apartment therapy changing the world, one room at a time

I am not sure why, but it feels better to have the crib on the wall opposite the door. I am sure there is a good feng shui explanation for it... It looks about the same size as our new nursery, and we are having similar problems (our rocker doesn't seem to fit!)

i prefer the one on the right, where you open the door look at the crib, if it keeps the crib away from a noisy hallway, but otherwise they're both fine

Not to be mean - but I can't believe "plans" have been drawn up as to how to figure out where to put 3 pieces of furniture in a very small room....

for sure put the crib against the wall so when you open the door to peak at your little one the light from the hallway will not hit their eyes...

you may want to actually put the crib in the room, turn the lights off and leave hallway light on and put the crib in a spot such that the lighting from the hallway does not hit it.

Hope that is helpful. Another KEY to a nursey is to have all light switches on a dimmer. When your little ones cried, or needs to be changed in the middle of the night, you do not want to flip the switch to see what you are doing...dimmers are AWESOME and needed for baby's room!

Have fun putting your little one's room together!

Ciao!

of the two plans, i prefer the one with the crib on the same wall as the door. i think it balances the room better than having the two large pieces of furniture all along the one side.
however:
as i haven't seen the room besides the photos, it's hard to really judge the size and scale, but just based on the plans above, i'd be inclined to but the dresser where the rocker is, directly opposite the door. the crib along the long wall like in the second plan and the rocker in the opposite corner near the built-ins. just my opinion.

I agree with molly h. You will appreciate having the dresser next to the closet when getting the baby dressed, and having the glider next to the built-ins and away from the window when rocking to sleep or nursing. And, with the glider in the opposite corner, you could fit the ottoman!

Thanks everyone for your suggestions! To smallhousebiglife, just FYI, we asked my sister to do us a favor and draw the room so that the nursery readers could visualize the space better than through just the photos. The plans had an added benefit in that my sister was able to see that we could not fit an ottoman and that many standard dressers and cribs were too big. So, we have not had to go through the pain of ordering furniture that would not fit.

Excellent point - I had mistakenly assumed it was for current furniture...great idea to lay out a head of time.

I just had a couple of thoughts for you on making things fit in such a tight space... Have you considered rigging a changing station in the centre of your wall unit? You could get an insert that would project out a little, like the shelf you have for the t.v.; that would free up a lot of space in the room.

And I know that you have already chosen the oeuf crib, but I would just like to put out a suggestion: the Gulliver crib by IKEA http://www.ikea.com/webapp/wcs/stores/servlet/ProductDisplay?topcategoryId=15567&catalogId=10103&storeId=12&langId=-1&parentCats=15567*16180*16154&productId=53007

We were provided one with the house we are leasing when we moved to Europe (while we were waiting for our furniture shipment to arrive). I have to say, that we are very impressed with it; so impressed, we are still using it. It has clean lines, and is very nicely sized, fitting particularly well in our small nursery. As well, it is very, very sturdy -- I was surprised that it is more sturdy than our regular crib! And somehow, it feels friendlier than most North American cribs, being lower to the ground. Anyways, I just thought of it because it occurred to me that it would fit your space nicely.

The feng shui explanatio why should crid stay oposite of the door: the sleeper can see who is at the door.

Thanks monika1 for all your suggestions! We actually have not bought a crib yet . . . . stay tuned for next week's installment on our crib decision. But based on your suggestion, I'm going to trek out to IKEA this weekend and take a look at the crib for myself. They also have a wall-mounted changing table that I thought might work in the built-in unit . . . . Great ideas everyone! Thanks so much!

It seems a little awkward to have the crib on the wall with the door, and it is a little roomier at the entry with the crib on the other side. I think it is a bit nicer to open the door and see the sleeping baby, and when you are trying to quickly change that little one, it's nice to run in and have quick access to the changer, instead of negotiating around the crib ot the other side. So my vote is solid for crib across from the door.

Did you consider placing the changing table under the window? A friend has an arrangement like this and her daughter loves to look out the window while she is on it and doesn't squirm so much.

My husband is an architect and I am a graphic designer- we end up drawing out all kinds of solutions for space issues, it is much easier than moving heavy furniture and doesn't knock the walls so much!

I like the idea to put the dresser/changing table under the window and next to the closet. The baby would be entertained (hopefully!) while being changed and it would be nice to have all of the clothing in one area. If you leave the crib opposite the door, you could move the glider to the bottom right corner next to the bookcase. You would have easy access to books and toys when you are reading and playing together.