Nature Inspired Nursery Tour | Plus Why We Are Rooming In
When I found out I was pregnant, I knew I didn't want to go overly "baby" with the nursery. I wanted it to be a space that I felt comfortable and that I liked. I also knew I didn't want anything overly gender-specific with lots of blue or pink. When I brainstormed what kind of a room I'd be happy in, three things came to mind: bright, nature, and comfort. 
Bright Nursery Inspiration
This came rather easily as we found that the nursery has the best lighting in the entire house. With the light gray walls, it really just keeps everything nice and bright and neutral. This room is seriously a photographer's dream as it receives only morning direct light and the rest of the day is a beautiful haze of bright, filtered light when the shades are open. We didn't want everything whitewashed, though. The room needed some contrast, so we added in darker shades of green and gray for some depth and pop. The statement piece in the room is certainly the dark green crib. I added in a few dinosaur touches, without going overboard, just to give a little nod to the fact that a little boy does indeed live here. ;) 
Rooming In?
Although I love love love the crib my husband hand built, we are planning to room-in for quite some time. "Rooming in", or keeping the baby in your bedroom at night, has a lot of benefits. For one, studies show that rooming in increases the quality and duration of sleep for parents and the newborn. Rooming in can be done in a variety of ways, such as using a co-sleeper like the Dock A Tot: a multi-functional lounger, co-sleeper and playtime lounger that is OEKO-TEX certified. 
The Dock A Tot is handmade in Europe out of all natural, 100% cotton and it's tested for breathability (which is great for us personally because we live in a really warm climate and the Dock A Tot is the ideal micro-climate for babies). We know that every baby has individual needs when it comes to sleep, but we're excited to try the Dock A Tot Deluxe+ for co-sleeping and just lounging around the house. When he's old enough, he'll transition into his beautiful crib in his own room.
Nature Nursery Inspiration
I love the outdoors, I love plants, I love wood, and I love bringing elements of the world around us inside. I knew I wanted to incorporate nature into our nursery, so I did so by adding a plant, using natural tones for the wood in the room, and hanging nature-inspired artwork on the walls. 
The wooden furniture in the room was my father-in-law's childhood furniture and my husband's childhood furniture. I love that our sweet boy will be the third generation to grow up with it. 
A Comfortable Nursery Design
Overall, I wanted the room to be a comfortable, safe place for the entire family. When my sister had her first baby, there was a full-sized bed in the nursery and I loved that idea! Sometimes, it's good to have another place to crash - especially in the early days when one parent just needs some space to spread out and the other needs to tend to babe. That's why we kept the daybed in the nursery!
And because the Dock A Tot comes in two sizes (Deluxe for 0-8 Months and Grand 9-36 months), the transition to a regular bed will be a lot easier for our son when he's ready because he'll be used to sleeping in the Dock-A-Tot in several places, already.
Overall, I think we came up with a space that is absolutely beautiful and that we will love using. I still stand by the fact that nurseries don't need to be themed for the infant. Even still, I think our son will love his space, especially when he starts sleeping in it full-time. Until then, I'm excited for our co-sleeping adventure!
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Thank you, Dock-A-Tot for sending us the Deluxe+ in exchange for this post.