With two weeks to go before my due date, we’re wrapping up a few final nursery updates: painting the closet door a cheerful color, organizing clutter, hanging more art, and—of course—changing our minds about the curtains at the last minute.
We painted the closet door green after Clara kept saying, “My baby will like a colored door like mine but not pink.” A bold green door had been in our original plan back in January, and once we mentioned it to her she became obsessed—so we finally stopped hesitating and went for it.
After hanging apple-green curtains and adding a kelly green sheet to the changing table, we worried a bright green door might feel like too much. Then we remembered some airy Ikea curtains we still had from our last house, so we hung those temporarily to see how everything looked together. They had previously been on our deck sliders and came down when we installed french doors, so it seemed worth trying them out.
The colorful curtains had taken time to make, but they’d been inexpensive—under $10 each—so we didn’t feel bad swapping them out when the green door won our hearts. I also removed a faux-changing-pad cover I’d draped on the table; it was just a fabric remnant used to imagine a green cover, and the bright closet door made that mock-up unnecessary.
We still think the curtains could use a few finishing touches—I’m considering lining them with blackout fabric and adding trim in black, brown, or maybe green. And picking out a real changing pad cover is still on the list.
To choose the exact green for the door, we taped up swatches and observed them at different times of day—morning, afternoon, and at night with the light on. The winner was Irish Moss by Benjamin Moore: not too dark, not too light, and balanced between yellow and blue tones.
I painted the door in semi-gloss and used only a quart of paint, but it took three coats to reach full, even coverage. Bold colors often look rough for a coat or two and then come together beautifully. A tinted primer might have reduced the number of coats, but since I didn’t have one, I did three coats of paint instead. I started with a brush for the first coat…
…and finished with a brush plus a small foam roller for the last two coats to speed things up. We used the same brush-and-roller approach on Clara’s door, and the finish has held up well under heavy use for five months.
Getting the closet ready was mostly about organizing: lining up shoes, placing a few empty baskets on the top shelf for future use, corralling extra toys in a bin on the floor, and moving overflow to the hall closet. The hall closet is larger and will store items we won’t need right away—like a bumbo seat and a play table. The nursery closet can evolve over time with cubbies, baskets, or a cozy floor-reading spot, but it feels good to have a neat, blank slate now.
I had two wooden frames I wanted on the curtain wall, so I created simple artwork inspired by a pear poster I’d seen. I drew the pear shape in pencil on white foam core and used green and brown finger paints from Clara’s stash. As the baby grows we’ll likely swap it out for a family photo or a favorite animal, but this feels sweet for now.
For the “Love You Forever” sign below, I followed the look of a charming handmade print and cut letters from black construction paper. I roughly sketched the letters, cut them out, and arranged them on foam core—aiming for similar heights without obsessing over perfection. John suggested adding color to the V’s, so I glued decorative paper accents in place. The whole project took about fifteen minutes and cost nothing.
We like that the sentiment mirrors the print in Clara’s room that says “You Are So Loved.” It feels fitting to have a similar message in our son’s space.
The wooden frames complement the stained tops of the built-ins and the dark drawer hardware, tying visually to the bike art and the changing table on the other side of the room for a balanced look.
We also found a sweet wooden rocker at a local consignment shop for $15. Clara is obsessed with it and insists her brother will love it too. It looks delicate but holds her weight just fine.
Slowly but surely the nursery is coming together. We have some ideas for the wall behind the crib and might wait until the baby arrives to finalize it. In the meantime, the built-in toys, elephant-patterned crib sheets, and the new green closet door make us even more excited to bring our little man home.
We also wanted to retake our family photo before the baby is born, a tradition we started with Clara, so here’s the snapshot we took when we began the room in January…
…and the one we took yesterday. I joked with John about Photoshop, but it turns out my belly really does sit that far out. #watermelonsmuggler
For perspective, here’s how the room looked before we moved in last summer.
Although there are still tasks left, the space already feels much more baby-ready.
Here’s our current to-do list:
- Get a proper changing pad cover.
- Line the curtains with blackout fabric and add a trim detail in black, brown, or green.
- Treat the wall behind the crib with wallpaper, a stencil, slatted wood, or an accent color (we have a plan but might wait).
- Make a small woodsy cuckoo clock to match the nursery’s charm.
- Add an overhead light on a dimmer—still debating styles we both like.
- Consider painting the ceiling a soft color someday, maybe a pale sky blue to expand the palette.
- Install sconces between the built-ins in a few years for reading light once the crib becomes a twin bed.
Are you working on any art projects, curtain swaps, or bold paint choices? We didn’t expect to fall for saturated doors, but once you start, they’re hard to stop.