Jojo’s nursery tour
As soon as we found out we were having a girl, I was immediately stoked for a) the clothes and b) her room. And two years in, I have not been disappointed! I take great joy in playing baby/toddler stylist, and I also absolutely love spending time in her room. It was a real oasis of calm for me in the early days: even when I had a crying baby, the environment felt very soothing. And as Jojo has gotten bigger, it’s become a very pleasant, sun-soaked place for us to read and play.
When I was pregnant, I thought about the big three things I wanted to prioritize in Jojo’s life (in the hopes that she would also love them): reading, travel and being outside. I wanted her living space to reflect that in a way. I mostly left the “being outside” portion to the fact that we live in San Diego: we spend a ton of time in our front yard, back yard, neighbors’ yards and nearby park and playground (not to mention, the nearby-ish beach!). For her room, I wanted books to be not just a focal point but a core part of how we spent time here–as well as to plant the seeds of inspiration for travel and a love of exploration.
Instead of princesses or unicorns, I started with a vintage Air France travel poster “for a theme” and went from there. I love old airline and train advertisements, but have never found quite the right one (aka David has never approved) for elsewhere in our house. I loved the colors of this Air France advertisement for Morocco, Algeria and Tunisia, but I also appreciated that it was somewhere that I hadn’t been: North Africa has been on my “want to go” list for a long time, and perhaps Jojo and I will get to go together someday.
And, of course, we wanted books to be an essential part of the room–and easily accessible for Jojo to reach. absolutely love these floor bookshelves (so much so that we actually bought one more as we continued to buy more books for her personal library–I cannot resist), especially with the end shelves for toys. These floating bookshelves were a neat way to display some of our favorite books: there’s one shelf full of dog books (Pig the Pug and Dog’s First Baby are both big hits), and other that is mostly New York City themed books (a favorite is B is for Bagel!).
Although I definitely wanted her room to be feminine–aka yes, it’s pink–I didn’t want it to feel too frilly. This 36 Hours in Marrakech paint not only perfectly fit my Morocco theme, but it also felt warm and welcoming without being too girly or baby-ish. It feels like a color that can continue to grow with her–although the true joy of paint is that it’s easy to change, so I’m definitely not opposed to switching it up in the future. This shag rug complemented the wall color really nicely, and although I have had brief moments of “why did I choose a white rug for this room,” I love how soft it is–especially when she was rolling around all of the time and learning how to crawl and walk (and now somersault!).
The crib is definitely the focal point of the room, and we wanted to make sure we found one that would easily convert to a toddler bed. So far, so good! We never used the mini crib option, but it was super easy to adjust the height of the bed as Jojo got bigger and more mobile. I still love the aesthetic of the crib, so I’m looking forward to having it in her space for many more years (and we are in NO rush to switch from crib to toddler bed–it is great to have her contained!). We love these super soft crib sheets, and they come in a ton of colors.
For the dresser, we gave a classic Ikea option a big glow-up. David painted it a clean, deep blue, added some fun crystal knobs (similar here) and classier legs. I’m also the biggest proponent of this easy-to-clean changing pad: it instantly turned our dresser into a changing table. And believe me, having something that is easy to clean is IMPORTANT. I truly cannot imagine having a fabric that I would have to wash in the midst of *unpleasant* situations. We kept a container of Clorox wipes (just took off the label) right next to the changing table to be able to wipe it down as often as needed.
Above the dresser, we hung a fun mobile and used a standard Ikea display shelf for some extra travel and reading inspiration: the girl heroes of an Ideal Bookshelf, a Paris print by my talented friend Erica, a postcard from the Strand. All in classic white Ribba frames!
When Jojo was born, we spent hours upon hours (or so it felt) in this glider as we gave her bottles and burped her and snuggled her. It was super comfortable, and it was excellent to be able to fully recline and nap in those early days (and middle of the nights). The reindeer fur feels especially sentimental to me: I bought it while pregnant in Finland, and carried it in all of its cumbersome glory across many connecting flights through Finland, France and the USA to bring it home. Once we stopped giving Jojo bottles and she was always on the move, we swapped the glider for a Lovesac. We absolutely love it for being able to sit together and read books, and it’s nice for us to be able to be a little lower to the ground as we relax and Jojo plays. Side note: big fan of Offerup and Buy Nothing apps to easily get rid of baby-related products we no longer needed.
Two other tiny things we have that we love and that I think are fun to have in any kids room: a hanging glass crystal ball and a window sun catcher prism. Basically: BIG RAINBOWS when the sun streams in a certain way every morning!
With that in mind, we’ve tried to be flexible with the space as Jojo grows. What was once a potted palm in the corner became a hanging plant as Jojo started to walk. We keep a few toys in her room, but usually rotate them out at the beginning of the week (and keep a big container in the garage filled with the ones not being used–and try to be intentional about giving away ones that aren’t holding her attention any longer). And, of course, we have a dog bed in the corner so that the pugs are also always welcome to hang out!
All photos by Erica Connolly.
