I cannot believe the baby boy is not a baby anymore! He is now a glorious six years old. In fact, there have been two more nursery reveals since my very first, and baby boy C now has two younger brothers to play with!

Life has changed so much since this reveal and I have learnt a lot in terms of being a parent but also just how difficult it is to get anything done around the home with three boys running around my feet all day.

Don’t get me wrong – it’s definitely an amazing change, but time wise – I have to be so much more organized these days to get anything done!

Nearly seven years ago I started to transform the then guest room (from our first house) into C’s Nursery. This was a time in our lives where we were on a really tight budget so it was mainly done by virtue of DIY and a very large rug to hide the floors I couldn’t then afford to replace or refinish.

Here was the room before:

This was the mood board I created as inspiration. I loved the idea of combining solid wood furniture with more modern elements such as the white baby crib and the animal prints. I think you’ll agree that this type of style is timeless – six years later it still looks in date and fresh.

The clear out began and we painted all the doors and trim white and added a rug to cover the flooring which I couldn’t afford to get replaced at the time.

Adding a large area rug is a really effective way of transforming a space and creating a modern, timeless and warm feeling. We already had our room painted a beautiful gray but if you are looking for the best gray paint choices for your home, I’ve got your back!

As I mentioned previously, a large portion of the nursery make-over was compiled of DIY projects. In particular I loved the functionality of my pegboard display and how I could change things up to suit my needs at any given time. As C got older, we added more shelving on the peg boards and hung some of his art from here too.

A DIY project that I really enjoyed doing was upcycling the midcentury dresser which I sourced from craigslist. Up-cycling is seeing a massive resurgence in 2021 and is mentioned as one of my top home decor trends of 2021.

One of my other favorite parts of C’s nursery reveal were the animal prints. I just found them adorable and they have since made appearances in my two other son’s nurseries too! Due to them being quite minimalistic they tend to match well with any decor so they are truly versatile!

Making a DIY cot mobile is one of the most touching and personal things you can do for your babies nursery. I made C’s mobile using some felt and stuffing with batting. The joy is so much in the mindful creation of something so let your creative side run free here!

The shelving in C’s nursery are one of my all time favorite DIY projects ever. They were super affordable to make and I love the masculine aesthetic they bring to the room. Be sure to check out the DIY nursery shelf tutorial.

The Takeaway

Wow it was truly amazing to look back at this nursery reveal for so many reasons. In some ways I see how timeless and versatile a space can be but also it brings back some amazing memories of doing some of my favorite DIY projects ever (you know, back when I had time!). DIY is always a smart idea to make your budget go further. With a little bit of creativity, some planning around nap times and the right tutorial, you too could be onto a winner!