Realtor Taylor Mitchell created a nursery that fits her new family’s style and budget
Taylor and Connor Mitchell bought their first home in Overbrook Historic District three weeks before the pandemic sent everyone home. The 1940s bungalow offered the young couple an opportunity to make the house their home, and sheltering in place certainly sped up their decorating timeline.
They welcomed their son, Jackson, this past spring and created a nursery big on sentimental details, and some hard-earned sweat equity made it magazine-worthy. We asked Mitchell to pass on her best DIY decorating ideas with our readers.
DIY Nursery
What did you want your nursery to feel like?
The previous owners set up this room as a nursery, but it was a little girl’s room with lots of pinks and reds. When we found out we were having a boy, we knew we wanted to cover their wallpapered accent wall with a different color scheme. Once I found the wallpaper, Paradise Palm Coastal Blue Botanical by NextWall, the theme became what I call “Blue Safari.” I wanted a lot of the furniture to stay neutral so that we could reuse it for another baby. I also added natural textures like the rattan baskets and planter, and natural wood frames and a personalized sign.
What furniture did you already have, and what did you buy?
We had all the furniture but the crib and glider. I love to repurpose what I already have, and I have fun with DIYs. I painted the chest of drawers and nightstand and swapped out the hardware to match the new lamps and curtain rod. The white changing table was previously used as our primary bedroom dresser; the pull-out baskets are easy to store things like diapers, extra wipes, bath supplies. I chose this glider because I knew I wanted it to rock and recline. It’s Carter’s by DaVinci Arlo Recliner and Swivel Glider.
What turned out better than expected?
Wallpaper can be really tricky, and this was my first time using peel-and-stick wallpaper. It was so much easier and turned out just as great, even with a complicated pattern to line up. I found it at Home Depot.
Did you use a designer?
No, I did it all myself with some Pinterest inspirations. By repurposing what I had, I did it for a low cost. All of the small details that really pulled it together, I found at Home Depot, Amazon, or Etsy. Nothing broke the bank!
What elements are sentimental in the room?
There is a painting on the chest of drawers called “Daddy’s Caddie” by Barbra Shipman that was in my husband’s room when he was little. My mother-in-law reframed it and gifted it to us at our baby shower. My husband and I are both big golfers and hope Jackson loves to play one day, too. A porcelain elephant was my mom’s as a kid and there’s my husband’s personalized baseball glove from high school.
How did you pick your son’s name?
He is the first grandchild in both of our families, so we thought it would be special to name him after important male role models in our lives. Jackson is after my husband, Connor Jackson Mitchell, who was named after his grandfather, Clay Jackson “Jack” Mitchell. Keller was my late grandfather’s middle name.
Photos by Chelsey Ashford
