Here’s the next instalment of Baby Caroline’s beautiful nursery featuring Dream On Me’s Ashton 5-in-1 Convertible Crib. In our previous post, we covered the nursery itself – the layout, colours/theme and the furniture/accessories/décor.

In this instalment, we speak to the lovely mama Meg, co-founder and CEO of HelloMamas about the nursery, the challenges she faced and the results. So, without further ado, here’s she is!

What was your inspiration for the nursery design and décor?
With two crazy toddlers, a newborn and the Hello Mamas app, my mind is often going 100 miles per hour. I am constantly looking for tricks to slow myself down by creating an environment that is calming. I find myself at peace with light neutral colors that brighten our home while drawing attention to our view of the ocean, which is my happy place. So I guess the ocean and my desire to be happy and calm was my inspiration.

What drew you to Dream on Me over other nursery brands?
It was important to me to find a crib that would work with a variety of styles and that could be used after the baby days. I can take a step back and picture the Dream on Me Ashton crib as a full-size bed in our guest room. The design is classic and works very well in a coastal home.

Did the room pose any design challenges?
Yes. This is the smallest room in our house and it was very important for me to have it feel as bright as possible. When the sun shines in the morning, it is extremely bright because it faces the ocean. By afternoon, the sun crosses over to the other side of our home, making the room feel darker.

Originally there was carpet in this room. I asked my husband to pull it out and replace it with a light flooring that would contrast nicely with the dark floors in our hallway. We also installed recessed lighting and I included small mirrors as part of our wall decor to make the room feel slightly larger. Mirrors always help to open things up.

Because of the room size, I opted to go with as little furniture as possible. The Ashton crib is truly the centerpiece.

Did you and your spouse agree on style, or did you blend styles and how?
He let me run with this one :). I was 8 months pregnant when I got excited about the nursery. I think he felt like he had no choice!

What does this color scheme mean to you?
It was really important for me to make the nursery a happy place for both Caroline and I, and the light grey makes me feel happy. It’s also a color that is easy to work with as she grows.

What accessories did you choose and why?
I had an incredibly talented mom make me a custom mermaid blanket and Caroline pillow. The blanket brings just the right amount of “feminine coastal” without overdoing it. I’ve always considered mermaids to be magical and empowering. It was the perfect choice.

My sister had a custom frame made with all of the details of Caroline’s arrival into this world. I balled my eyes out when she gave it to me for Christmas and have it hung just above the glider chair.

I only recently found the sign above the crib. I saw it in a boutique and it called out to me but I really had no clue what room it would work in. I bought it and it sat in the corner downstairs for a while. I was just about to return it when it hit me that it might work in the nursery. It ended up bringing a bit of a cottage feel to the room, which was something I hadn’t planned on but ended up loving.

I purchased two rugs for the room. The star rug is from Lorena Canals. I highly recommend these rugs because they are machine washable. I kid you not, 10 minutes after laying it out in the nursery, my daughter walked over and peed on it (we were potty training). We’ve since washed the rug about 10 times and each time it comes out looking brand new. I went with a grey shag rug for the second rug to maintain a modern feel.

What is your favorite piece or design element in the nursery?
I searched forever for artwork and couldn’t find anything that made me happy. So I decided to do something a little different. I brought my camera to Walmart and had them enlarge a photo of me pregnant with Caroline at the beach. Crazy side story – I let an 8-year-old stranger take my maternity photos and the experience was so incredible!

Are there any sentimental pieces you incorporated into the room?
The photo of me pregnant with Caroline is very sentimental. I didn’t take a lot of photos of me pregnant with my other two children and regretted it. Carrying a child is a miracle and to have that constant reminder makes me smile every time I walk into the room. I am still searching for the perfect frame for it!

Have you thought of how you will use the nursery pieces down the road and can you tell us?
Funny, I actually just posted a questions about this in the Hello Mamas mom app. I love the sign above the crib dearly, but I’m not sure it will work beyond the baby months and I plan to have Caroline and my other daughter, Elle, share a room when she gets a little bigger, perhaps swapping them into my son’s room which is much larger and due for its own makeover. I hope to keep the sign but change the message so it speaks to both of my daughters.

I love the photo of me pregnant, but I may replace it with one of the shots taken the same day that included my daughter, Elle, because they will eventually share a room.

I also plan to convert the Ashton crib into a full-size bed for our guest room which has a traditional nautical theme. The Ashton crib has such a classic vibe and I had this guest room in mind when I selected it.

What one word comes to mind when you step into the nursery?
Happiness. But I guess that’s because the sign above the crib pretty much spells it out. Really, I do feel so happy in this room.

Featured in this article: Dream On Me’s Ashton 5-in-1 Convertible Crib
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