Growing up, I always pictured my dream home filled with my dream family. Thanks to Pinterest, I have recreated this dream about 5 million times and it never gets old. But once I heard the news that I was expecting, my brain did this weird thing and kicked into what we like to call “nesting mode”. Now is my chance to build this dream home with my real life *growing* dream family.

With my busy schedule, its been so easy to put off finalizing the decor in our apartment and exchange that energy towards making the store look better or working on new concepts and ideas. But now, it’s like I can’t stop thinking about it. Little things like a cute entry way (where I can easily store all my hats), some new cushions for our couch and rug – thanks to Didi we’ve had to be on the hunt for a new one anyway. But what gets me most excited is Axel’s space.

We’ve got a one bedroom apartment, so trying to come up with a cool design within our bedroom has been quite a challenge. But i’m ready to take it on and create his perfect little space. Lucky for us, space isn’t an issue – so there’s a lot to play around with. The extra storage is a plus, too.

here are two inspiration boards i’ve put together this week before I start to head out and hunt.

I’ve been really interested in making this space a perfect cozy, neutral and minimal space for our little guy. Something that won’t be overcrowding our space, either. I’ve pinned and pinned and i feel comfortable enough to finally begin the process of hunting down all the items we want (all while keeping within a budget).

main inspiration piece is the painting behind Didi in the photo. it’s an original work by Adrian’s late great uncle. we’re a huge fan of his work and actually have several pieces hanging all around the apartment.

we’ll be DIY’ing a few things like painting our current dresser set to match the art piece. we’ll probably be going with this color by BEHR “green trellis” and adding a few gold drawer pulls. i’m also currently working on a copper + cotton thread macrame piece to hang on the wall behind the crib. we also have a few wood slabs laying around the house – so we will add those to the wall above the dresser for additional decor and storage space.

dresser: ikea (no longer available) // crib: ikea (under $100!) // drawer pulls: martha stewart via home depot // pom pom blanket via Etsy // striped crib sheet: burt’s bees via buy buy baby // baby changer pad for above dresser: keekaroo peanut changer (natural to match the color scheme)

we’ve already got the couch, chair and ottoman. all that’s really left to make our living room “complete” is a new rug + entry way stylized. I currently have a make shift table at the entryway – but I’m looking to change it up for a bench like the one in the photo.

i feel like adding a bit of blue and green into the neutral mix of what we have will already set a premise for a calming and relaxing vibe. just exactly what we need after a long day of work!

bench: ikea // rug: rugs usa (on super, super sale!) // pillows: still on the hunt, but really looking for a some african mud cloth ones. etsy might be my best bet!

inspiration photos found within the mood boards are via pinterest