6 Tips For Creating Your Dream Nursery Space: For All Budget and Spaces!

Naomi Coe Little Crown Interiors 


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Naomi: bottom of the show notes. 


Looking at what it looks like and all the little sweet details, but you've got storage and you've got safety, and you have a changing, evolving need for different items as your little one grows. So welcome, Naomi. 


Naomi: Yeah, of course. Thanks for having 


Trish: me. Naomi. Can you take a moment and just tell everyone who you are, what you do, where you come from, and all that? 


Sure. 


This was before Instagram. started there and. It was a very interesting experience because it was so functional, heavy. As you mentioned, there's so much safety involved and there's so many things you have to consider that you don't have to consider when you're doing a living room, and I really loved that, that aspect of it. 


Trish: It's so interesting because you must have really realized, wow, this is my thing. Because I think that's how most of us who find ourselves doing something unique like this, like very niche down or specific, that. We just it does something in our soul. And I don't know if you've read the book, big Magic. 


Have you ever read that? No. Oh, it's so incredible for creatives like yourself and myself. It's basically she says there's this magical creative thing floating, and I'm totally paraphrasing, so forgive me, but it's floating out there. And when it lands on you, your creativity flows. 


I love it. So today we're gonna be talking about your six tips, maybe some bonus tips about creating your nursery space or your dream nursery space. And I'm really excited to hear even tips maybe for moms who don't have a larger budget. So maybe we can throw in that as well. So let's start with tip 


Naomi: number. 


And then the blog posts with the, you. Here's all the items that you absolutely have to have, and it gets really overwhelming. So the first thing I like to do is have people make a checklist. And of course for my clients, I provide that for them. But if you are on your own, make your own checklist. I also have one in the book. 


Of every single item that you think that you need in the nursery. And then another column four, budget. And when I say every item, every item. So the wipes warmer, the diapers, anything that's gonna go inside that room, because I think a lot of parents don't understand. That all of those little things can really add up in the end. 


Where your money's going. You can decide which items you wanna splurge on and which ones you wanna try and save. You can see what items you can put on your registry to maybe save some money there. So having it outlined is really important in the beginning. 


Trish: I love that so much because as you were talking about it, you also can see what you might need. 


Storage for 


Naomi: storage is a big one too. 


Trish: Yeah. Yeah. Except cuz all those little items have to 


Naomi: have a. Where they're gonna live. If you're living as the baby ages, you're gonna have different needs. So things will go in, things will go out. 


Trish: That's a good point. Make sure you're having things go out. People don't hold on to everything. 


It can be replaceable. I mean it replaced with another baby. Okay, so what is our number two tip? 


There's all this nesting involved. There can be issues trying to coordinate with your partner birth planning, all of that. And then you have this nursery to figure out. So the really important thing is they have a safe place to sleep. They have what they need to get fed and diapered, and that's it, so if you don't have the perfect chandelier, by the time the baby's. It's okay. You got a bassinet, they can sleep safe. You can change 'em on the floor if you have to. I know that is antithetical to this big interior design business, but I do try to be real with my clients because, a big part of my job is to take the stress off of. 


Trish: I love that so much. And I think that's a really important tip for these moms because you're right, they have so much to plan for and obviously I am 100% about not winging your birth. So you have to be planning for that and educating yourself. But at the same time, you're right. Like it doesn't all have to be perfect and come together because more than likely baby is not gonna be in there very much for the first couple months anyway, exactly. 


Yeah. So that's great. Okay. What is there, tip number three? 


And there's plenty of people that do that, and that's fine. But I've had a lot of clients as soon as they get the baby home, they're not ready to do that. And they wanna keep the baby close and, having the option ready so you don't have to. Go out and get one and then deal with, building it yourself while you have this infant. 


It's great to just have one ready to go. And it also can be really important if you're dealing with any type of issue post-birth that prevents you from climbing the stairs. If your room is on a different floor than the nursery and you're stuck on whichever floor your room is in for the most part. 


SNOO is a big one. I have a huge speech about the snoo. It's 


Trish: so funny that you said that cuz I would love to hear what it, like your. Obviously we're gonna hear about the snoo, but what is your favorite, do you have a favorite bassinet that is more portable that you lean towards? 


