Emerson’s Colorful, DIY-Crafted Nursery

Name: Emerson
Location: Renton, WA
Room Size: About 8′ x 10′

My first introduction to this beautiful nursery was the colorful chevron pouf. Once I saw that, I knew there had to be more fabulousness to come. And I wasn’t wrong! Megan Kane designed this nursery for her little girl, Emerson, and the hand crafted details make every inch of this room special.

Megan is a DIY kind of gal, and it shows in the decor of this room. She made much of the wall art as well as the pouf and mobile. The things she didn’t make, she hacked, like the Ikea curtains (to which she added the pom pom fringe) and the Craigslist dresser, which she refinished and painted in a bright coral. My favorite element, though, has to be the small bike on the wall; it belonged to Megan’s mother, and a little yellow spray paint turned it into a centerpiece for Emerson’s wall.

How would you describe the look and feel of this room?
Bright, happy, and colorful. I wanted to create a happy room filled with collected and homemade pieces that would make me smile.

We love your color palette. What was the inspiration? Was there one piece or element that focused the other color choices?
I have been obsessed with coral lately, especially paired with aqua. The biggest project I did was updating the Craigslist dresser. It is definitely the focal point in the room being such a bright, fun color. It turned out great and served as a jumping off point to build the rest of the room around.

What is your favorite piece or element?
My favorite piece is the coral dresser since it is such a statement piece, as well as the hot air balloon mobile I made because it’s so whimsical and fun.

What was the biggest challenge decorating this room?
The biggest challenge was that we moved into our house just under a month before Emerson was born. I was in full on nesting mode at that point and was chomping at the bit to get everything set up. It was definitely a challenge to pull everything together right at the end!

You have a lot of fantastic DIYs in the room. What is your main motivation for DIYing, and which was the hardest project to complete?
I love DIY projects! There is something to be said about building or crafting a project yourself – I love the feeling of accomplishment and the creative aspect of it (and usually, you can save a lot of money doing it yourself). The hardest project I completed was probably the dresser. The fact that I was 6 months pregnant and it took so long to finish made it a big time consuming project… but well worth it in the end!

What do your friends say about the room?
My friends love the room! I think most of all they can’t believe how many DIY pieces are in the room and how it all comes together.

You have several heirloom pieces in the room. Did you have to do any special restoration to these pieces, like the rocking chair?
I love the fact that we have a few very special pieces in the room, like my Mom’s rocking chair she used when I was born. Luckily, it was in such great condition we didn’t have to restore it at all – that chair is solid wood and the finish was great. I decided to leave it as it (and not paint it) to keep some wood tones in the room. We did restore and paint the dresser the bright coral piece – lots of sanding, primer and then paint, but overall it was in good condition, too.

If money were no object, what’s your dream source?
Probably Anthropologie. I always love their furniture and accessories – such a collected and vintage feel.

• Crib: Jenny Lind
• Wall paint: Sea Glass by Martha Stewart
• Bookshelf: Target
• Lamp: Target on Clearance
• Rug: Urban Outfitters
• Toy Basket: Target
• Prints: You Are So Loved and You Are My Sunshine by Katie Daisy
• Print: Dream a Little Bigger by BWPrints
• Rocking Chair: Family heirloom
• Dresser: Craigslist DIY
• Pouf Ottoman: DIY
• Hot Air Balloon Mobile: DIY
• Pom Pom Curtains: DIY
• Hot Air Balloon Art: DIY

Thanks, Megan! See even more of this nursery at Megan’s blog, Make, Bake & Love.

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