This vintage nursery for our baby girl is my favorite room i’ve ever designed. It’s just so fun and magical designing a baby room… there’s no limit to the charm and whimsy! I was going for an English countryside nursery with a vintage-inspired goose motif, layered with pattern and warm wood tones. In this blog post, I’ll share all the details and DIY tutorials for our charming little baby girl nursery!
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Nursery Color Scheme
When you look up Pinterest baby girl nursery ideas, you’ll see a lot of pink and I really wanted to stray away from the typical color palette found in a baby girl’s room.
Yellow is one of my favorite colors and I thought a butter yellow nursery would have the sweetest nostalgic feel. In addition to the yellow, I wanted to add some touches of dusty blue, red, and sage green. I never thought i’d have primary colors for our nursery, but this version is a very gentle palette and a classic design.
For the yellow, I went with a color called Straw Hat by Benjamin Moore. It’s both a butter yellow and a soft neutral! The other colors on my nursery design moodboard are Farrow & Ball Light Blue and Farrow & Ball Picture Gallery Red.
Shiplap Ceiling
One of the biggest eye sores in this bedroom was the extremely textured ceiling. Instead of making a mess of removing the texture, we decided to just cover it up with some tongue and groove boards! I just love a ceiling treatment… it adds instant character to a space. I’m so pleased with how this ceiling design turned out!
Tutorial: Easy DIY Shiplap Ceiling
Board and Batten Wainscoting
Trim is one of my favorite ways to add character to a space. It’s one of those timeless elements that make a space feel special. Since I was doing wallpaper on the upper half of the walls, I knew I wanted some sort of wainscoting on the lower half of the wall. Ultimately I decided to go with a classic board and batten look.
This wall treatment is simple, inexpensive, and very customizable. I created a “dainty” board and batten wainscoting by using lattice trim and having smaller spacing between the battens. I also chose some decorative chair rail to add a little extra charm!
Tutorial: DIY Board and Batten Wainscoting
Floral Wallpaper
Floral wallpaper felt like a must for this cottagecore nursery! I mean, does it get any dreamier for a baby girl nursery?! After browsing lots of wallpaper (the options are endless, and it’s overwhelming!), I kept coming back to this gorgeous print by Sandberg Wallpaper and knew I needed to install it around the entire room. The soft florals are a perfect, timeless design.
Tutorial: How to Hang Wallpaper for Beginners
Nursery Furniture
This small antique dresser was a Facebook Marketplace find! Don’t overlook flea markets and antique stores for heirloom-quality furniture! I see these small dressers (wash stands too!) all the time and they make a perfect changing table for baby rooms! All I had to do was give it a good cleaning, make a few small structural repairs, and then I wiped it down with this wood polish.
Of course not everything in this nursery is vintage. As cool as an antique crib would look, it’s probably not the safest. Luckily, there’s so many options for vintage-inspired cribs and spindle cribs now. I found this beautiful dark walnut spindle crib for a such a great price and i’m so impressed with the quality!
We have a vintage rocking chair from when my husband was a baby and while it would have been so special to incorporate that, I wanted something with more modern comfort. Especially knowing how much time i’d be spending in this char. I’m so pleased with the glider we went with and I could not get over the price… I was looking at options triple the cost.
While the glider does have a recliner, I personally prefer an ottoman. I found this adorable ruffle skirt ottoman at Target. It looks like it would be much more expensive than it is and the gingham is such a classic style.
Dollhouse Makeover
As soon as I found out I was having a girl, I started scouring Facebook Marketplace for a dollhouse bookshelf. Eventually, I lucked out and found the perfect one! It’s large, sturdy, and originally from Pottery Barn!
It was in pretty good condition, but I knew all along I wanted to do a little dollhouse makeover on it. Painting it was a fun way to incorporate more color 🙂 I also added some scallop trim and even glued miniature flower beds on the windows (one of my favorite little whimsical details)!!
