Traditional Girl's Nursery • Robyn's Southern Nest

Welcome to our baby girl’s nursery! I have waited to say that for oh so long it still feels surreal. I am wasting no time getting this blog up. The glider was the last piece to arrive and it was delivered this morning before I left for my 28 week check up. I was so anxious to see it! Chris and I like to call this room “Girl Superheroes in Charleston circa 1994”. It’s a bit of 90s nostalgia from me and of course some Marvel Superhero elements from Chris. Who says Ralph Lauren vintage prints can’t co-exist with girl superheroes in a traditional girl’s nursery?

We never really had a theme per se, but when we were at one of our favorite antique/consignment stores, Chris happened upon the collectible Sheila Charleston houses. I had previously been in another area of the store and had just seen a watercolor print of Charleston that I loved. So there was the birthplace for the Charleston inspiration of her nursery.

Here’s a little mood board I worked on every night just so I could have an idea of the vision I was trying to create.

I envisioned this nursery to be very classy and traditional. Something our daughter could grow into as she gets older. I wanted to mix in blues, blush pinks, and pops of sage green where I could without being too thematic. Some of my favorite elements in this nursery are the darker mahogany bow front dressers mixed with the vintage gold touches here and there. We had a blank canvas to start with so we didn’t have to do anything to the wall color in here. It’s a nice neutral that will grow with her.

Here’s a little before photo of the room.

I was searching and searching the internet for just the right fabric for the curtains in here. I knew I’d have to have something more custom for the length and I just happened to find these lovely Maison d’ Hermine curtains on Amazon. I took them to our local seamstress and had her add black-out fabric to the back and she also hemmed them to a proper length so that they would just kiss the floor. They remind me of vintage Ralph Lauren from the 90s and I love the drama they bring to this space.

The rug was one of those finds where you just knew it was going to be the anchor to the room. I love how rugs can totally bring the room alive and this one does just that. It’s hand-woven wool and will last a lifetime. It’s a classic design that covers the entire room. I didn’t want much wood showing in here so we ordered a 11 x 15 for this room, and it really makes the room so cozy underfoot.

The bookshelf was all Chris’ creation. We found pretty much all of the Charleston Sheila houses either in antique stores and on Ebay. He then geographically mapped them on the bookshelf working from The Battery up to South of Broad. Each shelf it’s own neighborhood. He then layered in the girl superheroes to create the “Girl Superhero in Charleston Cityscape”. I think my favorite piece though is the custom artwork he created above it for our daughter. It makes me tear up every time I read it.

The quote reads: “There’s an instant, a fraction of a second, before the world catches hold of her again…A moment when she’s outrun every doubt and fear she’s ever had about herself, and she flies. In that moment, every little girl flies.” -Captain Marvel Vol 8 #1.

If you look closely you can see our two cats, Sunny D. and Ollie, and a Corgi for Kato in the Charleston cityscape. It’s seriously the sweetest piece of art that holds a lot of sentimental value.

Each of the houses or landmarks tells a short history on the back of them. So I consider them to be little display books. I think Groot holding Rocket might be my favorite scene above.

The first crib I picked out actually came damaged, but I’m actually glad it did because I love this style of crib even more. It is so sturdy and will transition nicely into a toddler bed as well. It’s a classic silhouette and I don’t have to worry about any paint chipping like I did with the first crib I ordered. Chris added a mobile with girl superhero Itty Bitty’s to tie back into the Superhero bookshelf. No need to fret I will be removing the pillow from the crib before she uses it.

The item that has been holding up this reveal was the glider. It is custom made with the most beautiful rose pink fabric. It just completed the room and I couldn’t be happier. It mimics the curves of the bow front dressers and is so comfortable. The little lumbar pillow I actually made myself with the guidance of my mom. I found a scrap piece of vintage fabric at an antique store and loved all of the colors. I knew it would be perfect for this glider.

A quick note about the tulip floor lamp. Chris and I spotted it at an antique store and we made quite the commotion in the store trying to find and outlet to make sure it worked. These two ladies were so interested in where we were going to put it. They were so helpful and were pointing to outlets we could try because they were just as curious. When we told them we were putting in our daughter’s nursery they just were so elated and full of awes. I love when pieces tell a story. This pale pink and green tulip lamp was no exception and just the perfect addition by our glider.

What Ralph Lauren inspired room is complete without a real palm? Chris thought I was crazy at the Lowe’s, but I think it brings so much life to this room. It is an air purifier plant as well. And doesn’t this llama look so cute next to it? My parents gave her that for Christmas. Her name is Dorothy and the Majesty Palm’s name is Sophia. What can I say…I love the Golden Girls.

Before this blog gets to be a novel I will end it here by saying thank you to all of you who waited patiently for this reveal. It has been my most favorite project of my life and is easily my favorite room in the house. I will be sharing a full blog on the nursery bathroom very soon so stay tuned for that. A little preview of it can be seen in my Instagram Reel here.