Naomi: As not really for portable, I tend to lean towards the ones that are not as portable for upstairs, because ones like this new and the halo, they come with, tech features in them. And those are just too heavy to move. So if you're interested in any type of features like that, it, you're gonna sacrifice mobility. 


But it has the same function and it folds. So you can stick it in the closet when you're nice. Not using it and travel. 


Trish: You love that one. And you could travel with that, I would assume. Could you travel with that or no? Is it too 


Naomi: big? Probably. I'm not sure exactly how. Maybe car trip you call that for traveling? 


Maybe a car trip? Yeah. Yeah. So ones like that, that are on wheels for downstairs are great. And then generally the ones for upstairs for bedside are gonna be a little heavier. Yeah, 


Trish: I'm just gonna say because we had the halo and saying that it's heavy is like no joke. That thing. It's heavy and very awkward. 


Ridiculously hard to move. It's so hard to move around. Like just trust me when I say where you pick for it to go, it's staying cuz postpartum. Yes. You are not moving that thing. You will hemorrhage if you try to move a halo bassinet. Yes. Anyway, that was a, just stay with the same, is it? I haven't had experience with that one, but it's no joke. 


Don't move it ladies. Okay. So tip number four. I love this. We're just flowing along. 


Recess lighting and you just have one switch and it goes on and one switch and it goes off. If you bring in an additional lighting source and even just a small table lamp that can go on your dresser or on a little table next to the glider, that gives you a lot of flexibility when you come in there at night. 


Cuz if you need to come in the middle of the night, you don't wanna flip on the spotlight. Super bright, massive overhead lighting and risk waking, waking up the baby. Having a little option like that if you need to sneak in there, if you fall asleep in there and then need to figure out how to get out without, tripping, you can just turn on the little light. 


For a second. 


Trish: As opposed to your iPhone flashlight. 


Naomi: Exactly. But we may not have that next to you, but that could work Well that, 


Naomi: Yeah. Something a little dim. And then that goes also with windows. 


So the same thing applies. Flexibility is really great if you can. And when it comes to windows, that usually relates to window treatment, so having the option to fully black out the window if needed, and also have the option to let in some light. And of course, that can get expensive. Window treatments are very expensive. 


But if you're able to, having both options, so a sheer shade and also blackout drapery to give you flexibility, cuz you never know how your baby's gonna respond. Okay? Some kids will just sleep, and then others will lose it over the tiniest bit of light. So sleep training is a whole other ballgame. 


I don't pretend to know, be an expert there. Flexibility 


I love that. What is our next tip? I'm loving 


Naomi: these. Good. Let's see. So we already talked a little bit about bringing things in and bringing things out, but planning for future storage is something that I like to do because when you have all these teeny tiny things for the newborn, you have teeny clothes and If you design a nursery just for those things, you're gonna run outta space very soon, right? 


For where they're gonna go. Cuz they're gonna be all over Everywhere. 


Trish: It takes over. It's like an alien invasion. It takes over everything. Yes. It's so funny, when my grandson's mama was pregnant, her and my son were like, we're not gonna have a bunch of stuff and we're not gonna have toys all around. And it was all about the really cute like boho toys. 


My grandson's mama should definitely be in design. She's just naturally one of those people. But I tried to warn her that your child will have a personality and children go to the non trendy, cute toys. They go to the bright, colorful ones that you would rather not have all over your house. So yes, now her house is covered in all things Batman. 


So have you heard of Sad Beige? 


Trish: hilarious. I need to, I just wrote it down. I've gotta check it out. Yeah. So that you guys let me know if you check it out and tell me what you think. 


That's so great. I'm gonna have to send that to Anna. Okay. Yeah, it's good. So I'm, I've lost count. Where are we at? Are we on number six now? I think that was number 


Naomi: five. Okay. Yeah. So this is a very small tip, but a very important one. A lot of people get 20 baby blankets and stroller blankets and swaddle blankets, but they don't get a blanket for themselves. 


