How to Create the Perfect Modern Nursery, According to a Maternity Expert
We asked Courtney Klein, the founder of Storq, to dish on the stylish essentials you’ll need to outfit your baby’s space.
So you’re having a baby! Great news. Let’s talk nursery decor. As it turns out, there is no actual rule that says your child’s nursery must be littered with plastic toys and unruly color combinations. We’re happy to report that it’s possible to make the nursery a place where anyone would want to spend time—whether you’re a newborn, a toddler, a parent, or a labradoodle. If you enjoy thoughtful, comfortable, well-designed spaces full of things you’ll be reluctant to part with when your baby is all grown up, you’ve come to the right place.
Storq creates the softest, coziest daily essentials for pregnancy, nursing, and parenting. They’re partnered with the Homeless Prenatal Program in San Francisco to make it easy to pass on your pre-loved goods to families in need once baby arrives.
The Essentials
If you’re not sure where to begin, start with these.
Convertible Crib
Our Pick:
Ikea Sniglar Crib
Your baby sleeps safely and comfortably in this crib made from solid beech—a durable and renewable natural material that is both good for your wallet and the planet.
ShopSplurge:
Kalon Studios Caravan Crib
A perfect marriage of beauty and utility, the Caravan Collection is beloved for its classic forms and versatility. Impeccably crafted from time-tested natural materials, each piece is thoughtfully designed with a commitment to sustainability and to the idea that the essential parts of a child’s first living space should be effortless and beautiful for those who experience them. The Caravan Crib is made from solid American maple. Designed with longevity and flexibility in mind, the crib converts as is to two different toddler bed styles: a 3-walled toddler bed or a platform-style toddler bed that can be used as seating well beyond the nursery years. An additional kit is required to covert the crib to the Caravan Toddler Divan.
ShopBassinet
Our Pick:
Tadpoles Woven Palm Leaf Moses Basket
Woven from pure Moroccan palm, the the Tadpoles Moses Basket can be used with any of our wonderful Moses basket bedding sets, or with your own special bedding. Once your baby outgrows the basket, use the nylon liner and turn the baby basket into a laundry hamper.
ShopSplurge:
BERMBACH Babycrib LOLA
The babycrib LOLA stands on a filigree metal frame. It appears light, almost floating, which makes it a decorative accessory of a modern living style. Small feet made of mango wood ensure an even and gentle floor support. The weave of the basket offers transparency allowing the little one to get the best views of everything going on all around. Firmly laced leather straps provide additional stability while a thin wooden floor on the underside connects the main body with inconspicuous screws to the fine latticed yet extremely stable underframe.
ShopHonorable mention: Some of our friends swear by the Snoo, but we haven’t used it ourselves.
Crib Sheets
Our Pick:
Mushie Extra Soft Muslin Crib Sheet
Made from 100% cotton, our cozy, extra soft muslin crib sheet is pre-washed for softness against baby's delicate skin. Muslin stays breathable while keeping your baby warm and cuddly. This crib sheet has fully elastic corners that allow for easy removal, as well as a perfect fit after wash.
ShopSplurge:
Linen Tales Kids Washed Linen Fitted Sheet
For your superheroes that fight for the good of the world in their dreams – a fitted sheet is irreplaceable. Soft, natural, and staying exactly where you put it.
ShopMattress
Our Pick:
Naturalmat Quilted Latex Mattress
With its core of natural rubber latex (tapped from rubber trees) this mattress provides medium support ideal for toddlers and older children. Layers of organic coir, organic lambswool and a cotton cover make this a seriously comfy mattress, while the latex at its heart means it’s very breathable – ideal for keeping babies temperature just so on warmer nights.
ShopSplurge:
Newton Baby Crib Mattress
Every inch of the Newton Baby Crib Mattress was designed with your baby’s health, safety, and comfort in mind. The innovative design features the brand’s patented Wovenaire® core which is zipped into a breathe-thru cover, allowing air to flow freely for optimal breathability and temperature regulation.
ShopDiaper Pail
Our Pick:
PurePail Classic Diaper Pail
The PurePail diaper pail uses patented odor-blocking technology so parents can inhale the sweetness of parenting—not the stink. An easy-to-use diaper disposal system is the perfect counterpoint to all the other complicated baby gear in parents’ lives.
