Now that the big bathroom makeover is finished, we’re turning our attention to the nursery. We love our third bedroom, so the idea of giving it up for the baby is a little bittersweet. Still, we’re thrilled to meet our daughter in May and excited to shape a cozy nursery for her at Casa Petersik.
We tend to embrace a use-what-you-have approach, which left us momentarily stumped: how to rehome a daybed, table, chair, rug and ottoman without creating clutter. After a short brainstorming session—Tim Gunn-style, make-it-work—we began rearranging with what was already in the house.
Earlier, we had moved a small wrapping-paper and letter-writing table down to the basement during the renovation, along with a chair and a second spare chair that had been stored in a closet. That freed up some pieces to shuffle around, but the daybed presented a bigger challenge. The nursery is our smallest room, and a crib was non-negotiable, so the daybed had to find a new spot.
The sunroom quickly seemed like the obvious choice. We already have a cozy daybed there that we use most of the warmer months, so why not add a second? After a bit of heavy lifting and some strategic shimmying, the daybed fit in nicely. John did the lifting while I handled supervision.
Surprisingly, the darker wood tone of the new daybed didn’t clash with the existing white one as much as we expected. The oil-rubbed bronze window hardware in the room helps tie the tones together. We still plan to eventually paint the darker bed white to create a more balanced look—same color, different styles—while using complementary bedding to avoid a matchy-matchy feel.
We transferred many of the pillows from the third bedroom to the new daybed and draped an oatmeal-colored blanket over the mattress to help it blend with the other seating. The layered, serene aesthetic works well for now, but we’re considering adding a few brighter pillows in spring to liven up the space.
Placing the daybed along the wall where we previously had one small teak chair and a side table also improved the sunroom’s functionality. It now offers the best view of our private backyard, and we can seat more people for get-togethers. A full daybed instead of a single chair makes the room feel more inviting—game nights and sunroom sleepovers suddenly seem very possible.
This arrangement gives the daybed a comfortable interim home until it possibly becomes a “big-girl” bed down the line when the crib is no longer needed. Friends and family have recommended daybeds for that transitional stage, but with a growing family it’s also possible the bed will stay in the sunroom for the long term. Only time will tell.
Next came the jute rug from the third bedroom. Since we wanted something softer underfoot for the nursery, the jute needed a new home. It turns out we actually own the same rug already in the kitchen, so keeping a spare rolled up made sense. We tucked it behind the blinds above the laundry nook for safekeeping. That way, if a kitchen spill happens—sauce, juice, or otherwise—we’ll have an extra rug ready to swap in. Since finishing the basement renovation, our overall clutter has been greatly reduced, which made finding storage for the spare rug easier.
We also considered where the ottoman should go. An ottoman can be useful in a nursery—for toy storage, as a footrest while nursing, or as an extra seat—so we decided it should stay. It remains in the nursery alongside an asymmetrical photo collage on the wall. We may swap a few framed pieces for colorful, baby-friendly art that complements the upcoming color scheme, but the collage will remain a visual focal point. As the baby grows and becomes more mobile, we’ll make sure all frames are securely fastened or moved if necessary for safety.
Clearing the nursery without creating a pile of displaced furniture required thoughtful repurposing and a bit of creativity, but it feels great to see an empty room ready for a fresh start. We even repainted the walls and ceiling recently to give the space a clean slate—more on that soon.
How have you all handled furniture when making room for a baby? Did you rely on resale sites, repurpose pieces within your home, put items in storage, or convert rooms for other uses? For those who transformed a room for a different function—bedroom to library, or den to office—what solutions worked best for you? We’d love to hear your ideas and experiences.