Baby Room Makeover
It’s been a while since I posted about any of the home improvement projects we’ve taken on, but we recently completed a project that I’m quite proud of - setting up the baby room. It probably helped that we have a deadline fast approaching :).
We didn’t merely “set up” the room, however. It took us many months to get from what our 2nd bedroom used to look like
to what it looks like now.
Until being a homeowner I didn’t realize how much time, work, planning and compromise goes into even the simplest-seeming home renovations (especially if you use a more DIY-approach). Unfortunately it’s hard to show the transformation in just 2 photos. So I’ll explain step-by-step what we did.
Windows
We, meaning my dad, replaced both windows, which were both single pane glass with no UV protection or screens (see previous post on How to Install Windows). The one on the left had a flimsy aluminum frame that was really difficult to open safely, let alone lock. The one on the right was a double sash window (with a weight and pulley system to open and close) whose ropes had long ago broken so it was also really diffult to open safely. To add insult to injury, one of the panes of glass had a big ol’ crack in it. We bought Jeld-Wen windows from Home Depot that open from the top and bottom, have locks, screens and UV protection. Since this room gets a lot of western light it heats up really easy so it was important to be able to have a cross-breeze and block some of those harmful rays.
- Left window installed Sept 2015, right window installed May 2016.
Window Trim
We replaced the trim around both windows. Once the old windows were taken out, all the old molding had to come out too, so we needed new molding that fit the new windows. I got the trim from Home Depot as well. I just finished putting in wood filler (to fill the nail holes and the cracks where the edges meet), sanding, and priming the 2nd set of window trim today. Later, to really complete the look, I want to put on a coat of glossy white.
- Left window trim installed Feb 2016, right window trim installed June 2016.
Paint
We painted over the brownish beige color on the walls with a fun motif of blue mountains, kind of echoing our view of Mt. Tamalpais in Marin across the bay. This took a long time, from deciding what we wanted to do, choosing the colors, sketching out a plan, and finding the time to do it. After taping off the room, the paint job was finished after a productive weekend with my husband’s mother and sister when they came to visit. Doing finishing touch-ups, where all the white spaces left by the tape were, required another day or two.
- Painting finished March 2016.
(initial concept)
Ceiling Fan
We, meaning my dad, installed a ceiling fan that we bought from Amazon. As I alluded to earlier, when it’s hot outside, it gets hot inside this room and we don’t have AC. We worried that a newborn may not be able to regulate their body temperature as well so a ceiling fan should help! We’re thinking of getting the same model for our own bedroom because it has a low profile, good for low ceilings.
- Fan installed May 2016.
Furniture
I acquired a free Sniglar Ikea crib and bought an ergonomic chair from neighbors via the Nextdoor social network. I also re-inherited my old chest of drawers that I used when I was a kid. Originally my dad got it from an unfinished furniture store and he painted it for me. Luckily the colors he picked match the color scheme of the baby’s room.
- Furnished May 2016.
Although not strictly in the baby room yet, I wanted to give a shout out to my mom who re-upholstered this chair and footstool for me to use as a nursing chair. This is the same chair she used while breastfeeding my two younger siblings so it has a special place in the family. It currently lives in the living room.
Decor
I picked out a white fluffy rug, yellow curtains that completely block the light (I’m hoping that a dark room will help baby sleep more), and silver curtain rods from Target. My mother altered 3 small curtain panels into 2 larger ones so they drape more nicely. We also re-inherited my husband’s goose lamp that he had in his childhood bedroom. Lastly, my sister helped apply some gold vinyl stars to the walls that I bought from Etsy.
- Decorated June 2016.
There you have it! It took 9 months to finish, in fits and starts, with a lot of help along the way. I know the baby will not appreciate how much work we put into this, and I’m sure when he’s about 10 years old the whole cutesy mountain theme may no longer fly. But we’re really happy with how it turned out and completing this project has given us some much-needed confidence to renovate the rest of the house!