welcome to... layla's room

Baby items on display are kept to a minimum but baby shoes are too cute to hide away!

If you've come from renovate + decorate, you're probably over this room! But in case you haven't, here is Layla's nursery end of our bedroom. While I'm waiting for pics to come from others for nursery tours, I thought I'd show you Layla's. It's changed a little since she moved in: we had to move the cradle away from the middle window because it was FREEZING against that wall, so I moved the dresser over and popped my cane chair in the corner. The window has also become a shelf for her soft-toy pressies and I had to dig Zak's mobile out of the cabin to keep her entertained. You can see what it looked before here

Who sleeps here: Layla Belle, 6 weeks, NSW Central Coast, Australia
What was your initial inspiration for the room? The fact we were bunking together - I wanted it to be anything but babyish. But I think the chalkboard artwork of my (somewhat doctored!) pregnant silhouette kind of summed up what I was thinking for the space: something grown up in a neutral, serene colour palette without forgetting that a baby will live here too.

Layla's end of our bedroom

How did you build on this inspiration? I stuck to all-white furniture and kept the baby stuff to a minimum, making sure whatever is on display is as eye-pleasing as possible and not too out of character of the room. I used hits of classic black and white in the storage boxes, fabric-covered canvases and picture wall (not shown - in our side of the room), and painted the back wall a purpley grey. I didn't know the sex of the baby either, so wanted something gender neutral that would still work after they left. That said, I'm pretty sure we'll wallpaper that wall or do something else once she's out of our room.

What's your fave piece in the room? The baby! But besides Layla, it'd be the wallpapered dresser. I love it and think it's perfect for a little girl's room (good thing she turned out to be a girl then!)

My fave piece: the wallpapered dresser

Best bargain? Hmm, everything really: the cradle was given to me by my aunty, the wardrobe is on loan from my brother-in-law, the dresser was originally Zak's and all the artwork I either made myself or bought from Etsy. I didn't spend much - saving up for a new kitchen!

Biggest splurge? Probably the contents of her wardrobe!

The new Etsy prints on the wall (and Layla in her cot!)

Any handmade touches you did yourself? Yep: I drew the chalkboard silhouette; painted and wallpapered the dresser; revamped the cot; painted the stencil on the window, customised the MDF "L" and made the artwork on her cradle.

How would one get this look? Create uniformity with white furniture but break it up with a surprise piece such as a great vintage wardrobe, cool coloured chairs or in my case, wallpapered dresser. Don't use anything commercial or too nursery-like and keep the colour palette subtle and serene. A few homemade touches create interest and make the room unique which is a nice change from catalogue-looking rooms.

I made this little black felt Bambi silhouette as black and white are the best stimulants for newborns.

Nursery buy you can't live without A musical mobile for the newbies. I'd forgotten how handy it was until I dug it out and popped it above her. She loves it.

What's next for this space? Once Layla is about six months old, she'll probably move in with Zak. I'm already planning what I want to do with a combined boy/girl room. I'll probably turn this end of the room into an office and little sitting room seeing as my office space is about to be demolished to open up the kitchen and dining area a little more.