How I Styled my Black Baby Girl Nursery
If you follow me on Instagram then you already know that our baby girl made her arrival on February 6th!
We knew that she would be sleeping in our room for the first six months of her life but still wanted to have a nursery prepared for her arrival. In the midst of me running my interior design projects for McNeill Brown Interior Design, I slowly converted a room we previously used as an office into her future abode!
Before We get to the Nursery decor
Funny story, I purchased this mirror after spotting it at HomeGoods the night that my water broke!
Yep, you read that right! At 5 days past my due date, my husband and I were walking out our anxiety at one of our favorite places when I spotted this beautiful mirror that was PERFECT for her nursery. I loved the combination of textures and the black of the octagon-shaped frame.
We went home with it and got ready for bed thinking that we would wait another day for the baby to arrive, but little did we know only a few hours later my labor would start and it went pretty quickly! Did you know that, unlike what’s depicted in movies, only 15% of women experience a water break before labor? I didn’t think I’d be in that group so it was such a surprise!
our initial nursery decor ideas
The nursery really came together organically as I found pieces that I loved. I did not go through my typical design development process, but rather gathered things as they stood out to me while working on my client’s spaces.
The first element I had to include was this Rifle Paper Company wallpaper that I thought would be something that she could gaze at from the crib. We already had this black pendant light installed in the room, so having a black background wallpaper on the ceiling was an ideal pairing. Babies spend so much time on their backs, I wanted the “fifth wall” in her nursery to be special!
The Artwork We Included in the Nursery
When I thought about the things I wanted her to see as she grew into a little girl, I knew wanted her to see images of brown little girls being girls! There seems to be such a rush these days for little girls to look grown-up, but I cherish the look of a girl just being a girl! Twists, colorful hair bows, and baby hair. The little touches that disappear sooner than later as a girl turns into a tween. When I found these awesome modern silhouettes by artist Domonique Brown, I knew they were the absolutely PERFECT focal point for her crib wall.
When I posted this photo on Instagram it sparked a lot of conversation with other black Moms about the struggles they have finding images for their little black girls. Domonique’s prints that I purchased and framed are linked below.
The Must Have Furniture in Our Nursery
I decided to keep the furniture pieces muted to blend with our grey carpet and allow the art and wallpaper to shine in the nursery. Babies bring so many colorful elements into a room with their clothes and toys so I didn’t want to compete with that! I saw this convertible crib at Target and loved the black metal frame base. The glider was one of the many I tried and is the perfect fit for my petite frame. And you know I had to switch out the pillow that came with it for a little bit more flavor!
How we Created a Nursery Closet & Changing Area
This room did not have a traditional closet because of the awkward shape and the windows that face the front of our home. To best use the award space, we added a cabinet, wood countertop, and shelves. By adding a tension rod beneath the bottom shelf, we were able to create a space to hang her ever-expanding wardrobe! The Target bins on the shelves contain clothing sorted by size all the way through year one! Because the only lighting in this room is the center pendant, we needed another light in this corner, so we added this easy plug-in swing arm sconce. This has been the perfect little nook to change her and because it is counter height, the changing area is comfortable for me to reach.
