When I found out I was pregnant with my youngest son, Timo, it had been six years since I’d last experienced the newborn phase. We were in a new town, in a new state, in a new house—and absolutely nothing was set up for a baby. For some twisted reason, after the initial wave of excitement, my first thought was, “Oh no, we’re going to need gates again!” Our original ones were long gone, and our new house had so many more stairs. Still, ever the optimist, I knew that creating this nursery was going to be a joy—especially because I had so much more knowledge this time around.
With my older sons, I wanted their gender to be a surprise. Plus, with my Italian roots, I had a slightly superstitious belief that I couldn’t set up the nursery until after the baby was born. So with our first son, William, we had the crib, changing table, and glider on order—but I refused to have them delivered until he safely arrived in NYC. I didn’t even have diapers or wipes, but thankfully, the incredible nurses at the hospital took pity on my poor planning and sent me home with a generous supply.
This time around, with Timo, I wanted to know the gender! We had an empty room in our new home, and I was ready to have fun with it. I’ll never forget getting the blood test results at 11 weeks and finding out he was a boy. I was ecstatic! I knew boys—I was already raising boys—I could do this.
Anyone who knows me knows I love interiors. I’m almost embarrassed to admit that if I want a thrill or a little heart-racing excitement, all I have to do is visit a designer showcase house or stroll through the D&D Building in NYC. Surrounded by color, pattern, texture, and art? Nothing better.
For Timo’s nursery, I called up my dear friend William Lyon of William Lyon Designs. We share a love of color and joyful prints. At the time, I had no idea I’d one day start a print-forward children’s brand, but our first step—choosing a fabric for the drapery panels—might have planted the seed. We landed on the most fabulous Thomas Paul print for Duralee: a colorful and fanciful octopus! You could say it inspired our own Timo & Violet Coral Reef print down the line.
After choosing the fabric, I decided to reuse one of my older sons’ cribs—a beautiful ivory pine crib from Bratt Décor. For bedding, I headed to RH Baby & Child on Greenwich Avenue and picked out sheets and bumpers, with a navy-bordered crib skirt from Serena & Lily. Of course, after Timo was born, I learned that bumpers had essentially been banned. We were fortunate to have a baby nurse this time around, and Brenda promptly packed them away and stashed them in the garage. I remember how Serena & Lily had the most beautiful bumper prints when my older two were babies—so this time, we had to have more fun with the sheets instead.
Timo’s nursery was generously sized (fast-forward to our current house, and it’s the smallest but coziest bedroom in the house!). We took advantage of the space by adding two upholstered twin beds, also from Serena & Lily, for future sleepovers. William helped me style the walls above each bed. We painted the ceiling Farrow & Ball’s Citron, a warm lemon yellow, and I chose my favourite changing table with natural rattan caning details. For storage, we went with a dresser and bookcase from RH Teen—yes, Teen!—and suddenly, we were all set.
I should also mention that the house had a bold, patterned Stark carpet we decided to keep. I always try to design around what already exists—I hate being wasteful, and I love the creative challenge.
The beautiful photos of the space were taken by the incredible Kathleen O’Reilly Poirier.
If you’re putting together a nursery, here are a few of my recommended essentials:
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Sound machine – I wish I’d known about Hatch at the time. It’s fantastic!
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Great lighting – Perfect for future story time. We used a Serena & Lily plug-in wall sconce—no hardwiring required.
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Glider – Ours was from RH Baby & Child, and I loved it. It could fit three of us!
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Changing table – The Serena & Lily “Harbour Cane” table is a favorite.
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Crib – We reused one from Bratt Décor.
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Books, books, books – Board books are perfect for babies and toddlers. For the littlest ones, include high-contrast or black-and-white options.
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Storage system that works for you – Keep diapers, wipes, onesies, bibs, burp cloths—everything—organized. I wish Coterie had existed back then for diapers! They got their start the year Timo was born.
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Blackout curtains or shades – By baby number three, I knew good sleep is essential for everyone. We made the mistake of skipping them in my middle son’s room, and for years he wandered into our bedroom every night.
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Color! – I love color and prints, and I knew I wanted the room to feel joyful and full of wonder.