Creating the perfect space. We moved into our new house two months before we got the unplanned surprise of another little babe joining our family and at that point each room was already planned for, so it completely threw me off guard when we found out we will soon have to make space for another little person. We moved into a 5 bedroom house, 4 bedrooms upstairs and 1 bedroom downstairs, the downstairs bedroom we made into a playroom for the kids as I prefer them playing downstairs where I can keep an eye on them and I also didn't want Hamilton climbing up and down stairs un supervised. Upstairs we have our room, Hamilton's room, Luna's room and then a guest bedroom and we didn't want to get rid of our guest bedroom as we live far away from family so when they visit they stay quite long and its just much more convenient when they have their own space.
Our first option was putting Luna & Hamilton in a room together and I absolutely loved that idea, they are best fiends and Luna hates sleeping alone, she still walks over to our room every night so I though having her brother there will bring some comfort to her and Pinterest had me drooling over the most amazing sibling room ideas but unfortunately our little guy was not too keen on it. He wants to sleep in his own room, all alone, no distractions. Luna has asked for sleepovers so many times and we have tried every single alternative, together in his cot, a mattress for her in his room, both of them in her room but nothing works, he wants to be put to bed in his cot, lights off and then you need to leave and close the door.
So eventually after much thought I decided to convert Hamiltons room into a dual room for him and baby girl. His room was still fairly empty because we just moved in and he is in that transition stage, he is about to out grow the nursery phase but not quite ready for a toddler room and I didn't want to spend money doing a full nursery now only to change it into a toddler room a few months later but knowing there's another baby coming, it just made so much more sense to make a dual room, a nursery and toddler room combined, a space for Hamilton to be my little baby for a for few more months and then letting it become home for our newest little baby. By the time Ayla arrives Hamilton will already be a few months older and then she will still sleep in our room for the first six month and by the end of that, Hamilton will be over two years old and we would have started the transition from cot and to bed and hopefully by then he will be more open to sharing a room.
As soon as I knew what I wanted to do space-wise I knew exactly how I wanted the room to look, a gender neutral, soft, natural and earthy room, a peaceful space for both my babes to enjoy and feel comfortable in. Knowing what I want, It took me less than a week to browse online and make my mood board with actual online products available in stores right now and all the pieces just fell into place and blended perfectly.
On the one side of the room we created the nursery space, the side with the cot and changing station and while staying within the room theme I added a bit more feminine touches to the this side for our little girl. On the other side of the room we created Hamiltons toddler side, we got him the Ikea KURA bunk bed and hacked it a bit to get exactly what I want, originally this can be a bunk bed for sibling or a single bed for toddlers but its raised off the floor, so instead of adding the wooden slates on top of the bed base we rather removed them all and put his mattress inside the bed frame, that way it creates more of a border for him and prevents him from rolling out. The original bed frame also come with white dividers between the wooden panels which we also removed to create a more open airy feel to the room. By the end of his bed I added a little side table and rocking chair for myself, somewhere where I can sit and breastfeed baby Ayla or just enjoy a cup of tea while watching my littles play in their room. I then finished off his side of the room with a cozy little reading nook where they can snuggle up on a floor pillow and get lost within the pages of their books.
I honestly can't explain how much I love this space, it came together even better than I ever imagined. A nursery is definitely not something you HAVE to have but it is definitely something I recommend, ever since this room was done we have spend most of our days here, there's just something special about sitting on my rocking chair and reading Hamilton a story, its something silly but so very special, I love that its little moments of just me and him and I can't wait to have special quiet moments alone in here with our newest little addition..
Creating a beautiful space makes your heart happy but it also makes you look forward to all the beautiful memories you will be creating here, every stare, every snuggle, every little kiss, yawn and giggle, it will all be tiny moments a mama will cherish in her heart forever.
Product details:
Cot, drawers, toddler bed, mirror, pendant light, rocking chair, floor pillow, book shelf and kids chair - Ikea
Carpet - Jysk
Elephant head and cactus collection - Tribe Dubai
Giraffe, laundry basket and wall hook - HM home
Wooden names and round wooden sign - Kikki&Franki
Rainbow - Krib+
Mobile and Garland - Tiger Lilly Tots
Changing basket - Ko-Coon
Sleeping pod - Sleepyhead SA
Baby gym, stacking ring and wooden blocks - Grow-Baby