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.
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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:
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.
Splurge:
A perfect marriage of beauty and utility, the Caravan Collection is beloved for its classic forms and versatility.
Bassinet
Our Pick:
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.
Splurge:
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.
Honorable mention: Some of our friends swear by the Snoo, but we haven’t used it ourselves.
Crib Sheets
Our Pick:
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.
Splurge:
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.
Mattress
Our Pick:
With its core of natural rubber latex (tapped from rubber trees) this mattress provides medium support ideal for toddlers and older children.
Splurge:
Every inch of the Newton Baby Crib Mattress was designed with your baby’s health, safety, and comfort in mind.
Diaper Pail
Our Pick:
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.
Splurge:
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.
Wall Hooks
Our Pick:
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.
Splurge:
Our coil-built Trio Coat Rack is the perfect resting place for your coats, purse, dog leash, towels and more.
Rug
Our Pick:
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.
Splurge:
Our flat weave rugs offer a lightweight and slightly more casual update to our trademark hand tufted rugs.
Mobile
Our Pick:
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.
Splurge:
Custom mobiles by Laura Chautin, and artist and designer based in New York City.
Changing Table
Our Pick: Any dresser with this on top
Cushy memory foam covered in our signature wipeable faux leather. Ideal for diaper duty or a safe spot to lay their head.
Splurge:
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.
Baby Monitor
Our Pick:
Splurge:
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).
Lovey
Our Pick:
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.
Splurge:
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.
Extras
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).
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...
This delightful wooden baby activity rack from Konges Slojd provides the best in Danish led design.
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.
The Babybounce Bouncinette is a funky bouncer made with a high quality cotton cover that can be removed to wash.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
This is an amazingly versatile toy, providing an endless number of imaginative possibilities.
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.
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.
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.
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