“Creativity is intelligence having fun” – Albert Einstein

One look at this small yet adorable nursery and we bet you will be as amazed as us at this creative use of space. A little more than a year back, mom Erin Cole of Elizabeth Joan Designs came up with a totally out-of-the-box idea of converting her walk-in closet into a charming nursery for her baby boy, Ethan.

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Light walls and minimal furniture give this small nursery a spacious feeling – Featured here is the Dream On Me Aden 4-in-1 Convertible Mini Crib

Erin turned to Dream On Me to furnish this space and picked the Aden 4-in-1 Convertible Mini Crib for its compact design and long term convertibility. The Dream On Me range of mini cribs has been a favorite amongst parents who are looking to decorate a small nursery or want to create a nursery corner in their own bedroom.

“Simplicity is the ultimate sophistication” – Leonardo da Vinci

Erin kept the nursery simple – the Dream On Me Aden 4-in-1 Convertible Mini Crib, a dresser to store all of baby’s essentials, light colored, shiplap-treated walls with chic animal themed artwork and a pop of green to add color to the nursery. We simply love how everything fell in place so perfectly to create a cozy and welcoming farmhouse-themed nursery for Ethan.

Fast forward to now and little Ethan has graduated to sharing a room with his big brother Evan. The Dream On Me Aden Mini Crib has graduated along with Ethan to this nautical themed toddler room. Mom Erin’s philosophy of ‘Less is More’ continues in her choice of furniture and decor accents in this easy-breezy kids room. The room is peppered with artifacts related to the ocean and nautical theme that was chosen by big brother Evan – Shark artwork, a rowing oar, boat cleat hooks and a beautiful sail ship add character and charm. Ethan and Evan get their own space on opposite ends of the room with ample free space in the middle. Smart storage solutions help keep toys, books and clothes organized.

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Ethan and Evan’s bright and airy, nautical-themed toddler room

Erin’s small yet fabulous nursery is proof that space constraints need not constrain your creativity. Hop over to https://elizabethjoandesigns.com/ or follow her on Instagram @elizabethjoandesigns for more home decor and DIY inspiration.

Erin details out how she designed this airy toddler room for her 2 boys. Read on for some design inspo!

What was your inspiration for the nursery design and décor?
Since we were creating a space for our 2 boys, we wanted to take into account their ages when designing the room. (Ages 18 months & 8 years old at the time.) It had to be cool enough for our older son, Evan, who loves sharks, but also baby-friendly for Ethan. Plus, we already had some nautical type items, so we decided to go in that direction. We also needed to focus on storage since we were limited on square footage.

What drew you to Dream On Me over other nursery brands?
The Dream On Me cribs have beautiful designs and the compact size of the Aden was perfect for us! It doesn’t take up much space and can eventually convert to a toddler bed. We initially chose it for the little nursery we created in our walk-in closet before Ethan was born. However, it was just the perfect size to also fit in the shared bedroom without overwhelming the already small space.

Did the room pose any design challenges?
The nursery/bedroom isn’t huge (only 9′ x 12′) and we still wanted each of the boys to have a side of the room to call their own. We had to get creative with furniture and storage for clothing, books, and toys.

Did you and your spouse agree on style, or did you blend styles and how?
Luckily for us, my husband and I have pretty similar tastes. We love light, bright, and airy spaces, so deciding on furniture pieces and color schemes is pretty easy. Since our oldest son is 8, we also let him have a say in what he would like the room to look like. He picked out the paint colors and helped choose the shark and whale prints on the wall.

What does this color scheme mean to you?
The colors in this room make it one of the most relaxing spaces in the home. And that’s pretty much what you want in a nursery/bedroom. It is also meaningful to Evan that he got to be involved in the process of picking out the colors.

What accessories did you choose and why?
As previously mentioned, our older son loves sharks and our youngest loves all animals, so it was important for us to add some sort of animal-type prints in this room. We searched around on Etsy and found beautiful shark and whale prints. Each child also has their own light fixture above their bed with a dim puck light inside, which comes in super handy as night lights! The old oar on the wall is one that we’ve had for years and we loved that we could use it in the space to lend to that nautical type feel. Both of our boys’ names begin with the letter E, so adding galvanized letters, one big and one small, just seemed appropriate.

What is your favorite piece or design element in the nursery?
I love the boat cleats we installed on the wall as hooks! They are so handy for the diaper bag, backpacks, jackets, hats, etc.

Have you thought of how you will use the nursery pieces down the road and can you tell us?
We love that the mini crib is convertible, so we will be able to use it for quite a while as Ethan gets older.

What one word comes to mind when you step into the nursery?
Soothing.

For more nursery decoration ideas and inspiration, read our other blogs.

Featured in this article: Dream On Me Aden 4-in-1 Convertible Crib
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