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coco’s nursery!

Oh Joy nursery/office by Emily Henderson

Oh Joy nursery/office by Emily Henderson

A few months before my due date last year, my friends at Target said "Hey, what do you think about having Emily Henderson design the nursery for your new baby?" Since I'm a designer at Target and she's their style expert, it was a fun way for us to work together show people how you can design a nursery at a reasonable price and not have to go crazy on super fancy purchases. Plus, Emily and I have a loooong history of working together. She designed our living room for her show (and then again when we needed to baby proof). She designed our studio, and she has signed-on to design every single house I will live in for the rest of my life (just kidding, but not kidding because I will pay her in Ryan Gosling kisses). So it only made sense for us to work together again on Coco's room. She gets me, I get her, and we just have fun hanging out together.

However, the one thing about this whole "Let's design a new nursery" thing is that I didn't actually have an extra room dedicated to our 2nd baby. As is the case with the many second children (sorry, second kids), we weren't planning to do anything special with Coco's room. I figured we'd put a bassinet in our only extra room (our home office) until our new baby was sleeping through the night and then have her share a room with Ruby. So I proposed that we do an office/nursery-in-one because the reality is that not everyone has enough space for every kid to have their own dedicated room.

Since my home office was no longer my main office, we were able to scale back on the needs of that room and give Coco a special area just for her while she's little and getting her sleep skills mastered (more on that whole newborn sleep thing soon…).

Here is the space before…sorry it looks like an explosion went off in there. It was once my home office for Oh Joy but had since turned into an office/storage/extra junk room.

Oh Joy nursery/office by Emily Henderson

And here it is now…

Oh Joy nursery/office by Emily Henderson

Oh Joy nursery/office by Emily Henderson

Oh Joy nursery/office by Emily Henderson

Oh Joy nursery/office by Emily Henderson

Since I already had the usual Oh Joy "pops of color and gold" in Ruby's room, Emily convinced me to go a different direction with this nursery and made it more gender neutral, graphic, and fun. The main pieces (crib, changing table, pouf, rug, lamps, book shelfoffice chairs, baby bedding) were all from Target and so well-priced. And everything else was a combination of pieces I already had (like the glider which used to be in Ruby's room), vintage finds (like that cool credenza with gold accents she found on Craig's List for $200), and other affordable sources like the Ikea desks which had custom legs and lucite tops added to them.

Here's a look at the "office" part of the room… (click below to see more)

Oh Joy nursery/office by Emily Henderson

Oh Joy nursery/office by Emily Henderson

Oh Joy nursery/office by Emily Henderson

Oh Joy nursery/office by Emily Henderson

By changing the orientation of our desks and by getting rid of some of our much needed junk, Emily was able to miraculously make this room work for a dual purpose. It's amazing to think that the spot where I once spent late nights working and designing for clients is now the spot where my newest babe slumbers. It feels like a completely different room and a fresh start for a fresh baby. While it can be tricky getting to actually work in the office, I am so glad we did this to give Coco a space of her own for now. And this room is right off our bedroom, so it's become super convenient for the middle of the night when I am stumbling around in the dark trying to nurse while half-asleep.

Oh Joy nursery/office by Emily Henderson

You can see the story and read more about it in this month's issue of American Baby magazine and hear more about process from Emily and get a Ruby cameo in this video below!

Oh Joy nursery/office by Emily Henderson

Oh Joy nursery/office by Emily Henderson

Thank to Emily for our newest "Emily Henderson for Oh Joy" room! I am concocting my masterplan to find Ryan G. for you. For real. And thanks to Target for giving us a chance to show that a making a space for baby can be fun AND affordable. Coco was born 10 days after these photos were taken, and it's fun to look back and think about how much has changed since then, how I kinda miss having that baby belly, and how much fuller my life is now with our amazing new addition.

You can read more about the mood boards and design plans on Emily's blog right here, see the process behind the mountain mural right here, and see her interpretation of the room and get all sources on where to buy stuff right here!

{Photos by David Tsay. Hair & Makeup by Danielle Walch.}

57 comments

  1. Oh so joyful, pretty, fresh and inspiring! I love it! No one could have done it better than Emily Henderson. Congrats on your new baby, she’s so adorable.:-)

  2. We are expecting our first and our home office is also doubling as a nursery – thanks for demonstrating how well it can work and how great it can look!

