Small Space Living: Closet Nursery

We lived in North Carolina for 8 years. When we moved up to Pennsylvania we stayed with my now husband's parents while we got settled in. Moving in June, I had the summer to find work, daycare, get the kids used to the area, before starting school in the fall. From there we could take our time looking for the perfect land to build on, or house to buy. We also spent this time saving money to have our 4th child, as his arrival to the world was going to be more effort than the average.

What we thought would be 3 to 6 months, turned into a year of shared space. Our area had only been a 2 bedroom. The children sharing an oversize room at the ages of 5 and 6 was fine, but then at 7... it was time our son had his own room. We were extremely grateful for the opportunity, but it was time to go. We decided instead of waiting on our forever home, we just needed a home. A beautiful townhome, in an amazing neighborhood, was where we ended up. We knew it would sell again when we needed it to, and in the meantime it was perfect.

After settling into our new 1800 square feet, 3 bedroom, we started the process of making baby number 4. The entire situation worked in our favor and after 6 months into our new home, he was on the way. 

That makes me and my husband (bedroom 1, our 2 girls (bedroom 2), and our son (bedroom 3), and the baby...hmm. That only left us with only one option, turning our walk in closet into a nursery. 

(I missed a before picture of our closet, so this is from the listing when we bought)

I didn't get to this project until halfway through my pregnancy. I was dreading it, unsure of how I would accomplish such a big task. You see, I hang up almost everything. Underwear and pajamas can all go in a drawer. The rest gets hung up. I also have a problem with clothes, or more so, the problem is my inability to get rid of any clothing, ever. I only buy clothes that I really love and I know that I will never find that item again. This lead to me at 30 still owning clothes from high school. 

I didn't know how to go from a full walk in closet to none, but I needed too. It was the perfect spot for the baby, I just had to make it his. I wasn't ready to part with anything (a project we will get to later), but I could out somethings in storage. Anything that didn't fit before getting pregnant or I didn't expect to fit again in the next year went to a tote in the attic. The bottom drawer of my nightstand became a drawer for bras. I bought a dresser and the drawers went: underwear/socks, shirts, pants, pajamas. With some help from Marie Kondo on folding, and more storage of seasonal items I made it work. A small section of the room stayed closet space for dresses and sheer fabrics that couldn't be folded, but other than that we got it cleared.

We removed the wire shelving from the wall the crib would be on, but left the rest up for storage. 

My husband painted an accent wall, a light blue paint we had left over from his mothers house. I could not find the color anywhere, but Behr P470-2 Serene Thought is very close.

We decided on foxes for an animal and found this decal on Amazon to go with our woodland theme. Click Here for that decal. We did the 42" x 22" and black for the color. I was easy to apply and had no issues the 2 years he was in this nursey.

Walking into the space, the pop out straight ahead was the perfect spot for the crib we received from our neighbor. Laundry baskets to store extra blankets, and toys to grow into lay underneath. We pulled the rocking chair from my first pregnancy out of storage. This was a handmade gift from the twins grandfather. We added the Baby Einstein Sea Dreams Crib Fish Tank and the Tiny Love Meadow Days Take Along Mobile. We chose a portable mobile to provide a sense of familiarity and comfort, rather he was in his crib, pack and play, or bassinet.

Blue curtains from our stock pile, cover the windows. Bins from target hold some of my own craft items hidden on a shelf above the door.

Looking to the right a grey curtain on a tension rod hides my clothes left in the space. We place a classic baby gate at the bottom, to prepare for mobility later on, and little hands pulling down every garment. His clothing items I have stored in Plastic 3 Drawer Carts. These are always a favorite of mine in place of a classic dresser for children. My older 3 still use them. They are lightweight and take up little space. 

Completing the space we have our changing space against the wall. I had hanging storage baskets that I had from my "wish" shopping phase. They worked perfectly for easy access to diapers. A hamper within reach, was a target dollar section find. My diaper pail of choice for every baby is the Dekor Diaper Pail. If you don't have, or don't want to use the refills, a 13 gallon kitchen trash bag works well in these. The changing table was a market place find. After cleaning, I added a fresh coat of paint and contact paper to give it and updated look. Baby foot prints on the wall, in a glassless frame above.

It was the perfect space for our newborn. We loved having him close, but still being able to close the door and not wake him so easily. Not pictured is all the functional storage above. I just stored any extra baby items above in 13 x 13 bins. This fix allowed us to have more time in our smaller home. This not only saved us money, but also time maintaining our home. Time that was well spend on baby snuggles.