Now that the big bathroom makeover is finished, it’s nursery time. We love our third bedroom, so turning it into a nursery feels bittersweet, but we’re thrilled to welcome our little girl in May and excited to create a cozy, functional space for her at Casa Petersik.
We’re a use-what-you-have family, so we wanted to repurpose existing furniture instead of buying everything new. We already had a daybed, a table, a chair, a rug and an ottoman that needed new homes, and at first their relocation seemed puzzling. After thinking it through (and channeling a little design determination), we came up with a plan that kept the pieces in circulation without compromising the nursery.
Earlier, during the bathroom project, we moved the small wrapping paper and letter-writing table down to the basement along with a chair and a second spare chair that had been stored in the closet. That cleared some floor space but the daybed still needed a new spot since the nursery is our smallest room and a crib is a must.
The sunroom was the obvious solution. It already has a comfortable daybed we use from spring through fall, so adding a second one felt natural. After a bit of effort (John handled the heavy lifting while I supervised), the second daybed found its place along the wall where a small teak chair and side table used to sit. The result expanded seating and created a better view of our private backyard, since the new placement faces the yard while the original daybed faces the house. More seating means more chances for gatherings—game nights, anyone?
Surprisingly, we didn’t mind the darker wood tone of the new daybed next to the white one. The oil-rubbed bronze window sashes in the room help tie the tones together. We may eventually paint the darker daybed white for more balance, but for now we like the idea of similar-color daybeds in different styles with complementary—rather than identical—bedding and pillows.
To help the new daybed blend in, we kept several of the pillows from the third bedroom and added an oatmeal-colored throw over the mattress. The layered, serene look feels right for the sunroom, though we’re considering adding a few punchier pillows to both daybeds when spring arrives to brighten the space.
We view this as an interim arrangement: the daybed might return to a future big-girl room once the crib is no longer needed. Many friends and family have suggested daybeds make excellent transitional beds. That said, we can already imagine sunroom sleepovers if we have more than one child, so it might stay put long term—time will tell.
Next up was the third bedroom’s jute rug. We decided the nursery should have something plusher underfoot, so the jute rug needed a new home. It turns out we own the exact same rug in the kitchen, so we rolled the extra one up and tucked it behind the blinds above our laundry nook. Having a spare rug on hand is practical—if a kitchen spill happens, we have a replacement stored nearby. Since finishing the basement makeover, our clutter has dropped dramatically, which made tucking things away much easier.
We also considered where the ottoman should go. It turned out to be useful in the nursery for toy storage and for putting my feet up while nursing, so it stayed. The asymmetrical photo collage on the nursery wall remains, and we may swap a few frames for colorful baby art to coordinate with a yet-to-be-revealed color scheme. The framed pieces will be hung out of reach for safety, and once our daughter becomes more mobile we’ll either secure them more firmly or relocate them if needed.
Clearing the nursery without creating a pile of displaced furniture felt like a small victory. A bare room waiting to be transformed has a lot of promise. We repainted the walls and ceiling this past weekend to freshen the space, so stay tuned for those updates and the final nursery reveal.
What about you? For parents who made room for a baby, how did you handle furniture from the repurposed room—sell it, store it, adapt it for the nursery, or move it elsewhere around the house? And for those who converted a room to a completely different function, what solutions worked best for you? We’d love to hear how you approached your room transitions.