Guest Blog by Sophie Schillaci of MomNeedsMerlot.com
When space at home is limited, multi-purpose rooms are essential. Thankfully, if you find yourself stuck between keeping a functional guest room or designing a beautiful nursery, you can absolutely have both! Enter: The nursery nook. Here’s how to do it…
Prioritize the Essentials:
First, think about what your guests need. Chances are, it’s not too much.
-Bed
-Side Table (Think outside the box here, like using a toy chest with a flat top as a double for a nightstand or hanging a small corner shelf nearby.)
As an infant, your baby’s needs should also be straightforward. A good place to start might include:
-Crib (Many brands offer adorable “small spaces” options.)
-Dresser with Changing Pad Topper
-Diaper Pail
-Laundry Hamper
Pro tip: When there’s already a bed in the room, you don’t necessarily need a nursery chair. If you can fit one into a spare corner, great! If not, the bed makes a perfect spot to feed, cuddle, read and even snooze when you don’t have visitors. Having a comfortable place to lie down and sleep in the thick of postpartum life is a huge benefit to this setup!
Start Rearranging:
Toss, sell, donate or repurpose any items that are no longer essential to the room.
Next, decide on a new layout. Depending on size, it can be helpful to push the guest bed up against a wall to open up the center of the room. Doing this will also likely clear some space along the other walls for placing a crib and dresser.
If possible, try to group the baby’s pieces together in one section of the room.
Between the guest bed and “nursery nook,” a Ruggish play rug makes the perfect piece to tie everything together. Not only is the rug’s heavenly memory foam cushioning and easy-to-wipe-down surface (HELLO quick and easy cleanups with no stains left behind!) a must-have for any child’s room, the aesthetically pleasing designs are a welcome sight for grown up guests. Win-win!
Let’s Hang:
Now that you’ve arranged your key pieces, it’s time to think about smart storage. Utilize your vertical space with mounted shelves for books, changing essentials and even chic, well-organized bins. Consider hanging a few strategic hooks around the room for not-quite-clean-but-not-quite-dirty baby clothes near the changing table or guests’ coats near the closet.
Make It Cohesive:
Polish up the space with all those sweet finishing touches: complementary decor, blackout curtains, and fresh bed linens that vibe with your nursery theme and Ruggish colors.
Nest on! (And most importantly -- don’t forget to have fun with it!)
Sophie Schillaci is an entertainment journalist and soon-to-be mama of two under two. She welcomed her first child in August 2018 and launched the motherhood platform MomNeedsMerlot.com the following year after a decade of reporting for digital, broadcast and print outlets including Entertainment Tonight, the Hollywood Reporter and more. Through her writing, Sophie aims to connect with and empower fellow new mothers through honest and heartfelt storytelling, while sharing real life tips and tricks that actually work. She lives in Los Angeles with her husband, daughter and two rambunctious dogs. Their lives are set to get even crazier when Baby No. 2 arrives in April 2020.