Name: Taryn
Location: Chicago
Room Size: 11x13

Taryn's mom, Katie, set out to create a peaceful, feminine and contemporary nursery, and she wanted to do all of this on an incredibly lean budget. Mission accomplished by this Creative Director who managed to personalize mass-produced items with affordable custom touches.

We were particularly inspired by Katie's use of ribbon to customize the lamp and wrapping paper on the stars and canvases. [Insert bad pun about having a "gift" for design.] Items with personal significance were added to make the room feel complete; the metal piggy bank belonged to Katie's brother when he was a kid and the owl music box was her stepmother's childhood favorite. Katie still has plans for the room and we can't wait to see what she does next.

Inspiration: I wanted the room to have a slight retro feel, without being too overwhelming. I was hoping for a new feminine palette, something strong and fun, but still soft and calming.

Favorite Element: It's been really fun watching Taryn observing and reacting to the stars. They spin slowly in the room constantly and they just seem to calm her.

Biggest Challenge: Doing it all on a budget. The entire room was just over $1100 for the whole thing, including all of the furniture. Not an easy task but I'm really proud of how it turned out. I used all sorts of thrifty methods to get there, selling other pieces on Craigslist to raise money, waiting for sales, and using credit cards points to pay for other things.

What Friends Say: They say they can see me in the room, which is really nice.

Proudest DIY: The wall mural. I decided to save the expense of buying a peel off mural online, and painted it all by hand. It took forever! I don't even want to know how many circles I painted, and I had to do three coats.

Biggest Indulgence: No one piece was more than $300, so nothing feels super indulgent, but I love the dresser. I think it will be a piece that can grow with her and her room.

Best Advice: Personalize the space however you can. You can add a personal touch to most simple inexpensive pieces pretty easily. I took a simple lamp from Ikea and added bands of ribbon to make it more interesting and more of a one-of-a-kind piece. Skip the bedding sets. They are so overpriced and fun separates are easy to find in most stores.

Dream Source: If I had the money and time I'd hit auctions for unusual and unique pieces.

Resources:
crib and dresser: Walmart
bookcase, lamp and small table: Target
glider and bedding: Babies R Us
mirrors: CB2
ceiling light: Land of Nod
owl: Etsy
ribbon lamp: IKEA
stars: The Paper Source

Thanks Katie and Taryn! You can catch up with Taryn at Oh Baby.