Oh Boy… Is it Already Time for Nursery Plans?


I mean seriously, how is it already time to start planning Baby Mac’s nursery?! This pregnancy is flying by and I can’t wait to get the nursery prepped over the next couple of months because that means I’m one step closer to meeting this little guy. But before his arrival in February, we have A LOT of work to do.

Slowly But Surely… Progress!

When we looked at the house, the future nursery looked like this.

When we closed on the house, the room looked like this. And up until about a week ago, the room looked a little bit more like this…

It’s been a slow burn of checking items off of our to-do list for the past 2 months, but the last week has been a WHIRLWIND of progress (that you can actually see). So today, the room looks more like this…

Are you as excited as I am to see this progress?! We haven’t even added a hint of “nursery” and I’m already in love with this room. The trim, the floors, the new closet doors… I can’t wait for this little guy to move in.

But we still have quite a bit of furnishing and decorating to do before he moves in, which brings me to today’s topic — the plans and inspiration for Baby Mac’s nursery.

The Challenges

I’ve actually had a bit of trouble figuring out what I want this space to look like for a variety of reasons.

#1. I want the room to somewhatย “flow” with the rest of the home’s decor/personality. But since NONE of the house is decorated or furnished, I have to start on the nursery without a sense of this home’s general style. Of course, I have a loose idea, but I wish I had a bit more clarity before starting this room.

#2. I don’t want the nursery to scream, well, “I’m a nursery”. Yes, I want it to be comfy and cozy for a baby, but I don’t want it to be themed or feel super baby-ish.

#3. And probably the biggest challenge I’ve been stuck on is the size of the room. To me, it’s so BIG to be a nursery. I know, I know, that doesn’t sound like a problem and I’m definitely not complaining BUT it has been holding up my design process quite a bit. There are only so many baby essentials you need in a bedroom and I just can’t seem to find a layout that incorporates the necessities and doesn’t look super bare/awkward.

Thankfully I enlisted the help of one of our favorite companies, Modsy, to help me addressย that last “problem” so I can find some clarityย and get this show on the road!

Using Modsy for our Nursery Plans

If you haven’t heard about this brilliantย company, I’m so excited to introduce them to you today. Modsy is a company that provides design services online. We actually recommend them to so many of our friends and family who reach out to us for design help. We wish we had time to help all of them, but unfortunately, we don’t. That’s when we refer them to Modsy because we know they will get what they’re looking for (and more). Even Casey’s brother used Modsy to help with the rest of his house (after Casey finished his bedroom makeover) and LOVED it.

How it Works

Essentially this is how it works. You send Modsy pictures of a room in your house that you want them to help design/decorate. You share the room’s dimensions, any furniture details (like what furniture has to stay and what can go), and what style you want the room to eventually have (if you have a vision, if not… that’s cool too!).

Then they put their magic to work and come up with extremely realistic 3D images of your room (like the one above). Then theyย add in new furniture inspiration, an efficient layout, and lots of ideas for you to get started making changes yourself. The service is SO helpful if you want to get some professional design advice, but don’t want to break the bank and hire a designer/decorator to come over and do it all.

There are 2 tiers of services that they offer. The first is only $69 where you get an initial design for one room from Modsy and can then move around the furniture and layout yourself. And the second is $199 where you work one on one with a designer. These services aren’t free, but in the long run we truly believe it will help you avoid design regret and make smarter choices for your home!

And the best news is that Modsy is offering DIY Playbook readers 20% off design services!ย Useย code PLAYBOOK20 to get 20% offย your services, which means you can get the services starting at $55!!

Modsy + Baby Mac’s Nursery

This is the exact process I used for Baby Mac’s nursery. Like I said before, the layout had me stumped,ย  so I reached out to Modsyย for their 3D design services. I wanted to “see” some of the layout options before purchasing one single item for the space.

I figured seeing my vision and mood board come to life in such a realistic way would help me figure the best way to plan this space before getting started. And I was right, now I have such a better sense of what direction I want to go and I’m so excited to get started!

I sent them pics of the room (while it was under construction), my mood board for space, and this Pinterest board that I think captures my general style. I chatted with my designer about the layout challenges and then a week later we scheduled a call to jump on the phone and talk through some of her ideas while looking at the 3D renderings she came up with.ย  Together we adjusted some of the furniture, tweaked some of the details, and landed on a layout and “loose” idea of what the nursery could look like. I was SO excited and left feeling so much more confident to get started.

Initial Mood Board

I’m sure the nursery won’t look exactly like this since I didn’t choose specific furniture for the board, but instead just grouped items that gave me a general sense of the room’s “vibe”. But this is my inspiration so far!

I want it to be calming, cozy, and flow with the rest of the house and I want it to be a space that is special to Baby Mac and one that will grow with him.ย Hopefully, there are lots of baskets for toys, blankets, and stuffed animals. I also see lots of books and fun trinkets that he will someday play with. But I want it to be functional for now too. Changing diapers, late night feedings, baby monitors… all of these will dictate my design decisions too.

A Coupon Code for YOU!

Obviously, I have a lot of work ahead of me, but thanks to Modsyย I’m feeling far more excited (and confident) to get started! I’ll keep you guys updated as we make progress.

The good news is that we still have a little over two months to make this happen. And the BETTER news is that our friends at Modsy are sharing a 20% coupon code for all the DIY Playbook readers who may want to take advantage of their design services over the next two months. If you too are stumped on a room in your house and would love to take advantage of Modsy’s design services, use code PLAYBOOK20 to get 20% off your services (guys, that’s only about $55 for the Modsy design experience!).

If you end up working with them, please keep us updated! We would love to see their amazing ideas come to life in your home.

Bridget

P.S. If you want even more details on how Modsy works (and some of the ideas Modsy provided to Casey’s brother), here’s another (unsponsored) post we wrote about these genius services.

 


The Year of Casey

Hey there!

Iโ€™m Casey Finn, the voice behind The DIY Playbook. I’m a Chicago gal teaching you how to design, DIY, and maintain your home…by yourself! Learn more about me right here.