A Neutral Modern Safari Nursery for Atlas

I’m finally getting around to sharing Atlas’s nursery! When we settled on Atlas’s name, I knew I wanted his nursery to reflect my aspirations for him (as a world traveler) and also to be a peaceful and fun oasis for him in his first years and beyond. Since sustainability and clean products are important to me, I wanted to make sure that the decor and furniture in his room would stand the test of time and that the entire nursery was low in VOCs. If you’re curious about any of the products in our nursery, I’ve linked where I got them after each photo. So here it is, our modern/boho, jungle and travel inspired nursery!

The nursery is made up of new pieces, lightly used pieces and pieces I’ve accumulated over the years. When decorating, I try to be resourceful, so using things I already have as much as possible. This standing lamp and little furry stool have been with us for a few years. I also made the macrame plant holder (similar linked here) that is hanging from this curtain rod a few years back. The light fixture and linen curtains are new additions to the room, as well as the glider recliner, which is where I’ve been spending a lot of my time lately.

Before baby I never thought that it mattered what crib or mattress he would need, but if you think about it, babies chew on things! This is why we chose the Babyletto Hudson Crib (which can also convert into a toddler bed and full size bed as Atlas grows). The Babyletto products are all Greenguard Gold Certified which means they are low in chemical emissions for a healthier, more sustainable home. Also good for things that will go inside of babies mouth! Inside of the crib, is the Naturpedic Organic Mattress, which is waterproof, has a firmer side for baby and a softer side for when he’s a toddler. Even though the mattress is waterproof, we also have a waterproof mattress cover for a little extra protection. We got two types of fitted sheets, this elephant safari themed sheet and these quick zip sheets for easy washing (because, blowouts).

We told friends and family that the room was a safari theme, so we got lots of animals as decor. Here are links to the mobile, mobile arm, the monkey, animated elephant and the elephant hamper.

On the other side of the room, we found a lightly used dresser from the Facebook market place which he’ll also be able to use when he’s older. To make it my own, I swapped the drawer knobs with ones that match the curtain rod. I added this universal changing tray so our dresser also doubles as a changing table to save space. The changing pad is also waterproof and I topped it with a matching cover so there’s some green on this side of the room that ties into the theme. To align with the theme, the photo frames feature pressed flowers which I’ll probably swap for family travel photos in the future. The last touch to his changing area, is the diaper pale that we purchased secondhand, I should mention that it traps smell really well!

This corner of the room is the most sentimental. This arch was built and used as a photo backdrop at my baby shower and my dad added a little shelf to transform it into an “A” for Atlas. We’re hoping the giraffe will become Atlas’s favorite reading buddy.

Ah, the little details. As I was planning the nursery, scenes from Tarzan kept coming to mind, which gave me the idea to add a mini globe (similar) and world travel map to Atlas’s room. Josh had purchased the world travel map for me for our first wedding anniversary, which traditionally is a gift made of paper. I think the globe/map detail also is a nice gesture to his name, Atlas. The letter board was also a gift from my sister when I found out I was pregnant.

The accent wall is what I think brings the nursery together, sadly it’s not wallpaper that I can link, but I painted it myself! Wallpaper was so expensive and since I was pregnant painting this mural, I wanted to use a paint that was safe for me, but also low in VOCs for baby. After some research, I discovered lime paint, which is just made from minerals mixed with water. It’s hard to tell in the photos, but due to the minerals in the lime paint, the walls have an earthy texture, which goes great with the theme. I purchased the paint from Color Atelier, a small paint company in Northern California. The colors I used were Vendome Beige for the background, and Ritual and Cypress Ink for the leaves.

I really love how our nursery turned out and I hope this gives you some inspiration for your little bebe!

xo,