our gender neutral nursery

I call this our gender neutral nursery because it is still incomplete. :) It will be completed after we know the gender of our baby. But for now I think you can get the idea of it. I have some options for prints and other complimentary items that will bring it all together as either a girl or boy's room. I'm still collecting a few ideas over on my nursery pinterest board. You'll see a few of our unfinished to-do's in the pictures below, but if I don't post these pictures now I don't know when I ever will. So... here's what we've got so far!

We started with a big shopping trip to Ikea in which Tommy wanted to spend more money than me - a first in our marriage! I had my eye on this white furniture for months ahead of time. I knew Sweden had better safety standards than the US and with the prices Ikea offered, I didn't want to buy our nursery furniture anywhere else. :)

This bedding was my inspiration for the whole room. I loved the simplicity and neutral-ness of it.

Once I had the bedding, I picked up a few paint swatches at the store and let Tommy pick the final color for the walls. (I narrowed it down to a shade of soft yellow & this grey/aqua/blue. I think he made a good choice!)

The closet is my favorite area in the room. I have a soft spot for organization and I really enjoyed sorting and designating a place for every thing. :)

The three bins on top hold (from left to right): all things breastfeeding, all things bath, and a stash of clothes in larger sizes.

This little stack of plastic drawers holds baby clothes, shoes, socks, hats, and some extra linens in the bottom drawer. On top of the drawers are cloth wipes, disposable wipes, a wipe solution, diaper rash cream, and other baby diaper changing essentials.

I have a whole drawer of GOWNS. I am really excited about that! Gowns may just be the only thing our baby wears for the first few weeks/months. :) (Don't be mistaken, the other drawers are full of clothes and onesies as well.)

Under the changing table I have a stash of extra baby wipes and a container of larger diapers that should fit baby up until potty training. I am really excited that we've got all we need for our cloth diapering journey!

The bottom shelf holds burps rags and tons of baby blankets. I had so many receiving blankets that I actually cut up four of them into smaller squares to use as cloth wipes (see the stack on top of the drawers above). Feeling SO blessed!

And the newborn diaper stash... just about ready to go. They just need to be washed once again before baby arrives!

The four baskets on the bookshelf are also full of baby goodies! One holds all the carriers I've stocked (a boba wrap, a baby k'tan, an ergo, and some feeding covers), one has a small stash of newborn baby toys, one is holding more blankets (fuller and fluffier than the receiving blankets), and one is empty to leave room to grow. :)

And all the little things...

I decided to go with animals to accessorize the room in a gender neutral way.

My sister made this sweet canvas for the baby. I adore it.

My fun diaper pail! Complete with the fresh scent of tea tree oil. Mmm mm.

My mom stocked us up with some girl and boy items for the first few days. So we've got our stack of items ready to go... one will be wrapped up and returned to the store and the other will be tossed in the wash and used. It's so fun to wonder which one we'll be keeping!

So that's what we've got! And after baby arrives, here's what our to-do list looks like:

  1. Purchase and frame 2 prints for room.
  2. Paint two lamps with complimentary nursery color (boy: orange/red; girl: rose/khaki)
  3. Replace all outlet covers. (Should do this BEFORE baby... we shall see.)
  4. Paint the closet to match the walls (hopefully this will happen someday!)
  5. Wash & replace the fluffy rug that belongs on the nursery floor.
I am loving the nursery. It's calm, peaceful, clean, and super organized. I think it's safe to say this room is my favorite in our house right now. :)

Liz Cook

Liz Cook is a wedding, birth, and motherhood photographer based in Central Virginia. Her intuition and creative perspective allow her to connect both professionally and personally with her subjects, and thus, her portfolio is saturated with authentic emotion. Whether she's sharing her story with fellow entrepreneurs or enjoying quality time with her husband and two daughters, Liz is both present and passionate about capturing and celebrating life. Her work has been featured by O "Oprah" Magazine, The Huffington Post, The Glitter Guide, Essence Magazine, domino, Rue Magazine, among others.