Nursery Reveal: Noah’s Nautical Ship of Dreams

Sitting in Noah’s nautical room brings his mom  Amanda so much joy. “As a former flight attendant and lover of all things airplane related, I always thought I’d do an airplane room for a baby boy. I feel like I’m passing down a part of my childhood to him. I grew up on Navy bases around the United States from Tennessee to Hawaii. It was hard when my father was deployed but nothing was more thrilling than watching his aircraft carrier pull in to port and wrapping my arms around his neck when he got off the ship. My husband’s father was also in the Navy, as well as both of our grandfather’s. Nautical images have always been a part of our lives so using them in a space for our son was a perfect fit.”

When Amanda found out she was pregnant with a boy, she saw a painting of an anchor and was flooded with ideas for a nautical room, and couldn’t resist the idea of a nautical theme that would remind her of her own years in childhood. “I wanted to find pieces for the room that were rustic and fun. We are also big fans of coastal decor so I came up with a few ideas to bring in elements of the beach to the room.”

Amanda began the process of planning out the room as soon as we found out that we were going to have a boy. The room was previously their guest room with white walls. Completing all of the DIY projects, ordering the furniture and putting together the decorations took about 5 months. The room was done about a month before Noah was born. “Which is a little silly considering he has yet to sleep in it! But I’d much rather be enjoying time with my new little guy than sewing curtains so for that reason, I’m glad that it was finished before his birth.”

The biggest challenge for Amanda was finding a way to incorporate the nautical theme, making it look like a fun place for a boy to rest and play rather than a cliché nautical office. “I chose navy blue, white and red because they are classic nautical colors and patriotic. The wall color is called Parchment Paper by Olympic. The Olympic brand is perfect for nurseries because it has zero VOC and is nearly odorless. For the stripes on the wall I used Calvary by Olympic.”

Before moving to their current location in California, Amanda and her husband lived on the Central California Coast and although they visit often, they really miss being able to walk on the beach every day and enjoy the fresh costal breeze. “During a trip to the beach when I was pregnant, I took a picture of Noah’s name in the sand, which is now framed in the room; I then scooped up that sand and brought it home to fill in a little vase.”

Above Noah’s crib is a folded American flag. “The America flag in Noah’s room was given to us by a fighter pilot who was stationed in Afghanistan. The flag was flown at the Embassy on September 11, 2008. Every time I see it I’m reminded of the many privileges we have because of the brave men and women who fight for our freedom. I look forward to telling Noah about his grandfathers and great grandfathers who have served in the military and teaching him to value and respect our armed forces and our country.”

“My favorite detail of the nursery is all of the personal touches it has. The sailboat on the dresser was my Grandfather’s who also served in the Navy. Noah never got a chance to meet him, so having the sailboat in his room is a special treasure. I’m sure my Grandpa would be thrilled to see that his sailboat is proudly displayed in his grandson’s nursery.”

Amanda found the glider on Craigslist and brought it home for $30. The fabric on the chair was fine but the light wood needed to be painted white to match the other furniture. “I had my husband coat it with primer, then two coats of spray paint and a polyurethane sealer. Now it fits in the room perfectly. I wanted two-toned curtains but there was zero chance that I’d find white curtains with a navy blue panel on the bottom so I asked my mother-in-law for a quick sewing lesson and made them myself. The white curtains were already in the room, all I had to do was buy $5 worth of fabric and thread to make custom curtains.”

Noah’s monogram is a 23 inch paper mache letter from JoAnn’s. “It was one of the first thingsI purchased for the room. I painted it Black Cherry and hung it above his crib.” See a complete list of Noah’s room accessories below.

“My advice to parents who are decorating a nursery is to create a space that the baby can grow in to or you will find yourself painting over that teddy bear and rainbow mural in no time. Also, plan ahead when it comes to choosing furniture. In a few short years the child will outgrow the crib and you’ll most likely replace it with a twin bed or bigger. For this reason I only have one dresser in Noah’s small room. When the time comes, I’ll transform his crib to a twin bed, replace the changing table with a desk and take out the glider.” Thanks Amanda for sharing Noah’s nautical nursery with us!

Furniture: Target

Bedding is William by Nautica

Decorations

Ship wheel and Small Oar were purchased on Ebay.

Nautical wall peg hanger – Home Goods

Rug – Target

Buoys – Hobby Lobby

White Wall Frames – Michael’s

Cream/Navy Baskets – Home Goods

Send to a friend