Bowie's room may be small, but that almost adds to the charm of this playful underseas space. Hope shares: We always thought we would move out of our condo before having kids, but getting pregnant soon after returning from a 13-month around-the-world trip in the midst of the housing crisis meant we had to make our space work. Though our home has 2 bedrooms, the rooms are on different floors and I didn't want to be running down the stairs if our little man needed me. The solution: convert our 4.5' x 7.5' walk-in closet into his nursery. Nobody puts baby in the closet! Except us.
Our biggest challenge (besides the size constraints) was the lack of natural light and ventilation in the closet. We solved this by having our contractor friend install a manually venting skylight with remote control blackout curtain. We considered a Solatube but balked at the $900 price tag when the ventilation kit was included.
I grew up as a swimmer and my husband is into surfing (kite, wind, and good old regular board surfing) so we thought it appropriate to go with an underwater theme for Bowie's room. I wanted the nursery to be a calm, serene (but fun) space for him. We ended up with a relaxing space that our little guy loves! And just in time—we put the finishing touches on the nursery the day before I went into labor!
Resources:
Paint color: Kelly Moore Ashbury
Wall Decal: Pirate Infested Waters by Blik (gift)
Mobile: "Shoal of Fish" Mobile by Flensted (gift)
Crib: Stokke Sleepi in Natural ($350 used)
Dresser/Changing Table: Ikea Mandal 4-drawer dresser ($179)
Shelves: Ikea Lack ($50)
Boxes: Ikea Prant ($7)
Changing pad and crib sheet: Dwell Studio for Target, Hippo (I altered the crib sheet to fit the Stokke's oval mattress)
Art:
All frames Ikea Ribba in white
Right wall: ABSea poster
Left wall: (clockwise from top left): Deep Sea Cupcake , Alfred Finds His Soul Mate, Sea Otter, Jellybot, Baconfish
Thanks Hope!
(Images: Hope Meng, graphic designer and Felix Chu, photographer)
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You did a great job, especially considering the space you had to work with!
I really enjoy the modern take on a nautical theme.
I adore tiny nurseries and this is just beyond sweet while staying interesting and modern. I love it.
i love it. but what did you do with all your clothes and shoes?
i love it. i like small nurseries, too. the mismatched undersea artwork is great. jordan ferney's sons sleep in a closet, too. cute!
I like it. We used the closet/hallway in our apartment and it has been great. It is extra quiet and an air purifier helps clean the air and provide white noise.
That oval crib is beautiful! Stellar art choices as well.
One of my favorite featured nurseries! Light, bright and cozy all at the same time.
OMG Hope! You're famous! What a fun surprise to see you up here. Can't wait to see this incredible little space in person one day. Big hugs, Aisha & Beckett
can you explain how you transformed those Ikea lack shelves.... it looks like you did some hacking there and I love it! Would love to know what you did.
The reason no one puts their baby in a closet is because it's a fire code violation. Every bedroom must have two means of exit. We just did a huge reno and failed the inspection because our guest bedroom window was not big enough to use as a safe exit. We had to redo the window.
I love the name Bowie, I wish I could've talked my husband into it.
I DID talk my husband into the name Bowie. We're on the east coast so they won't be in the same kindergarten class;)
I love this room! Great sense of style!
thanks for all your nice comments, everyone! i'm virtually blushing. :)
@k8theriver we are fortunate to have a pretty large bedroom, so we bought some ikea wardrobes and lined an entire wall of our room with them. bonus: noise control!
@alison no hacking necessary! buy those shelves here: http://www.ikea.com/us/en/catalog/products/40163778
@enneirda yay for bowies!
@aisha HI!!!
Absolutely beautiful. Great job!
my 3 yr old is named bowie. :)
So great - I really like the collection of artwork and the colors you used to make such a small space seem light and airy. Job very well done.
obvious proof that you can make any space work. Good for you!
I'm pretty sure that if there were a fire in a two story house and the baby were all the way downstairs, he/she wouldn't be able to make use of the windows anyway. So why would putting the baby in a converted closet right next to your bed be a bigger concern?
All that aside, I love tiny nursery spaces, too, and this one is really cute and does look pretty relaxing. Babies just need the basics.
Amazing use of space and so cute! We had our oldest in our bedroom closet until he was 2 and it worked out great.
@atarichamp - no, baby couldn't climb out the window, but the fire fighters could climb in to save him if he was trapped in by the door. Now, as long as you take the door off, it wouldn't technically be another room, just an alcove in a bigger room. No door to get trapped behind.
I have a Bowie too - it was the only name my man and I could agree on for HER :)
What size Ribba frame is used for the AB Sea poster? I bought the artwork as well but none of the Ribbas are a perfect fit. Did you cut the mat down of the biggest size?
@biolau yes, i did cut down the mat. i have a mat cutter at home, purchased at an art supply store. practice first before you cut a mat! :)