Ideas and inspiration for an airplane baby boy nursery.
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Our third sweet babe is about a year and a half old now. We moved just shortly before he was due, so I knew there wouldn’t be time to do a whole big nursery makeover, though I had hoped I’d have some time to put a sort of a nursery together before he arrived. But, alas, as per usual with kiddos, he had other plans. It may not have been ready for his arrival, but better late than never 😉 And I figure it can grow with him for a few years. I mean, what little boy doesn’t love airplanes! We have a lot of pilots in the family, and flying has always been a big part of our lives. So this was pretty special to put together.
Baby Boy Nursery Before
The room was pretty plain to start with – basically a clean slate to make a cozy nursery! First things first – I cleared it out and gave everything a fresh coat of paint.
I painted the ceiling with Behr flat white ceiling paint. If you notice in the before photo, the ceiling used to reflect the light quite a bit – it was originally painted with satin paint, prior to when we bought the house, which is a higher sheen and shines a little. Actually, ALL our ceilings are painted in satin and the reflection really makes them feel shorter. We have 8′ ceilings, so the reflection makes a big difference. I’m slowly working my way around the house room by room and repainting them with flat/matte white. It’s one of those things that maybe doesn’t pack the biggest punch in photos, but makes a HUGE impact in real life.
Once the ceiling was done, I painted the walls with Benjamin Moore Edgecomb Gray in eggshell. It’s a warm, cozy, calming greige – definitely one of my new favorite paint colors. I’ve heard a lot of designers rave about it and now I see why! It’s like a warm hug whenever you walk in the room! Lastly, I painted the trim and doors with Benjamin Moore White Dove in satin. It’s a warmer white that compliments the Edgecomb Gray beautifully.
And here it is!
Baby Boy Nursery After
I kind of built the entire room around these curtains I found at Lowes [curtains HERE, curtain rod HERE, curtain rings HERE]. I LOVE that soft sage green for a nursery!
When you walk into the room, you walk right into a small wall. It’s the outside wall of the closet and a great spot for a small bookcase, though it’s pretty narrow. I had trouble finding a bookcase to fit but finally found one on Amazon [HERE]. I gave it a fresh coat of paint in Sherwin-Williams Retreat and added new hardware [HERE]. You can find the full tutorial here: DIY Amazon Bookshelf Makeover.
The crib was a FB Marketplace find. It’s handmade, solid oak, and the most beautiful color. I really wanted to incorporate arches in this room, so when I saw that crib, I knew it would be perfect! I went neutral with the rug to compliment the wood tones [HERE].
The wood airplanes were a quick DIY, inspired by Brooke from Nesting with Grace. She did an airplane nursery a few months ago, and used small wood airplane models, painted black, as part of the decor over the crib. I thought it was such a clever, cute idea and logged it away for this airplane nursery! I grabbed the multi-pack of wood airplanes [HERE], primed them [HERE], and painted them with acrylic paint in a few different colors (from my local Hobby Lobby). Then I used glue dots [HERE] to stick them to the wall.
This used to be a nursing corner, but since we’re past that phase now (how does time go so fast 😥), I made it a little reading nook. I already had this cozy chair from Poly and Bark from the living room in our last house. It’s SO comfy, but very compact, so I had to get creative with the end table and ottoman. Most of the standard sized side tables and ottomans completely dwarfed the chair. I found an adorable little table from Target that works perfectly [HERE] and a beautiful ottoman from World Market [HERE] that adds so much texture. In a traditional nursery, I’d put a cozy glider or rocking chair here!
There wasn’t much in the way of an organization system or shelves in the closet to start with, so I put the dresser in there. I wallpapered the back wall to add some character. This was my first time working with wallpaper [HERE], and I am so happy with how it turned out. It’s a pre-pasted wallpaper, was very easy to apply, and looks perfect after drying. And how pretty is that subtle plaid pattern! I added an accordion hook rack to one side (hooks are always useful in a closet), and hung a sweet airplane mobile [HERE] from the top shelf. We leave the doors open and use the dresser as a changing table.
I added a few photos of Papa’s (grandpa) airplanes as the finishing touches. I think I was 6 weeks old the first time I flew in the back of that airplane in the photos – strapped into my carseat and sleeping soundly on the floor. It’s pretty special to see it in my son’s nursery now. The sketched photo in the black frame is a card we received when Arlo was born – I saved it and it was just right for this spot.
This baby boy nursery ended up a wonderful mix of thrifted, DIY, and new. I’m so happy it’s finally complete – even if a little late 😉
Sources
Walls – Edgecomb Gray by Benjamin Moore in eggshell
Trim – White Dove by Benjamin Moore in satin
- Rug – ChrisLovesJulia x Loloi Polly Collection (you can also find it here if it’s sold out on Amazon)
- Crib – Facebook Marketplace
- Crib Sheet – Cloud Island Diamonds Crib Sheet
- Crib Checkered Blanket – Cloud Island Velvet Baby Blanket
- Throw Pillow – World Market Slate Green Velvet
- Photo Frames – 11×17 and 8×10
- Large Round Basket – Threshold Woven Aseana Basket
- Bookcase – Prepac Tall Bookcase painted in Sherwin Williams Retreat and new brass door pulls
- Teething Tower – found at local shop, but HERE is a similar one
- Brass Box – Hearth & Hand Trinket Box
- Metal Airplane – thrifted
- Light Fixture – Aiwen Modern Semi Flush Mount Ceiling Light
- Brass Lamp – 360 Lighting Traditional Floor Lamp
- Chair – Poly and Bark Verity Leather Lounge Chair
- Ottoman Pouf – Basketweave Velvet Pouf in Rust
- Side Table – Woodland Carved Wood Accent Table
- Book Basket – Chunky Cube Woven Basket
- Model Airplanes – Balsa Wood Toy Flying Airplanes
- Cozy Throw – Woven Striped Knit Throw
- Curtains – Allen + Roth Green Linen Panel
- Curtain Rod – Ivilon Curtain Rod (high quality and heavy duty – I was impressed)
- Curtain Rings – Ivilon Curtain Rings (to give the curtains a little extra length)
- Wallpaper – York Wall Coverings Charter Plaid
- Airplane Mobile – Sorrel & Fern Baby Mobile (still cannot believe the price for the quality!)
- Basket – Woven Diaper Caddy with Dividers
- Storage Bins – Fabric Storage Bins (I use these in all our closets)
- Accordion Hook Rack – out of stock but linked a few similar ones HERE, HERE, and HERE
- Dresser – thrifted (see the whole dresser makeover here)
Even though I didn’t need to put one in here, I went ahead and rounded up a few of my favorite nursery gliders and rocking chairs for you as well. They range price from under $200 to more expensive, so there should be something for every budget. I hope it’s helpful!
Gliders & Rocking Chairs
Just click on the photo to shop:
Please let me know if you have any questions about the airplane baby boy nursery and I’ll get back to you as soon as possible.
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