And I like to have a big adult size, super cozy, washable blanket that lives on the glider because you will absolutely fall asleep in there and you will absolutely need a blanket. And having one at arm's reach without huffing to get up, especially if you have a baby on you or you know you're trapped in the middle of feeding or something. 


Trish: and washable. I love that. I, that's so brilliant because you definitely would want that, especially after having a baby, because your hormones are all over the place. So you might want the blanket for a minute and then throw it and then need it right back. 


Yeah. And then you need it right back. So that's, Fantastic. So I love all six of those tips. So now I have a couple questions for you that Yes some of my mamas in my membership asked me when we were talking about this interview, cuz I was, by the way, for those of you guys listening Naomi sent me her book, your Perfect Nursery, and it is absolutely stunning and I've been going through it because I am trying to decorat. 


And then I start looking and I go into these rabbit holes and then I get overwhelmed and I turn away from it. Like it's a really terrible car wreck. And I can't, I get overwhelmed. So I'm looking through your book last night after I got off of my happy hour and I'm. I'm just gonna steal some of these ideas because like I'm looking at this one, this dresser is gorgeous because, I need a baby look in some ways, right? 


But I love that you pull it all together for these mamas, because for people like me, I have an eye for detail and I love detail, but I can't pull it all together to make it. Do you know what I mean? Okay. So a lot of times my rooms will look like popery because I like this and I like that. So I really love that you put this together in the book and inside of her book, there's lists, and I'm such a paper person. 


It's gorgeous. It look, I, it's such a perfect book that you could have on a coffee table. It's just so gorgeous. So yeah. Thank you. Here's my questions for you. I got off on a tangent. Here's my questions. So a couple of my mamas have very small space, so in one of them, Is living in an RV temporarily. 


They're traveling and have a, a different season of life right now. So if you have someone who, the RV is a very small space, but if you have someone who, like my one student lives in the city and has a really small space, where do they start? I know we said start with the checklist, but what would you say to them? 


Naomi: Yes, so this is actually something I've dealt with fairly often cuz we do eSign all over the country. So I've done quite a few, New York apartment nurseries and they are a challenge for sure. But I think go, going back to the first tip we talked about, just the, making that checklist and then going over what can I actually. 


And then figuring out creative solutions for the items that you cannot fit. Or just crossing them off if they're completely unnecessary. One thing two things really that you don't need are the glider and the dresser. And of course they are so great to have, but if you can't fit a glider in your room, you can use a sofa, you can use your bed. 


You can use that in house too. It doesn't have to just be travel one. And I know a lot of people who use those, even though they have a beautiful changing table, because it's just easier sometimes Or your 


Trish: knees. Sometimes it's your knees. Yes. Yeah, I agree. I think I did more diaper changes on the floor and the couch than my changing table. 


Naomi: And you don't have to worry about the baby rolling off and it's, you have a little bit more downward force. So those are great. And the storage of course, is gonna be the challenge. So if you don't have the dresser, then. Storage is gonna be tricky. But again, if you're in a small space, there are interesting ways you can go up the walls. 


There might be some conversations to be had there. 


Trish: Yeah, I think that's great. So would you recommend for these moms to have a smaller crib and is there a reason I never had a smaller crib, but can baby fit in that until they need to go to a toddler bed? If it's a smaller crib or no. 


Naomi: Yes, definitely. 


So there's basically three, three crib sizes, so starting at bassinet would be the smallest one. Okay. Then there's a middle one called a mini crib. And then the full size crib. So mini cribs are in between the size of a bass and a full size crib, and they're really handy for situations like this where you can't quite fit a full size crib. 


Depending on the size, maybe a year or so, maybe a little bit longer to get out of those mini cribs. There's a lot of them now. And there's also the convertible kind, so I know there's two that I know of, speci or three. There's stka. Fi nest egg and there's baby letter just released one, I think it's called Yuzu where it's like a three stage crib that starts as a bassinet, converts to a mini and then converts to a full. 


So that's an option two. If you just wanna use kind of one piece and convert it so you don't have multiple pieces all around to figure out where to. So there's options out there. 


