We all have one… that slightly smaller room in the house, which is supposed to be a bedroom because technically it has a closet, but it probably makes a better office? And once you decide to go for baby #2, you think, lets move the office to the garage and figure out how to make the small room a nursery? Yeah, that's what happened to me too.

Luckily, little babies don't need much space, so we had confidence the tiny room would suit Joaquin just fine. However; the space did present some challenges. Where I had plenty of room to play for my daughter’s Bohemian Toddler Room (the chair & ottoman, wide dressers and book shelves fitting without a hitch.) Joaquin’s room feels like half the size (younger kid already getting stiffed.) We had to get creative with what we had.

We stayed on theme of keeping things "bohemian-folk" and started with the best place to get creative in a small room- the walls! It's a great way to make an impactful statement and I knew exactly where to turn. I'd been eyeing Justina Blakeney's new line of wall paper for Hygge and West, really I just needed a good excuse to get my hands on it. With her exotic illustrations, rich color palette and her signature "Jungalow" vibe we had much too choose from. We decided to go with COSMIC DESERT in navy and gold. Mainly, because it reminds me of a starry, night sky. I kept picturing how serene it would feel rocking Joaquin to sleep sorrounded by the glow of golden palms.

Our next issue was the floor. I was in the market for a rug, but the room could barely fit a 5 x 7 rug comfortably- what to do? Round rug! Since we had lots of pattern play with the graphic wallpaper, I thought a darker, solid color on the blonde wood floor would do well. This DISTRESSED ROCOCO RUG from West Elm in blue ombray shades of light and dark really grounded the room. Once those two details were completed, adding our modern-folk pieces from the shop was easy. We already knew the HAND LOOMED BLANKETS IN TWO TONES make the best bedding. They're 100% cotton, lightweight, colorful and washable- perfect for any kids room, and throwing a couple textile pillows into the mix was a must, HAND EMBROIDERED OTOMI & SAN ANDRES TEXTILE PILLOW IN RED.

Opposite the crib is the changing table. This flea market find was repainted, then given beautiful ANTHROPOLOGY CERAMIC KNOBS in orange and blue. When we placed the MEXICAN BABY BLANKET IN TANGERINE, it was perfection!

Finally we added artful pieces and cute accessories. Our truly inspiring HUICHOL YARN PAINTING, hand made by our artisan friends in Jalisco, along with our adorable HAND STITCHED WOOL ANIMALS from Chiapas. We are also enourmous fans of these bilingual board books, LIL' LIBROS BY PATTY RODRIGUEZ, which make a nice stack on our MARTINI SIDE TABLE. and finally the Guatamalan textile "FRIDA KOWLO'S" in navy and white, made by our friend at The Folk-Project. We put a sheepskin throw over our modern, bucket rockin chair, then of course- ADDED PLANTS! All these touches make the room lively, bright, original and fun. Just what your first room in life should be. 

xo

Gardenia