For now, i’m using it to store books and display decor, but as our daughter grows, it’ll grow with her! Eventually it’ll become more of a dollhouse for her, in which case it’ll be getting another makeover 🙂
Nursery Window Treatments
Window treatments aren’t something to overlook when it comes to nursery design. Not only do they provide warmth and charm, but they also play an important role in blocking light. Originally, we just had the shades, but after baby girl arrived and started taking naps in her crib, I knew we needed some room darkening curtains as well. I love having both!
I absolutely adore these scallop bamboo shades… they were one of the first things on my nursery design moodboard. They’re just perfect for a baby girl nursery! I got them from this Etsy shop. They have different lining options (including 100% blackout!) and I went with the white lining because I wanted some natural light to still shine in. I’m happy with this decision!!
The curtains add another subtle pattern. Here’s the link to those! Just a heads up- they’re advertised as “blackout”, but they’re definitely room darkening and don’t block the light entirely.
DIY Custom Radiator Cover
One of the tricky parts of older homes is working around the radiators, but we made the most of it in this space! Our DIY radiator cover became the real MVP of this vintage nursery! For one, it makes the space feel more custom. But its also become my saving grace considering all the time I spend in that chair. Now I have a place to set my drink, charge my phone, and keep a basket of regularly used items close by. It was also quite simple to make!
Tutorial: Custom DIY Radiator Cover
DIY Nursery Shelves
Did I overdo it on display shelves? Maaaaybe. But one floating shelf just wasn’t gonna cut it. This is a small room, so I knew the shelf space would come in handy. I made a few very simple shelves using corbels, which add a nice timeless charm! They’re actually the same wall shelves I made for our pantry. Here’s the tutorial!
For the shelf above our changing table, I added an extra piece with shaker pegs! The hooks are perfect for hanging up her outfits or even toys for her to play with while we change her. Since our changing table is so small (it’s actually a vintage dresser!), it’s nice to have a little shelf to set things down. I also love the personal touch of her name art (made by her Nonni!) displayed on this shelf <3
Lighting
A common theme in vintage interiors is always layered lighting. Multiple sources of lighting scattered throughout a room makes for such a cozy space.
For the main overhead light, I went with a crystal fandelier. Unfortunately the product is no longer listed on Amazon so I can’t link it 🙁 If you didn’t know, a fandelier combination of a fan and a light. I have a whole blog post on fandeliers, click here if you’re interested in learning more!
We also installed a rattan sconce above the glider! This is the perfect lighting for a little glow or when i’m reading her a book at night. Additionally, we have a night light, a touch lamp, and a vintage crystal lamp I found at one of my favorite antique stores!
Vintage Nursery Decor
To achieve a vintage-inspired nursery, I incorporated delicate patterns, antique furniture, natural textures, and some sweet little touches i’ve collected from antique shops over the years.
One of my favorite details is a cross stitch wall art I found at an antique shop before I was even pregnant. The colors helped inspire this room design. I displayed it on the wall shelves alongside lots of soft toys, straw baskets, a plant, and a book!
Every time I go to the thrift store, I look for crystal jars, picture frames, and any little nostalgic details like wooden toys. By the way, crystal jars are a great way to store bows and headbands 🙂
If you can’t tell, I have lots of duck/goose motifs throughout this nursery and I found the perfect mobile to add to the vintage charm. I love the daisy with the pop of yellow too!
While this nursery may look done, a space is never considered “finished” in my eyes. I’m still searching for wall decor and perhaps even an antique mirror! And should I consider doing a vintage gallery wall?!
For now, I have a vintage rug in this space, but I don’t think it’ll be here forever. It’s beautiful, but its not very soft and once our baby girl starts crawling, I want something that’s gentle on her knees. Maybe I can find a vintage-inspired rug that’s more comfortable!
Our baby’s nursery has officially become my favorite room in our home. It just has this nostalgic storybook charm that immediately boosts my mood.
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I hope this post was helpful and you got some vintage nursery ideas for your baby’s room!! Happy designing!
Elisha