She's with Safe Beginnings and Oh yes. We had her on, I think it was episode 26, and she was sharing. Which this is not about small spaces, so sorry people, but this is how my brain works. She was sharing about being really cautious, what you put over baby's crib or on the wall behind baby's crib, and I know you're in California, so this is pretty poignant for you. But me being from Florida, I never thought about what you put on the wall next to baby's crib. So maybe you can share that as well. And if you guys wanna listen to a really good episode about newborn safety, go to episode 26. And Holly Choy is sharing some really great, informative tips. 


Over the crib because it can pose multiple types of safety issues. I've had clients in the past who just have to have one. And if that's the case, I tell 'em fine. But you can only use it for two months. Okay. And then it's gone for pictures. Exactly. Yeah. And as soon as they have the baby and realize how, Potentially destructive they can be. 


They'll pull that stuff right out. And we had this same conversation years ago with crib bumpers. There was a time when everybody 


Trish: had crib bumpers. Oh, that was what we thought was safe, right? 


Naomi: Yeah. And I would still have clients even after they were deemed unsafe, who still wanted them because they were pretty, and same thing. 


I would just say, fine, but you have to take it out every single time. The baby's in there, 


Naomi: No, they're not. So you have to untie every single little. Yeah. And of course, once they really realize that, then it just goes in the closet forever. 


So that's the kind of the fabric portion of it. And of course that goes along the same with the blankets and pillows. You don't want any of that stuff in the crib. For a while. when it comes to artwork and hanging things above the crib, this, I would argue that it's not just California that you need to worry about because of course in California we have the earthquake risk, but there's other reasons that something can fall off of a wall or get hit on a wall. 


Sometimes we'll, even. We'll do multiple Z bars and boltings on the piece itself, and then we'll actually cock in. The outside. Oh wow. So it just cannot move. Okay. 


Trish: So for those of you guys listening, the reason obviously is that it can fall and injure the baby and there was a huge like trend to put like big buffalo heads and big things like that on the wall. And I'm guaranteeing nobody was caulking him on there. 


Naomi: Yeah, so we definitely are very serious about the security of hanging. And the second thing is no glass. No glass and no mirrors, nothing that can shatter. Any pictures or art, anything. If it has glass in it, we will take that out and put in acrylic. 


Okay. Which doesn't break, so 


Trish: I didn't even think about that. Cuz you have a toddler with a toy and that's that. 


Oh, that's okay. Word about it. The third thing and yeah. And this is it. This is my number one biggest safety rule in general which is to pay attention. So baby's habits are gonna develop as they grow, and some kids are just not gonna be interested in tu in tugging on things, pulling on things. 


Some of them are, and some of them are gonna change. All of a sudden there's gonna start reco, oh, there's a plug in that outlet, I wanna play with that. So paying attention to their habits is super important. And monitoring that stuff all the time when you can. So baby monitors, of course, are great. 


But also just in general, anywhere that they are, if you notice they're starting to get curious about something. Anything if they're in the living room and they start oh, there's a plant. I wanna, what's inside of this pot? Pay attention to that. And adjust 


I don't know if you know that, but each one of them have been so vastly different. And I'm thinking of Ian and Gavin and Laney. Like hell, I could have anything that they could potentially. Injure someone else with and Laney brought things to a whole new level, and she was baby number six. 


This kid was an escape artist. Yep. She could get out of anything. And it was almost like I was getting punked because I would lay her down in the cri. And I would turn around and tiptoe to the door and I would turn around. She would be right behind me and I would be like, how? What? It took me probably a week or two to figure out what she was doing. 


Little character that could walk. And it was a frightening time for me because I didn't know what to do and I ended up getting this thing, this tent thing that goes under the mattress over the top of the crib, and I would have to zip my baby in and she would plaster her face to the edge like, Let me out. 


Let me out, and I would cry every time I shut the door because I felt like I was putting her in a baby prison. But anyway, that's a whole nother topic. There are things to handle that, but I never had that before. So it really is, you just don't know what type of personality your child would be, so you have to plan for the most extreme. 


Naomi: make it Oh, absolutely. Yeah. Getting little decor and pieces that make you feel good. And, I've had, I've even had clients do a little mini nursery in a closet. 


