Oliver is officially here and we’re soaking up all the newborn love.
I’ll share more about post-partum recovery and life with a little one shortly, but in the meantime, here’s a tour of his neutral safari-themed nursery!
A few things before we get started… Our historic home (built in 1928) is fairly small, and so we’ve chosen to use the nursery closet for our own clothes. That said, we needed to make sure we maximized the space in the nursery, as it’s a small room to begin with (10 feet X 10 feet).
To fit everything, we needed smart storage and organization. Back-of-the-door storage is a huge help as well as using the top three drawers of the dresser for non-clothing items.
We also store things under the dresser and under the crib; plus, we found storage solutions for toys while keeping “stuff” to a minimum (as much as possible).
Oh, and for those curious about the nursery paint color, it’s Behr Dynasty White Mocha in Interior Matte Finish.
Here’s our neutral safari-themed nursery!
Entry Shelves
The shelves are from IKEA but have been sold out for AGES—I found them on Poshmark. However, you can find lots of other similar options on Etsy which is what we did for the bookshelves under the windows).
Tip: Flip the bottom shelf to create a bar for hanging items. Be sure to mount the shelf using anchors appropriate for the weight you’ll be handing (eg. 50lbs)
Top Shelf Books
Bottom Shelf
Bottom Shelf Hanging
- Solly Wrap (in Rising Sun)
- Fawn + Nordstrom Square Diaper Bag (Hanging from Stroller Straps)
- Drool Bandanas
Behind Door Organization
We use this in the nursery and our guest bathroom and it’s a HUGE space saver. Instead of buying the Container Store set, I bought the individual items so that I could customize the bin size.
The set comes with small, medium, and large bins but I needed all large sizes — so just an FYI you can design in the Design Center to fully customize what you need.
On each bin, I used white bin clip labels and in some of the bins, I used plastic containers to organize smaller items like pacifiers, rattles, and teethers.
Storage Solutions for Behind the Door
- Over the Door Rack Set
- OR use the “Door Wall Rack Design Center” and you can select all large bins
- White Bin Clip Labels
- Plastic Containers (“Tall Bin Organizers”)
Left Wall (with the Crib)
- Sconces (similar)
- Neutral Rainbow Art by Di Prima Designs
- Giraffe Rocker — This was a hand-me-down!
- Crib: Babyletto Hudson
- Organic Crib Mattress from Avocado
- Crib Sheet from Serena and Lily, but you can find a similar and less expensive safari-themed crib sheet from Crane Baby
- Crib Quilt from Serena and Lily
- Tassel Bedskirt from Crane Baby
- Wall Basket
- Basket Wall Hook
- Nursery Hanging Light
- Nursery Rug (similar)
- Crib Bunny Soother
- Safari Mobile
- Mobile Arm
Storage Cabinet
- Storage Cabinet
- Storage Cabinet Legs
- Storage Baskets
- Gold Bin Clips
- Wooden Mushroom Home Toy
- “So Stinkin’ Cute” Cross-Stitch (this was gifted but I found the pattern online)
- Olli Ella “See ya” Suitcase (these are extremely hard to find now but ours is the Ochre color)
- Wooden Airplane
Window Wall
- Book Shelves (in Natural Raw)
- Books (see my Baby Shower Gift Guide for my favs)
- Sheepskin Rug (Size 2’x3′)
- Wooden Play Gym
- Giraffe Basket
- Kiwi Electronic Swivel Glider (in Boucle)
- Kiwi Gliding Ottoman
- Organic Cotton Blanket (in Sand)
Nursing/Pumping Station
- 3 Shelf Bookcase
- Top Shelf:
- Lamp
- Small Glass Jar + Medium Glass Jar (I store snacks here for while I’m pumping)
- Second Shelf:
- Bottom Shelf:
- Use for misc. storage!
Dresser Wall
- Wall Baskets (Set of 2)
Dresser Area
A lot of these items are from countries around the world (which I love)!
Top Shelf
- Leather Strap Shelves
- Mushie Stacking Cups (Danish Company)
- Birth Announcement Sign
- Plush Elephant (Similar—hand knit in Kenya)
- Giraffe Planter
Bottom Shelf
- Safari Music Box
- Safari Print (Size 8×8) from Spain
- Raffia Lion Head (Beige) from Spain
Dresser Items
Items on the Dresser
Quick note, the dresser is from Babyletto, it’s the Palma Dresser (in warm white).
- Woven Canister (similar)
- Wicker Tiered Tray (I actually got this in the Target dollar section but linked a similar one)
- Hatch Light
- Hatch Changing Pad and Scale
- Talli Baby Tracker Device — Use the code “THEBLONDEABROAD” for $10 off any purchase on Talli!
- Wipe Warmer (similar)
Items in Dresser
Drawer Organization
While I’m not going to list out every single item as we’d probably be here all day…I will give you a breakdown of how we organized the drawers!
- Top Left 1/3 Drawer: Medical + Care Items
- Top Middle 1/3 Drawer: Burp Cloths + Socks
- Top Right 1/3 Drawer: Diapers + Creams & Lotions
- Middle Left 1/2 Drawer: Bodysuits
- Middle Right 1/2 Drawer: Footies
- Bottom Left 1/2 Drawer: Misc. Clothes
- Bottom Right 1/2 Drawer: Swaddles, drool bandanas + sleep sacks, swim + sun hats, baby shoes
Odor-Locking Steel Diaper
Ubbi
Unlike plastic, this steel bin keeps the smell shielded inside. It also has a childproof lock to keep little hands from finding their way inside.
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What do you think are nursery essentials? Let me know in the comments below!
Hi. The link for the backpack brings up an error message. Where or what is the brand of the backpack?
Sorry! Here’s a direct link https://fawndesign.com/collections/the-square-diaper-bag