Nautical Nursery Ideas

Hi Friends! Putting together the nursery for baby boy #2 has been a ton of fun for me.

I love nurseries that are cobbled together from several fabrics and sources, rather than a set that comes all together. For me, I am drawn to furniture, art, and decor that can transition into other rooms of our home as our family grows and I really like pieces that feel more grown up rather than just baby. You can tour the nursery we put together for our firstborn son, Leo, here.

For this baby boy’s room, I knew I wanted to play up my favorites: navy and white with an upscale coastal feel, without it being overly cutesy baby. I chose to incorporate gold accents, greenery, and roped texture to keep it feeling light, fresh, and interesting.

Nautical Nursery Ideas for Baby Boy:

I have been very into the trend of layering rugs lately (see our living room and front porch) and wanted to layer the rug in here as well. I find rugs very difficult to shop for, mainly because I am looking for a great deal. I’ve noticed a lot of designers say that one of the most common design mistakes is buying the wrong size rug (often people buy too small!) The navy and white pom rug was something I had my eye on for the last year, and I finally made the purchase during Pehr Designs Black Friday sale! Petite Pehr is one of my favorite brands for baby and you’ll see it scattered around the room, from the changing pad cover, to buttery soft swaddles, and the alphabet Hi blanket. I layered this jute rug underneath for added texture and floor covering. It is the same one we have in our living room too.

When we created our first nursery, for Leo, we had a rocking chair. I noticed I often did not use it. Instead, I nursed in our room or on the couch downstairs, or while snacking in the kitchen (let’s be real.) I have wanted this hanging rattan chair for several years and finally decided to work it into the design of this room. I love that it has a gentle swing and is a great spot for nursing and reading. This chair can actually be used indoor or outdoor, so as our boys grow up, we can move it into a play area, sunroom, or outdoor patio.

This is the best baby book ever created and I would definitely recommend it for any expecting moms or to give as a shower gift! It is so beautiful and covers everything from pregnancy and preparing for baby, showers and celebrations, predictions for baby, spots for footprints and handprints from birth, and milestones as your child grows. You can also purchase inserts for adoption, twins, etc! It is truly the most thoughtful and gorgeous baby book I’ve ever come across-we have the same one for Leo and for baby!

My #1 mom must-have has been the Dockatot! You can read more about it here from when Leo was born, how to use it traveling here, and now they have a new Mediterraneo collection with the most gorgeous nautical prints! We’re very excited to bring this to Greece with us this summer.

This nautical nursery is on the smaller size and was a little challenging to plan out furniture placement based on where the windows and closet are. Because of this, we opted for a smaller dresser than in our other bedrooms. We have the larger Ikea Hemnes dresser in both our room and Leo’s room, but chose the smaller one for the nursery because of where it would fit. It is a great height and easily holds the changing pad, eliminating the need for a designated changing table. For each of the three Hemnes dressers we have, I have changed out the pulls to make it look like a much more expensive piece. These are from Hobby Lobby.

The closet is quite narrow, although it does go back far since it is behind the stairs to our attic. Storage space is always a huge concern with older homes, especially with young kids that have a lot of gear and a lot of toys. We’re able to store the pack and play, bouncer, diapers, travel equipment, and more in here and I bought this shelf from Home Goods and added baskets to easily store and access baby items.