DIY Vintage Shabby Chic Nursery

by Shannon Kuiper
(Chandler, Az)

When I got married I got really into the DIY shabby projects. I did many things for my house and when I got pregnant I couldn't wait to start on the room. I saw a picture of a GOLD crib and that was inspiration. My other inspiration was price. I wanted a room that looked like a couple thousand dollar room but only cost $500.


What brand and color of paint did you use?

The white is called swiss coffee and I don't have the name of the teal. For the furniture I used gold spray paint for the crib, swiss coffee on the chair and the same teal for the hutch.


What brand of crib did you buy? Where from?

I bought an old vintage wrought Iron Crib off of craiglist. It is beautiful and only needed some light sanding and a paint job.


What brand of nursery furniture did you choose? Where did you buy it?

I used a vintage china hutch and turned it into a "closet" I removed the shelves and added bars for hanging clothes. I bought the hutch on craiglist for $50.

I got the old rocking chair out of an estate sale in my neighborhood. It was $65, I sanded and re-painted that.

I got my "changing table" at an antique store, it was the perfect color so I didn't need to change anything. my husband just built a little changing pad tray to mount on top. The dresser cost $125.


What nursery bedding set did you use? Where did you buy it?

I got all the fabric for my bedding set at Joann's Fabric for $100 and my mother-in-law made the set for me!


Tell us about your window treatments, nursery lighting, rugs, wall decor and accessories. Where did you buy them - were any handmade?

My mother in law also made the window treatment to match the bedding. I bought an old lamp at a garage sale and just added a cute shade, it looks great!

I got a wall decal off

amazon of a chandelier and put that over the crib, along with some cute vintage looking flower holders I found on Facebook. My friend made amazing letters for the room that are placed above crib as well. Another good friend made some cute wall art to hang over the changing table with fabric I picked out.

On top of the hutch I have some cute pieces from hobby lobby along with two little bird houses my nieces (5 and 3) painted for their new cousin.


How did you store all your baby goodies? In baskets, on shelves?

Because of the hutch I have plenty of storage room. Some things go there and other stuff in the dresser.


How long did it take you? Was it easy, fun, difficult? What was your favorite part?

This was a project that took a lot of time and patience. Since I was trying to keep it cheap but perfect, I had to wait a while to get the pieces I wanted. I started when I was 20 weeks and just finished last week when I was 30 weeks. So about 10 weeks working on and off. I had a blast and the outcome is better than I could have imagined!


Did you do the entire nursery on your own or did someone help you? Who? What did they do?

I picked out everything from colors to furniture to bedding. But I had some friends that helped me with painting and sanding, and of course my husband helped hang things and get furniture moved.


What do you love most about your little one's finished baby room?

It's so classy, not typical for what you think of a little girls nursery (pink and fluffy) but classic and vintage, but still warm and playful for a little girl!

The whole room, decor, furniture, paint and supplies, bedding ended up costing $550. But it looks like something that would cost a whole lot more. I am glad I can give my kid something amazing with out taking out a loan!

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