Nursery Reveal! Bright Bold Blue for a Boy’s Contemporary Nursery

One day Mikaela knew this would be her baby boy’s bedroom, and painted it this bright blue color before she even began trying for a baby. She describes her home as “relaxed contemporary” with a modern/ contemporary/ beach style.

Ask Mikaela what she likes most about her nursery and she’ll say her choice of color. “I love the bold wall colour, which works well with the chocolate carpet and makes the white furniture, wall decal and shelves really pop.” The blue paint (“Plunge” by Dulux) she calls a deep teal. “I generally just know what color I want to use in a room, then go out and find the swatch that looks the closest to it. I never do wall samples, I just go with whatever I pick.”

The entire room was done in DIY style by Mikaela. “I really enjoy getting in there and doing it myself, from the design, to going to Bunnings and getting all the supplies, to sanding, painting, drilling, assembling etc. It’s really satisfying once it’s complete.

While the vinyl Tree Decal makes the largest décor statement in the room, some of Mikaela’s favorite items are actually quite a bit smaller. She made the cloud and raindrop mobile herself which we think is pretty awesome. “The white bookshelf at the end of the cot has a photo of us on it and some free standing letters I bought on sale for $1 each, that spell out “Mum” and “Dad”. The same bookshelf has the beginnings of a pretty rad library. I also really like the mirror elephants that are along the bottom of the wardrobe, that my mum bought for me.”

The little animal touches around the room were actually a bit of a challenge, because she was really conscious of over-crowding the room with so much “stuff”. “I just had to keep rearranging until I found what worked.” Having all the stuffed animals together on a low table works well, because they form a bit of a uniform “pile”, whereas having them sitting along one of the higher shelves the really overwhelmed that wall.

Personal items are also scattered around the beautiful room. “We have an antique music box that my husband’s dad gave us when he found out we were pregnant, with metal discs that you put in to play different lullabies. It’s pretty rad. Also the big toy chest (covered by a handmade quilt) was made by my Pa for my sister and I when we were little, it was a massive part of my childhood. The giraffe growth chart mirror on the back of the door was also mine since I was a little tike.”

Her advice to other parents in the process: “Painting is easy, save the money and do it yourself. Try to think of the room as a collective whole that you are putting elements into, rather than four separate walls and a floor you are trying to fill. Less is more!”

Thanks Mikaela for sharing your baby boy’s nursery with us!

DECOR

Wall Decal – Etsy, LeoLittleLion, with shipping total cost $120, DIY installation
Lamp –Red Berry Designs on special at Mathilda’s Markets, $40 (handmade!)
Cloud Mobile – DIY Project, total cost about $6 (handmade!)
Green mobile – Ikea Kids, $10
Elephant Mirrors – Scoops Design at the Handmade Markets, gift from my muma =)
Elephant LED Mobile – Little Night Delights at the Southbank Markets in Brisbane, $35
Green Baby Owl – Plushka’s Craft, $30 (handmade!)
Teddy Bear Playmat – Babies Direct, another gift from my lovely mum =)
Wall Flowers – Unit Concepts in Braddon (or find them online here), $40
Giraffe Growth Chart Mirror – I’ve had this since I was a little kid! No ideawhere it came from, sorry…

ROOM

Carpet – Bunnings, approx $250, DIY laying
Walls – Bunnings, “Dulux Plunge”, approx $65, DIY painting
Blinds – Metal Venetians on sale at Spotlight (not the right size for the window), $45ish, DIY installation
Curtains – Spotlight eyelet curtains by the meter, 3.5m, $150ish (including rods etc), DIY installation
Doors & Trims – White Enamel paint from Bunnings (to go over a pink trim, we tried using water based and it sucks, stick with enamel for this), $40ish, DIY painting

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