ShopSplurge:
Ubbi Diaper Pail
Exceptionally easy to load and clean, the Ubbi Diaper Pail can be used with ordinary trash bags or reusable cloth liners. It features a sleek, clever design and will minimize odors while cutting down on waste. Crafted from steel and equipped with rubber seals, it also features a convenient sliding lid with childproof safety look.
ShopWall Hooks
Our Pick:
Iris Hantverk Rack With 4 Hooks
A place for everything and everything it its place. Sturdy, streamlined, and (glory of glories) beautifully useful, this is our absolute favorite hanging peg rack.
ShopSplurge:
SIN Trio Coat Rack
Our coil-built Trio Coat Rack is the perfect resting place for your coats, purse, dog leash, towels and more. Built one at a time with meticulous craftsmanship, each coat rack holds up to 15 lbs and makes itself perfectly at home in hallways, entryways, bathrooms, or wherever else you see fit.
ShopRug
Our Pick:
Willaby Hand-Loomed Rug - Snow
The softest, most non-toxic, and easy to care for rugs you'll ever own. Completely organic, completely machine-washable. (Yes, the area rug too!) Our rugs are made by hand, by a family of Amish weavers. Each strip for weaving is cut without the use of electric machines. The ends of the rugs are sewn with treadle sewing machines, and if weaving takes place after dark, it happens under oil lamp light. From start to finish, absolutely no electricity is used in the construction of this product, and there is no fabric waste.
ShopSplurge:
Cold Picnic Andalusia Rug
Our flat weave rugs offer a lightweight and slightly more casual update to our trademark hand tufted rugs. Their texture is pleasantly scratchy (think vintage wool sweaters or your sweetheart’s stubble), but if you prefer a softer feel, you may want to check out our hand tufted styles (alternatively, if you crave an even more rustic rug, we also have woven hemp rugs).
ShopMobile
Our Pick:
Flensted Mobiles Scandinavian Swans Mobile
One of the earliest Flensted mobiles, created by Christian Flensted in 1956. An elegant and beautiful mobile with five white swans, symbolizing the nations of Scandinavia.
ShopSplurge:
Laura Chautin Mobiles
Custom mobiles by Laura Chautin, and artist and designer based in New York City.
Learn MoreChanging Table
Our Pick: Any dresser with this on top
Gathre Padded Micro+
Cushy memory foam covered in our signature wipeable faux leather. Ideal for diaper duty or a safe spot to lay their head.
ShopSplurge:
Oeuf 3 Drawer Dresser
With its clean lines and quality construction, this dresser will be loved by parent and kid alike. Three deep drawers provide plenty of storage room, and the modern and simple styling make this dresser a piece that looks good in any bedroom or nursery.
ShopBaby Monitor
Our Pick:
Splurge:
Nanit Pro Camera and Wall Mount
The new 1080p Nanit Pro Camera gives you a crystal clear overhead view of your baby’s crib, day or night. Get peace of mind without any electronics in or around the crib using the included Nanit Breathing Band (Size Small). Sleep and growth tracking give you a snapshot of your baby's well-being in the palm of your hand, and a built-in digital baby book helps you save your baby's greatest hits.
ShopLovey
Our Pick:
Jellycat Bashful Woodland Bunny
Little ones will hop at the chance to snuggle with our Jellycat Bashful Woodland Bunny. With beautifully marbled tone fur for a truly unique stuffed animal, this cuddly rabbit is the perfect companion for playtime or bedtime.
ShopSplurge:
Bella Luna Toys Organic Floppy Bunny Rabbit
These delightful Organic Beige Bunny Rabbit are handmade from organic cotton and filled with pure organic lambswool by a small family business in an idyllic mountain hamlet in Germany. Made with incredible workmanship and quality, these soft bunnies are sure to become your child's best friend and lifelong companion. Whether at a tea party or tucked into a warm bed, these rabbits make perfect companions for children of all ages. This all-natural, child-safe product is wonderfully soft to touch, stunning to behold, and will last a lifetime. With embroidered features, this soft toy is safe for all ages.
