Casa de Neon: Nursery Plans

Hi friends!!!! I am so excited to kick off a new chapter in my home decorating blog series, Casa de Neon!!

Last September, my husband Sam and I bought our first (and maybe forever!) home in South Orange, NJ after years of “making it work” operating TNTP — not to mention sleeping, eating, and living — from our tiny NYC apartment.

The house is a mid-century-ish split-level built in 1961 and is in pretty great shape, so fortunately all changes we’ve already made and hope to make in the future are largely cosmetic. Shortly after moving in, we made a few baseline updates including swapping beige carpet for dark hardwood in all rooms on the first floor (BEST move thus far!), replacing some grody old built-in shelves in the downstairs living room, and giving the whole interior a fresh coat of white paint. (We went with Benjamin Moore “Simply White”, which is bright & clean but errs on the warm side for the slightest creamy touch, which we wanted! Highly recommend!)

The only room in the whole house that we didn’t have painted was “the little bedroom” — the room we hoped would one day be for the first human addition to our family. We knew we’d want to do something special in there, so we asked our painters to just smooth out any holes and we’d take it from there!

Flash forward only a few months later and we learned we were expecting a baby girl in the beginning of fall! Eee! We are now just two months out from her due date and, naturally, the nesting is well underway.

While part of me feels odd sharing our nursery plans (it’s Jewish custom to hold off all baby prep and celebrations until baby has safely arrived earth-side), I am finding more comfort in planning for her arrival and am really excited to share some of these plans with you all.

Send good vibes!!!

Butterfly wall decals // Butterfly wallpaper (left) // Butterfly wallpaper (right) // DIY Pom Pom Chandelier

Jade Purple Brown Butterfly Art // Side table // Glider chair // DIY Granny Square Pillow // Crib

Rug // Cactus hamper // Bee crib sheets // Bee curtain tieback

While I’m a firm believer that nurseries do not require a theme, we’ve decided to work in a subtle theme — butterflies and bumblebees — as an homage to baby’s grandma and great-grandparents who are no longer with us.

To pull in the theme, the big statement will be a wall of accent wallpaper, preferably something removable in case her taste changes or she moves into a different bedroom. I also found these sweet butterfly decals which would also do the trick! I’ve been laughing at myself at our decision not to paint the room white, because an accent wall means we’ll have to put up that coat of white after all.

The next step is choosing a fun rug that will accent the wallpaper and add more life to the beige carpet that’s unfortunately still lingering in her room for now. Etsy is my favorite source for colorful Moroccan rugs like this one! (Baba Souk, a home decor company based out of Canada, also sells vibrant, modern Moroccan rugs at relatively good prices. I keep checking their assortment, as well!)

From there, the furniture will largely be neutral — primarily white and raffia — which is a consistent vibe throughout our home. My default for furnishing is whites, woods, caramel leather, and straw, which all serve as a warm, clean backdrop for all the inevitable color pops! I also tend to choose classic pieces that can easily mix-and-match and change rooms as our needs change over time, so shopping for the nursery is no different.

Our white glider had great reviews on Wayfair, the light wood Crate & Barrel crib transforms into a toddler bed (the adapter kit comes with — no need to purchase additional accessories!), and baby will be inheriting our white dresser, which will double as a changing table.

Raffia elements will come in by way of this cutie cactus hamper (which was the very first thing on our wish list and no has nothing to do with butterflies and bees, but how could we not?!) and this Jungalow x Target side table, which I’m thinking we’ll spray paint neon pink!

More butterflies and bees will be tied in via decorative details such as art (I have been coveting this butterfly print from Jade Purple Brown since I first came across her work!), crib sheets, and these sweet bumblebee curtain tiebacks.

You know there are also DIY projects in the works for baby’s room…

While I very well may end up hanging this Pom Pom Chandelier and tossing a handmade Granny Square Pillow on the chair, I’d love to make a new pom pom wall hanging or mobile just for bb girl, and maybe even a funky garland of oversized tassels using assorted yarns I’ve been hoarding. (I know you feel me there!) You can find reference photos on what I’m envisioning here on my Neon Nursery Pinterest board where you’ll also find general design inspo that I’ve collected over the years and am so excited to finally reference!

Stay tuned in the coming months to see which DIY (or two!) I land on for baby girl’s room! I’ll be sharing the details — along with her room reveal! — here on the TNTP Blog!

In the meantime, any nursery decorating advice?! Items you’ve loved using or that made the room extra special for your family? SHARE IT ALL BELOW!!!

Big hugs to you, friends!!!!

Peace, love & neon,

Marisa