apartment therapy changing the world, one room at a time

Just with the prices Sarah quoted, this is close to a $2k bedroom. And that's without the additional little expenses here and there. I do agree that for a lot of people that is considered budget, but for more frugal readers who still wish to remain stylish, that is probably too much money.

I wonder if you have any readers that have been able to outfit a nursery for under $1K?

I just followed that link to the Orchard bed setting. It's now $39!

This is a lovely room. I love blue rooms and this one is just right. The fish make a lovely finishing touch. What a lucky child!

I have one minor criticism about the title. Spending 2000-ish dollars on a baby's room is hardly decorating "on a budget." Sorry, getting a few things on sale or at Wal-Mart does not qualify.

Lovely, yes. Creative, yes. Calming, yes. Beautifully up to date, yes. Budget, no.

mrshekmi: We found a crib on-sale at a baby store for abot $300. It wasn't our first choice but it's neutral and classic. IKEA dresser in bright color for $150, we added a changing pad that secures to the back. We mixed-and-matched bedding from sale items at a local store and also on clearance at baby Gap, total about $30. The decor all came from pieces we already had or that were handed down to us: baby cowboy boots my hubby wore, a vintage rodeo poster found in a cookbook, a hand-made rocking horse that great grandpa made for my mother, and a large painted metal star I purchased for $8. Grand total is WELL under $1k, using things we already had, shopping sale-items, and making a few teensy compromises. I went with the cow-boyishness because we had these little treasures already. You can e-mail me for photos, via my blog sassypiggy.blogspot.com.

I agree that this is a beautiful room.

To address the reader who asked about a less-expensive nursery: We were lucky enough to get a hand-me-down crib, but otherwise our daughter's room cost about $1,000--nearly all of that a rocking chair from Pottery Barn ($800). Our daughter's beautiful old dresser is from a thrift store, repainted ($80), her wooden bookcase was a thrift store find ($10), I made pillows myself, we found a rug on sale at West Elm, and her toys go in canvas bins that are accessible to her--she loves dumping them out, and it's easy to throw them back in. Stores like Pottery Barn specialize in creating furniture that looks vintage; with a little searching, one can find pieces that actually are vintage for a fraction of the cost, and if the wood isn't beautiful, white paint works wonders.

As Sara says, paying a lot for a crib that's only going to be used a couple years is hard to justify. However, that also means that lots of people are selling beautiful cribs on craigslist that have seen only the lightest wear.

It also seems to make sense to wait a little. We bought the Pottery Barn rocker after we discovered that our girl was up for hours a night, every night, and the little antique rocker I'd had for years wasn't comfortable enough for the use it was getting. But other babies don't particularly like rocking--we have a friend whose child needed to be walked back to sleep.

That said, I love this room and I'm sure Baby M will, too.

Gulliver crib from Ikea (got it in as-is for cheaper), plain white sheets from Ikea, baby quilts were baby gifts, sewed some of my bedding and curtains (there are no sew ways of making custom curtains, just use stitch witchery to hem and make a tunnel, using the same or a quick handstitch.) splurged $200 on a rocking chair, bought a great marimekko print (1 yd $40) and stapled it to a wood canvas frame and hung as art... I probably spent about $500 total including paint, lighting, etc...

Congratulations! I think your nursery is beautiful and it looks considerably more expensive than the money you spent on it. Come on people, apart from the rocker and ottoman, the remainder of the pieces are great value compared to other modern offerings from the likes of Ouef/Nurseryworks/David Netto etc.

I used the same BabyMod Furniture, and though I have no experience putting other cribs together, I also have only good things to say. Insert a Poang chair for a super expensive rocker, and my nursery came far closer to $1000 than the above one. I have a few mobiles (IKEA and homemade) and paper lanterns that have yet to be hung, but since we're moving to a cool 1950s home with exposed brick walls soon I'm not sure if they ever will be hung in this home. I also made my own crib skirt and used a commercially-sold crib sheet (MiGi Splash).

Photos of a nursery in progress here, including detailed photos of the BabyMod Furniture set-up process.
www.flickr.com/photos/newcreation/sets/72157602673787181/

Awesome room. Great great job!

It's a very nice room, both peaceful and fresh. However, I do not think it is a very good example of putting together a nursery "without spending a fortune".

shoot, we did a nursery for our triplets for less than that! waaaaay less than that!

love it!! love the look of the walmart crib and bedding.

I really love the room, and find it quite inspiring. Thanks so much for sharing!

The point is not if you can pull together a nursery for less than $2000-the point is pulling together a well-appointed, modern nursery with quality furniture for less than $2000. I love how this one looks. And if you price most modern baby sets, the crib and changing table will be way over $2000 before you add anything!!

I think it's understated, subtle, and calm. Everyone who is griping about the cost-remember the big-ticket chair can move into any room in the house later. And unless you have a friend/sibling to give you hand-me-downs, outfitting a specialized room for a new human being is expensive, period.
As a veteran mama I have one bit of advice-you're going to wish you had black-out shades for those gorgeous, light-filled windows!!! Enjoy your baby!

Beautiful. And the Baby Bjorn Babysitter is such an amazing thing. Great for babies too big to be always lying on their backs, big enough to want to be where you are, but too small to sit down on their own. It saved us.

Lovely.

But the very best feature, to my eye, is those huge, light-filled windows!

Hell yes that's a deal for $2000!! All of that cute furniture, plus art, and bedding. Some spend way more than $2k just on the crib (then the silly parents let the baby sleep in THEIR bed for for the next 18 months...oh don't get me started)
I love ALL of it--very well done!

fine, it's not on a shoestring budget, but that 2k nursery looks like one that costs 3 times that... very nice job...

We just bought the same crib and changing table... although we will have to share our one bedroom with our little one.... I also was checking out that mobile last week..... I really like the way it looks in your room! we have quite similar tastes :-D

the bedding we selected was a different budget mod line... dwell studio for target circles(http://www.target.com/DwellStudio-Target-3-pc-Crib-Set/dp/B000VPE5SM/qid=1208011892/ref=br_1_1/601-3225160-9776139?ie=UTF8&node=401647011&frombrowse=1&rh=&page=1)

I love how style is no longer cost prohibitive to the middle class........

I really really like it! but I think some cream shag carpet would really pull it all together and make it super baby cozy!