Zanzibar Jungle Nursery

by Jean Papp
(Calimese, CA)

This Zanzibar Jungle Nursery was for our first baby, a boy. We wanted it to be special for him. We did a lot of shopping around, surfing the web for ideas and patterns.

We decided to buy a crib that turns into a toddler bed and then a full size bed. We knew that was perfect for us.

Then we found this bedding full of jungle animals. It is called Zanzibar by Kidsline.

I called my friend Tony Coury, of Yucaipa. She told me that she could paint whatever I wanted. So she came over, looked at the room and we talked about ideas. She brought a book of animals, showing their faces in detail. We sat down and picked the different detail for each animal. We planned out what animal would go where.

We also planned out the beautiful sky. There is nothing better than to look up while laying in bed and see a beautiful blue sky with some white clouds, that have a slight (can barely see) pink tone to them. It really looks real.

For the 2 main paint colors we used Eddie Bauer paint. One is oatmeal color and the other is a green. My husband put a white chair rail between the colors. He did all the work, except the painting of the animals.

In the pictures you will notice above the crib, 2 monkeys - 1 to the right and 1 to the left, swinging vines and a big tree. The monkey on the right side has a banana hanging from his hand.








The other monkey on the left side - looks to be a baby monkey. They both have the sweetest faces ever. All along the ceiling line are swinging vines.








There is a toucan sitting on a branch looking over to the crib.





Then across the room, is a mommy giraffe and a baby giraffe eating from the tree.







The detail work of painting the animals, trees, sky, vines etc. took every day for about 6 hours for about 2 weeks.

I am so glad we chose this zanzibar jungle nursery theme. As baby got older, every night before going to sleep, he had to kiss each animal and say good night. This nursery turned out so awesome. People love to come over to see it. Everyone says, "WOW".

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I'm absolutely thrilled to be able to share this stunning zanzibar nursery with you. Thanks so much for submitting these pictures Jean.

A clever choice of color and minimal decor set this beautiful painting off to full effect. Notice how the sky blue ceiling gives the room an open, airy feeling. You can almost hear the sounds of Zanzibar floating in the warm afternoon air!

The lovely hardwood nursery furniture contrasts perfectly with the light beige on the walls and the zanzibar bedding with matching crib mobile, nursery hamper and lamp give the room the finishing touch it needs.

If you love the swinging monkeys and the graceful giraffes as much as I do, you may want to think about something like this for your own nursery theme. Don't feel that you are limited to Zanzibar though. These mischievous monkeys would fit perfectly in several other nursery designs. Here are a few ideas:

• A Jungle Nursery Theme with an elephant or two.
• A Safari Nursery Theme with the beautiful giraffes and a zebra in the background.
• A Zoo Animals Nursery Theme. Add a lion and a chimpanzee or two and you're good to go.
• A Rainforest Nursery Theme with colorful parrots and birds straight from the depths of South America.

You can find an artist to paint the mural for you or, if you are feeling adventurous, try painting it yourself. It's best to use acrylic paints because of their bright colors and quick drying time. They also give a lovely finish. Alternatively you could give latex craft paints a try.

Do you have any other ideas for using this beautiful zanzibar mural in a baby nursery? Would you like to add your own comment below?

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If you're considering a jungle or safari nursery theme for your little one, check out the great decor options in ababy.com's African Safari Theme section.

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You may also like:

Alphabet Safari Nursery		Jungle Theme Nursery Ideas		Bold and Bright Nursery

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