That kind of a thing. But you can still, you can put wallpaper in a closet. You can put little wall names and decorations and things. You can get cute crib sheets, all of that. You can still 


Trish: tell. And that, that was what I was going to ask you is for a tiny space like that, do you recommend an accent wall or wallpaper, or would you say more of a light color on the majority of it to make it feel bigger? 


there anything that I don't know in that 


Trish: preference. Let me ask you one other question that has nothing to do with that, so I hope that helped my moms with small spaces. 


But when you are working with a client, do you try to get to know their personality so that even though you have their list, you're getting a feel for her and for what vibe she's going for? And do you find that sometimes they have an idea of what they want, but you guys completely change it 


Naomi: together? 


So I have to figure that out for. And that takes some, communication. Sometimes I just have to secretly pay attention to cues that they're not aware they're even giving me. I have to investigate their inspiration photos. Because sometimes they'll give me three inspiration photos and they're all completely different. 


And I have to figure out why they like all three of. And there's actually a little bit about that in the book too cuz that's everybody. 


Trish: It is everybody. And I can tell you I went through this with Anna when we were planning our, the shop, cuz I have a shop side of labor nurse mama, where we have le handcrafted labor and delivery gowns and swaddles. 


Like farmhouse bougie because you're going way over here to like this French provincial look and way over here to this farmhouse look and it doesn't go together, Uhhuh. And I'm too bad it's gonna be farmhouse bougie cuz this is what I like. So I feel like sometimes for those of us who don't have the eye that you have or experience, we really think that what we're sending you goes together. 


Naomi: And is similar. Yeah. That's okay. I have clients who do exactly that. And then I have clients who are fully aware that this stuff doesn't go together. They just don't know how to make it go together. 


Trish: Okay. So they wanna blend and they know they wanna blend, but I have the issue of thinking that it might be similar, but it's not. 


Naomi: Yeah, so we actually started doing eSign way before C O V I D. So luckily I have that. It's not 


Trish: a Covid baby. 


Naomi: I know. Yeah, so we had that all already in place and then when Covid hit Restarted, of course, doing a lot more of those. But they're great for anybody who's in the US who just need some help getting it together, but can handle the installation themselves. 


Okay. So of course that's the key is they can order everything on their own and. Put it together themselves. And how it works is basically we do a Zoom call first and we get to know each other and I can do a little bit of that reading I was telling you about. And we have a questionnaire and all this stuff to get all this info. 


And they can go ahead and order on their own. And then we'll edit of course, to tweak the room here and there, depending on what they like and don't like. But it works out really well. And then, any little questions if they hi. Okay, I got the art, but I'm not exactly sure how high to hang it. 


They'll just email it and we'll respond okay. We try to make it as easy as possible for people to get a designer experience. But also the kind of fun DIY of getting it put together themselves. Yeah, I 


Trish: love that. Can you please do like office spaces? Cause that's exactly what I need because I really do love the application of it and bring it all together. 


Naomi: Because, oh, you mean in the, so usually we'll do, we'll design the room, we'll do one shopping list with everything that's shown in the design. 


And then depending on what their budget is, if we need to do a couple here's a few lower budget options. Okay, that's fine. We'll include that. But of course that's also part of the editing process. So if somebody says, I love this, but I, maybe I want something a little less, it's. 


Expensive. Then we'll provide Yeah. An 


Trish: option for that. Yeah. Cuz I love when I look at design blogs and they have the high end option and the budgeted option. I love seeing that because you never know, like there are certain items that in my office that I would totally splurge on and then there's some no, I need the cheaper version. 


Naomi: Thank you for having 


Trish: me. 


You're welcome. And for those of you guys who have listened, again, you can grab Naomi's book. I'll put a link in the show notes, but it's called Your Perfect Nursery and it's really beautiful you guys. And you can also find her on Instagram as. 


Naomi: Yes, Instagram is at Little Crown 


Trish: Interiors perfect. And from there I think you can find her blog and all of her services. 


And if you guys end up using her, make sure you tag us on Instagram cause I would love to see the finished product. Thank you so much. 


Bye for now.