ShopExtras
Miscellaneous things that will help you stay organized and keep baby safely entertained while you do literally anything else—like use the bathroom, eat a meal, or take a nap (JK about the nap).
Mushie Stacking Cups
Set of eight stackable cups with distinctive holes on the bottom for bath and water play. Mushie colorful stacking toys help develop both the body and brain starting around six months; the basic skills learned from stackable cups become the foundation for more complex tasks like using a writing instrument.
ShopKonges Slojd Activity Rack
This delightful wooden baby activity rack from Konges Slojd provides the best in Danish led design. We love this stylish baby rack - the frame has plenty of hanging space for all those favourite toys, to help stimulate baby's senses and will be sure to delight little ones for playtime fun.
ShopKaiser Vegetable/Mimosa Tanned Baby Sheepskin
With its softness, thermal regulation and the ability to evaporate, lambskins are an ideal base for your child. The mimosa sheepskins are tanned with mimosa tanning agent acquired from the bark of the mimosa tree. This takes longer than regular tanning. No dying or covering of spots takes place and the result is a soft skin in a natural shade of beige.
ShopBabybounce Bouncinette
The Babybounce Bouncinette is a funky bouncer made with a high quality cotton cover that can be removed to wash. It has a wide base to prevent tipping over and a three-point safety strap to secure your baby! Available in a range of colors, you can be rest assured your baby will be bouncing with glee.
ShopSnuggle Me Organic Feeding + Support Pillow
Our Snuggle Me Feeding + Support Pillow will aid you in nursing, bottle feeding, sitting up support, tummy time, a toddler pillow, and more. Narrow ends easily tuck behind your back to stabilize and create a less bulky nursing aid. Minimal, sophisticated design looks good in every home.
ShopWoodchuck SHIZU Playstand
All SHIZU’s are handmade and hand stamped by us in the Netherlands. They are made out of FSC-certified Russian birch plywood and come untreated. This simple clean piece of furniture is easy to assemble with the included manual.
ShopFerm Living Shelf Hangers (Set of 2)
These shelf brackets are the perfect support of your new shelf. Pick your favorite combination of wood shelf and shelf hangers for a unique customized rack. The brackets are made of powder coated metal and come in five different colors.
ShopFerm Living Shelf
This wooden piece is the base of your beautiful new shelf. Pick your favorite combination of wood shelf and brackets to get a uniquely personalized rack. The shelf is made of oiled oak veneer and will look great in any room of your home.
ShopTwenty One Tonnes Olive Basket
Our olive baskets can be used as planters or storage. These beauties come in two sizes, a wider shorter version and a narrow taller version. Handwoven exclusively for Twenty One Tonnes by a small group of female artists in northern Ghana. Each basket has its own unique character.
ShopGrimm's Natural Wooden Rainbow Tunnel
This is an amazingly versatile toy, providing an endless number of imaginative possibilities. The 12 pieces can be stacked into a rainbow, extended to form a gnome cave, arranged into vehicle bridges and tunnels, even lined up to form a ball track! Creative children will never stop finding ways to play with this simple but ingenious toy.
ShopRaduga Grez Wooden Abacus
This unique stacking tower is gorgeous for play as well as nursery decor. The simple shapes feature beautiful earth-tones that can be stacked and any order. Handcrafted in Russia by a third-generation toymaker family, the heirloom quality is one that will be cherished for years and makes a perfect present.
ShopSarah's Silks Playsilks
Playsilks are a natural prop for anything you can imagine: genie pants grass to feed your horse a doll carrier soup to stir in a pot a scarf to dance with tie on a stick to make a flag The possibilities are as unlimited as your child's imagination.
ShopBannor Toys Classic Baby Rattle
This beautiful hardwood maple baby rattle is the perfect all natural first toy. Made from solid maple and finished with an organic beeswax and flaxseed oil, it has a satiny smooth finish and makes a gentle clickity-clack noise when the rings tumble together. As your baby plays, they develop their senses of touch, sight and sound, plus the hard surface is soothing for teething gums. Handcrafted in Iowa, this heirloom toy makes a great new baby gift.
ShopPublished
Last Updated