  3. So fun and also calming. We’ve had the same changing table (and matching crib) for a couple of years and it’s great. Although now I kind of want to redecorate my daughter’s room!

  4. So sweet! I can’t believe the white and gold dresser was a Craigslist score… I was waiting for some sort of clever DIY like the toe kicks at your studio!

  5. love, love this duel room! it’s so charming. is your last “here” to find sources enabled? I don’t see it linked and I’d love to check out the desk legs.

  6. There aren’t many spaces styled by Emily that I don’t love and this nursery is no exception! Just gorgeous! We have an office/guest room that will likely become an office/nursery when we have another baby and I’ll definitely be booking mark this room for inspiration. Well done, ladies!

  7. What an adorable nursery! I have to say this post is so inspiring for anyone who loves home decor and interior design (much like myself). Initially I would be so perplexed by the idea of combining a nursery and an office: how functional it would be and how the room could be cohesive. This design is fun, it’s inviting, and it’s functional. I love it!
    Rachel
    http://rachelinflight.com

  8. Amazing timing! We just decided last week to convert our office into a nursery for our 3 month old before I go back to work. I kept putting it off but this has motivated me to get back on track. 🙂

  9. I swear you’re in my brain… being that we are starting to purchase and plan this week for the nursery AND I had no clue that Target had such fun pieces …What rock was I living under?!?
    Any who, We’re trying not to break the bank with our baby excitement so affordable pieces are a must. She used my buzz words… not overly girly…gender neutral. BOOM!
    I’ve never been so excited to put together a space…Okay I’ve never been excited to put together a space. You have single handedly inspired my inner creative…and a tiny bit of girly in me.
    xo

  10. Love! Thanks for sharing tips on a dual room. Our kids are the same age and big sister likes to sleep in babies room. So big sister’s room will be turned into my office/play room/extra sleep room.

  11. My two favorite bloggers… I just love when you work together! You always look so beautiful, but you look extra stunning in these photos. Question… did you bronze those moccs or is that just the color? I’ve been trying to find a place that does gold or brass, but I can only find bronze or platinum. I feel like the bronze is dated and cheesy, but if those are bronze, then they look cute and I may reconsider!

  12. Meh. I mean, I really like the nursery, but I don’t like the dual purpose of the room. Ruby had/has her own nursery, but Coco has to share hers with your home office? Don’t you have an off-site office? Why do you need another space designated for that in your home?

  13. Joy you just look so pretty in these photos! I think it’s so smart to have Coco in her own space and use it for an office, since they need so little those early months except a quiet place to sleep. Obviously she’s livin’ it up with Ruby in her room since they’re probably BFFs already. 😉 xo

  14. Is it just me or does anyone else want that SUPER cute yellow balloon lamp? I didn’t see it in the mood board or source list. Please, please, please don’t say it’s vintage.

  15. Joy, where are the gold magnetic strips/bulletin board above the desk from? I love how all the accessories complement the rest of the room!

  16. Hi Enjoli,
    Don’t hate my answer…it’s vintage 😉
    Emily got it at the Rosebowl Flea Market I believe.
    Joy

  17. Hi Joy! I am having my first baby and I love your glider. I went to the website and I was wondering what swatch you chose for yours?
    Thanks.

  18. Ahh, I love it! I’m expecting my first in May. I love how you did your nursery with cute but yet affordable pieces. You are famous but you don’t feel the need to spend one million dollars on a nursery. And yes, many people have space constraints so it was neat to see you use your office as a nursery but have it still look amazing. Not everyone has a big house! Thank you!

  19. So many things I love about this room! Went a little pinterest crazy here. 🙂
    Can you tell me where those acrylic desk blotters are from?? Thank you!

  20. love how much use you are managing to get out of this space.This nursery is too cute! So fresh and vibrant, the colors are absolutely stunning. This is truly creativity at it’s finest! If ever you’re looking for an extra pop of color that’s super cute, check out our custom felt ball rugs. They’d go well in both spaces!

  21. Very nice.
    I love the design. IT is so beautiful. Simple but very attractive.
    his nursery is too cute! So fresh and vibrant, the colors are absolutely stunning.

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