Goin’ to the chapel and we’re…. gonna have a bay-yay-yay-by.
That’s not quite how the song goes, but it inspired the paint name we picked for the nursery walls. We don’t choose paint based on names alone—practical swatch lovers over here—but it’s always nice when the name isn’t ominous (no “Sleepless Nights” or “Zombie Spawn” for us). The new color complements the mood we want: soft, warm, and easy to layer with bolder accents as the little guy grows.
Early on, when we shared our mood board, readers wondered whether we’d paint the walls that bold green. We intended the green more as an accent—think a bright closet door, a cushion, art, or a crib skirt—and planned to keep the walls a neutral base so layers of color and pattern can change over time, as they did in Clara’s room. A neutral wall color gives flexibility without making the space feel flat or characterless.
“Neutral” can mean many things: white, light gray, soft tan, or even a muted green-gray. We considered several pairings, such as:
- deep gray ceiling, white built-ins, colorful closet door, and light gray walls
- bright white ceiling, mushroom-toned built-ins, colorful closet door, and soft taupe walls
- colorful ceiling, white built-ins, white closet door, and soft tan walls
We ultimately chose the second option. We liked the idea of mushroom-toned built-ins with a stained wood top for texture, paired with a bright white ceiling to tie into the trim and create contrast. After holding up swatches against the rug and potential built-in colors, we gravitated toward the warmer, brown-leaning tones rather than cooler charcoal grays. The chosen wall color is a gentle, warm neutral with brown undertones, and we selected a built-in paint three tones deeper for balance. The ceiling is plain white in a flat finish to coordinate with trim and to make the room feel fresh.
To paint, we cleared the room, removed the rug, and pushed the furniture to the center. We covered everything with a drop cloth for the ceiling work and applied two coats for full coverage. John handled rolling while I cut in around the edges; perfection wasn’t critical since chunky crown molding will cover the seam between wall and ceiling. The walls also received two coats. The change was subtle in photos but noticeable in person—removing the previous yellow tint really evened out the room’s tone.
Before, the room had mauve trim, carpet, and a different feel. After removing the old carpet, painting trim and doors white, installing hardwood floors, and refreshing the walls and ceiling, the space instantly feels calmer and cleaner. It’s hard to convey in photos how much fresher the room is in person, but losing the visible door overspray marks alone made a big difference.
We set up a few other elements temporarily to visualize the final look: a favorite piece of bike art (which will move once the built-in shelving is installed), a swatch of green fabric to test a possible sheet color, and our armchair moved up from the office because it’s perfect for late-night nursing. The built-ins will be painted the mushroomy-brown-gray tone and the wall above the crib will get art and trim instead of staying bare. We’ll also add chunky crown molding to finish the ceiling edge.
With roughly eleven weeks before baby arrives, here’s the to-do list we’re working through:
clean out the roomget a rug(more on those decisions in our previous planning notes)research & buy dressers or cabinet bases to create built-ins along the crib wallpaint the walls and ceilingfind an armchair for late-night nursing- build in and paint or stain the dressers we bought last week
- add chunky crown molding around the room
- address the window with bamboo blinds and blackout curtains
- paint the closet door a fun color (bold green) and reconfigure the interior for baby clothes (add a second hanging bar, cubby storage, etc.)
- add sconces to the sides of the built-ins
- consider a slatted or trimmed wall section between the built-ins for visual interest
- have the ceiling wired for an overhead fixture (our upstairs bedrooms currently lack them)
- bring in a dresser to serve as a changing table (we’re likely using a wooden hand-me-down)
- build custom shelves—a small tradition since we did this for Clara
- make a woodsy cuckoo clock for the nursery
- DIY a mobile
- create and hang art, including a few sea-faring references tied to Clara’s baby nickname
- finalize bedding and sew a crib skirt
Are you painting walls or cabinetry, or planning bold built-ins? It’s surprisingly fun to pick finishes and see a room transform—definitely more thrilling than it probably should be.