We had been looking at homes to purchase for almost a year before we found The One. When we pulled into the driveway, it just instantly felt right, and as we walked through each new space, it felt more and more like home. But it wasn’t until I opened the door to what would be Jude’s nursery when I saw the pale minty green walls and my eyes first filled with tears. It was the color I’d been envisioning for the nursery, regardless of the sex of the baby, since I found out I was pregnant. We put an offer in on the home that evening, and moved in about six weeks later. One of my immediate projects was planning the nursery.

I started with color scheme & theme planning, and then by making a scale diagram to plan the furniture before purchasing. I like to know that it will all fit before buying, so I usually sit on the floor of the room I’m planning with my laptop, a measuring tape and a sketchbook.

By then, we knew Jude would be a boy and that his name would most likely be Jude— though we didn’t announce his name to anyone until he was born. Eric and I are both very much into music and assumed our son would be as well. Plus— his name would be Jude, which can be seen as a nod of approval to one of the most influential musicians of all time. I had the idea to play up the music theme, though I didn’t want that theme to be too over the top so I added in some kitchsy animals to balance it out and still keep it playful.

I made the crib mobile by hand with animals and headphones, and I designed all of the custom framed artwork with lyrics from relevant songs. Most of these songs also made their way to our birth playlist. We also handmade the striped curtains, the changing table tray, the life-sized ruler growth chart and the crib skirt.

Here is my initial sketch:

and my digital floorplan:

And these are a few photos of the final result. Jude even made a couple appearances.