Designing A Small Alpine Nursery: Our Final Reveal

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After using this space pretty much constantly for the past month, I am so excited to finally share our nursery reveal! Originally, designed as a gender-neutral nursery since we didn’t know if we were having a boy or a girl, our small Alpine nursery has now begun taking on pops of pink in celebration of life with our baby girl. Full of DIYs, antique finds and a mix of old and new, this nursery has been the perfect combination of form and function. While this small space is temporary during our time here in Germany, I have loved the Alpine flair this room has embodied, so if you are also looking for ideas for an Alpine inspired space or how to work with a challenging layout, let’s dive into the details! 

Designing A Nursery Within A Small Room 

When Charlie and I first moved into our apartment, we called this space our “half” room. A little less than 13 feet long and around 6 feet wide, this room was almost better suited to be a home office or walk in closet than a traditional bedroom. Pair its long, unusual shape with a ceiling that slopes down at the end due to our top floor apartment rooflines and this room certainly presents a challenging layout. That being said, it makes for a perfect nursery space and once we figured out the space a bit, we discovered it was just big enough for the essentials: a crib to sleep, chair to rock / feed and a dresser to act as storage and changing table. 

Creating Zones

While having a large room with extra space is nice, space enough to house these three items is really all that’s needed! If you are looking to transform a portion of a bedroom, a closet or another small space that you are repurposing for your growing family, I would recommend trying to create two zones: a sleeping zone with a crib or bassinet and an active zone with a chair and changing surface / storage.

Due to the sloping ceiling and Charlie’s height, we opted to put the sleeping zone with the crib on the front left of the room which would be accessible right when entering the space to capitalize on the full ceiling height and ensure he didn’t hit his head when picking our little one up from the bed. From there, we utilized the back half of the room to create an active area with the existing wall nook to act as cubby storage (for diapers, burp cloths, feeding and bath items etc.) above the changing area and a small play / rocking space in front.

An Alpine Nursery Mix Of Old & New

As I mentioned when sharing the gender neutral Alpine theme mood board for our nursery (I discussed it in greater detail HERE!), I really wanted this nursery to reflect our time here in Germany as we have so enjoyed living close to the Alps. Using a found art Alpine painting as the launching point for the design seen when first entering the space above the crib, I pulled in a variety of greens, blues, yellows and pinks throughout the room while also leaning into the lighter wood tones, cow details (from this DIY Mobile) and fur elements that are found in traditional Alpine designs. Regardless of the theme however, if hanging art above the crib be sure that the piece is securely fixed to the wall and even perhaps slide the crib out from the wall just a bit to ensure that if the piece did become unsecured that it could drop down beside the crib instead of into it.

Adding In Pink 

Before knowing if our baby was a boy or girl, I used primarily shades of green and yellow to make the space flexible for either gender. However, following our little girls birth, I didn’t want the space to remain gender neutral and therefore have started integrating more feminine elements with pops of pink in the toy basket, floral pillow and numbered cubes. If you also are having a gender surprise pregnancy but want to allow the nursery to transform a bit, saving a few elements until either after your child is born, or purchasing a few pieces ahead of time (with the option to return the unused items) can help to pull your design in either a more feminine or masculine direction.  

Second Hand Finds & DIYS

With so many expenses around welcoming a child, I have loved (and highly recommend) pairing secondhand finds and DIYs with new pieces to not only be more budget friendly but also to give a collected look. To do this, I paired the DIY Scallop Painted Lamp (check out that post HERE!), Cow Mobile (HERE) and Brass Arch Mirror DIY (HERE) with second hand finds (like the art pieces and antique dresser) and new items (crib, bedding, cubes, chair etc). Adding in a mix of new items with second hand pieces can help the nursery to become layered with charm and unique finds while keeping continuity through light wood tones, color palettes and curving arched forms seen in the scallops, mirror, rug and mobile. 

Final Thoughts

While we likely will only get to use this particurlar Alpine nursery here in Germany a little while longer, I have loved the small, quaint space that this once challenging room has transformed into! Balancing budget and aesthetics with daily functional use can be tricky, but so far by creating zones within the space and integrating a mix of DIYs, secondhand finds and new pieces, it has worked out well. Our little love may never remember this first room of hers, but I am so happy with the way it’s turned out and will always treasure the memories made in this space. But what about you? Do you have any small nursery space or Alpine theme ideas that you have found particularly helpful? I would love to know so be sure to drop a comment in the section below and save this post for any needed nursery inspiration! 

Happy creating!

Chloe

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