With baby Jacob just days away from making his appearance, I have just a couple of finishing touches to do on his neutral deer themed nursery. This was the most challenging nursery I have put together for two reasons:
- We live in a rental home and are limited in what we can do. I wasn’t able to paint which is a super low cost way to drastically change the look of a room. We also weren’t able to change out the flooring or lighting, so the carpet had to stay and so did the overhead light.
- My goal was to complete his room with as little money as possible.
Here’s a mood board I created for inspiration.
1. Pottery Barn Crib Bumper
I bought the bumper off Poshmark so it was used, but I’ve never minded second-hand things and I chose to spend my money elsewhere. It came gently used and was my inspiration for his room. Cost: $25
2. Ikea Jennylund Chair
I originally bought the Jennylund chair for my daughter’s nursery because it was inexpensive. I bought a white chair cover and customized it by hand-painting the piping. The wrinkles were free, by the way.
Originally, the chair did not rock and I knew I couldn’t have a baby room without a rocking chair. So, I had the chair changed over from a stationary chair to a rocker by removing the legs and adding a swivel mechanism using an Ikea hack we found online. Since the cover is easily removable, I knew it would save a ton of money to reuse the chair for the new nursery by just purchasing a new cover. I found that the colors of Ikea slipcovers are very limited. That’s when I stumbled across Bemz.com.
Bemz is a company located in Europe. They make covers for Ikea chairs and footstools and also mattress covers, bedskirts, curtains, and bedspreads. It takes a while for the product to reach you (6-8 weeks), but it was well worth it. Their products are amazing. Not only was it affordable, but I was able to choose from over 200 fabrics and colors. Even more awesome was that the slipcover fit like a glove! I highly recommend this company! Cost: $99
3. Deer Bust
Originally, I was thinking about purchasing a deer bust to go above the crib, but many of them were pricy and I just couldn’t bite the bullet. My mom, however, found this deer hanging from one of my favorite stores in Woodstock, Georgia called Pineapple Park. It’s a boutique store owned by interior designer Pacita Wilson. Her style is amazing and there is so much to see when you walk into her store. Cost: $0
4. Delta Children Urban Classic 3-in-1 Convertible Crib, White/Grey
I wanted something simple for his crib. I also didn’t want it to be difficult to move through doorways. The most challenging thing about my daughter’s crib was that it was so big and bulky, it would not fit through doorways, even after completely removing the door! As often as I move, I didn’t want to run into that problem again. This crib is definitely compact and perfect for a smaller nursery. Cost: Normally around $160.00 My Cost: FREE (I sold some older furniture and used the money to pay for the crib! Score!)
5. Baskets
While I love this basket organizer from Hobby Lobby, even with the discount, it was going to be too pricy, so I went hunting for something more affordable. I wanted some baskets to hang on the wall to store some diapering supplies for easy access. I found this basket hanger from Old Time Pottery for less than $20! Cost: $0 (Again, I sold some unwanted furniture and used the money to make this purchase).
6. Ikea Ekorre Rocking Moose
I was on the hunt for a rocking horse/deer for the nursery and didn’t want to spend an arm and a leg for one. I attended a local children’s consignment event and spotted this rocking moose in red, perfect for his plaid bedroom. They’re originally sold for about $40 at Ikea but I snatched it up for only $10 at the children’s consignment event. Again, this was bought with money made from selling old, unwanted items. Cost: $0
7. Cloudy Shag Geometric Rug
My original plan was to purchase a faux animal skin rug, but I couldn’t find coloring that I liked, so I found this rug on RugsUSA and thought it would tie in nicely with the crib. Cost: $49.50
8. Andover Mills Dresser
I saw this dresser on Pinterest and loved it. I bought it from Wayfair because they had the best price. Cost: Originally $250 (Half the cost of the crib was paid for using money from the sale of unwanted items through the Facebook Marketplace) Our Cost: $125.
9. Delta Changing Kit
Also found on Pinterest, the Delta changing kit was the perfect shade of gray to tie the dresser in with the gray in the crib. They were also the same brand so the gray was an exact match. Original Cost: $25.00 but I used my Chase points to purchase it so it was actually FREE!
10. Deer Quilt
This is where I splurged. I wanted to tie the entire room together with something cute, so I scoured Etsy for a homemade quilt that I thought would match the crib bumper. That’s when I stumbled across OyeBaby on Etsy. The owner, Sue, does a fantastic job making baby quilts. Her craftsmanship is top notch, her customer service is bar none, and her attention to detail all the way down to her shipping and packaging is above and beyond superb.
She created a custom order for me and communicated with me all along the way. It was well worth the money to support a small business and owner who knows how to treat her customers! Cost: $150
11. Deer Changing Pad Cover and Sheets
I went through Target to order my changing pad cover and sheets in this neutral deer fabric along with the carseat and some other odds and ends. I reused the changing pad cover from my daughter’s nursery so did not need to purchase a new one. I have also seen this same print on Amazon. Cost: $0 (Thank you, mom, for the gift card!)
I think everything came together really well! I originally purchased the crib and dresser before even knowing whether I was having a boy or a girl. I knew it would work for either. That’s one of the best ways to save money if you know you’re going to have more children. By choosing gender neutral furniture, you can easily transform a space into a boy’s room or a girl’s room.
I feel pretty good about the cost for the room and how much I was able to save just by looking for things to sell around my home.
Total Cost: $370.00 (give or take a few accessories)
Here are some extra details:
These are daddy’s old baby shoes that his mother had bronzed.
Stay tuned for a last minute project to finish up Jacob’s nursery! Let the countdown to D day continue! 4 days left until I hold my sweet baby boy!
Until then, show me your inspiring baby boy nurseries!
