When we moved into our 1 bedroom flat in London as a newly married couple, we didnt really think too far ahead! Once I got pregnant we suddenly realised that the space we had would start to feel VERY cramped once the baby came. This triggered a crazy rush to plan, get permission for and build a small extension to house the impending addition! We didnt manage to get it done on time (who manages to do building work on time these days?!) and instead, moved back in with our 5 month old baby. As a result, I didn’t really get to spend my pregnancy pinterest-ing different nursery themes as I was more worried about structural beams and door handles. However, we have finally got there, and i feel like quite the expert at maximising space in a VERY small nursery!
The Wardrobe
Our wardrobe is the PAX double from Ikea and does a fantastic job! I didnt want to buy a specific wardrobe from a childrens selection as they tend to be quite overpriced for a smaller storage space. Instead, we built the room with the specifications of this wardrobe in mind and whilst there is still too much room for just her clothes we have the storage for extra bits like blankets/ toys/ nappy supplies etc. You definitely cant have enough storage!
The best way to keep everything organised is to keep it in the brilliant SKUBB drawer organisers from ikea.
I also like to keep shoes in the drawers. At the top we have most used items inlcudings: pajamas, vests, trousers and leggings.
Next drawer contains a box with socks, tights, boxes with long sleeve tops, a box with skirts and a box with jumpers.
Finally, the unused drawers are currently filled with soft toys, blankets and holiday stuff that hardly gets used like swimming costumes, towels etc.
Alsoin the wardrobe you will see I keep a few extra things on the bottom – kids clothes are nice and short so its super easy to store stuff underneath that you dont want lying around the room! Heres what i keep under there:
- Silver laundry basket – I got mine from homesense but something cute like this would work too as long as it has handles to easily transport around!
- Baby bjorn baby carrier – love this and still use it most days even now she is one. Suitable from newborn too!
- I keep a basket in the corner with arts and crafts stuff – as she gets more I imagine this collection will increase, but for now i like keeping it tucked away and out of reach!
Changing Table
Our gorgeous changing table is from Bloom, originally in John Lewis but I actually bought it second hand on Facebook marketplace – I loved meeting another local mum, who had 2 grown boys and was so happy to pass on this precious item as we were starting our own journey with our family! We gave it a lick of paint and was good as new. Another good tip to look out for is the changer top comes off, leaving it as a normal set of drawers when we no longer have a bub in nappies (seems like a long way off right now!)
I keep the changing mat wrapped in a cover from Little Unicorn – I had to get a friend to bring this back for me from the US but I have since found some gorgeous options for sheets in the UK too!
Here are the bits I keep in more Ikea boxes on the top of the changing table:
- Nappies and wipes (my fave are definitely Mamia!)
- A little box containing useful bits like nappy cream, thermometer, nail scissors, hairbrush. i try not to overload this so only absolute essentials or it looks like a mess!
In the drawers underneath I have more boxes containing cotton wool balls, hair clips and another box for medications that are used less often eg calpol!
One drawer still contains a variety of muslins – my favourites were little bamboo and the Aden and Anais extra large muslins (useful for breastfeeding, as a sheet for the bassinet, swaddling during the daytime etc etc)
The bottom drawer is filled with extras of everything so nappies, wipes, packs to change the nappy bin etc
Decoration
Finally, we have some little bits around the room to keep it homely.
- I have a mirror and shelf, originally from maison du monde and accessorised with some flowers from amazon! I have linked a similar mirror and shelves.
- Wall flowers are stickers – also amazon!
- The blinds are from Bloc Blinds (John lewis)
- Rocking horse was a gift from a friend – customised from My First Years
- Rug on the floor was originally a play mat also from My First Years, but we now use it as a little rug that Lyla sometimes plays on!
- Bookshelves are the Mosslanda Ikea picture rails
- Grobag is from Little Green Sheep and was gifted to me!
Other storage
You might notice that there isnt much really in this room! We have toy storage elsewhere in the flat – mainly in the teepee which we keep in the living room (ours was from Aldi!). If you open it up it is stuffed to the BRIM with all the toys, which inevitably come out to be all used at once during the day but can be hidden easily at night or when guests are around! Its not ideal, and probably wont be a long term solution but it works for now!
Also, we dont have a chair in Lylas room. Thats partly because we couldnt agree on one, and dont have the space for my dream Rocking Chair (Babygrey.co.uk!). In the end, we found in a small flat that it is just as easy to feed on the living room sofa with dimmed lights, and she has never had a problem with going to sleep in her own room. It saves space and is definitely comfier for us!
What do you think of our nursery? Do you think we are missing out on anything? Let me know if you have any questions!!