actually so is all of Ikea's MDF, so that's not really saying all that much. We chose to spend $100 on the solid birch gulliver and used our savings to buy a high quality stroller and organic mattress.