ROMI'S VINTAGE SPANISH-STYLE NURSERY

How the smallest member of the family, got the nicest room in the house.

I’m just going to go ahead and say it- my 3 month old has a nicer room than me. Frankly, her nursery is nicest room in the house. When Evan and I were looking to buy a home in Los Angeles, we wanted to find something with history and character. We fell in love with this 1930’s two-story historic Spanish house- it has exposed beams, original casement windows and this stunning Adobe fireplace, nestled in the corner of the third bedroom. “This will be my office!” I decided at the open house. I figured anyone with a fireplace in their office means BUSINESS.

The art in the nursery is vintage, the pillows and bench cushion fabric is all from Tonic Living, the baby is from my uterus. — The art is vintage, the pillows and bench cushion fabric is all from Tonic Living, the baby is from my uterus.

And I did do business, about a year and a half worth of business, until Romi was born and I had to give up my office (and that stunning adobe fireplace) to a person whose only business is sleeping, eating and pooping.

I used the Adobe Fireplace (and the original teracotta tiles) as a jumping off point for the nursery's color palate, and vintage spanish theme. — I used the Adobe Fireplace (and the original teracotta tiles) as a jumping off point for the color palate, and vintage spanish theme.

I decided to use the fireplace and its original terracotta tiles as a jumping off point for the color palette. When I designed this room with Olivia Botrie from Dart Studio, we didn’t know if I was having a boy or a girl, so we went with gender neutral colors that bring out the vintage boho feel of the space. I found an antique kurdish rug, then I mixed textile pillows from Tonic Living to create this cozy bench area that Romi’s brothers LOVE to climb on.

Technically this is Romi's nursery, but the boys have already invaded! They love this bench (and her blocks) . — Technically this is Romi’s nursery, but the boys have already invaded! They love this bench (and her blocks) .

Before we had kids, Evan and I would spend our (blissful childless) weekends at antique shops and flea markets, collecting old treasures. The paintings here are all vintage, many that we found from Canadian artists. I’m sure Romi will eventually replace them with photos of Elsa, but I’ll keep these 1960s watercolors up as long as I can!

When it came to choosing furniture, I looked no further than West Coast Kids. I don’t mean that as an expression, I mean I LITERALLY ONLY LOOKED AT WEST COAST KIDS. I was pregnant with twin toddlers in a pandemic, I was not about to ‘shop around’. Plus, West Coast Kids has hands down the best selection of furniture and accessories for babies and kids- and now that I have 3 children, I’m on westcoastkids.ca more than Google.

Fun Fact: these blocks in the nursery used to say RIO and I took out the 'I'. RECYCLING! — Fun Fact: these blocks used to say RIO and I took out the ‘I’. RECYCLING!

I got the Sleepytime Rocker from Nurseryworks at West Coast Kids- I love how it anchors this cozy little corner. Plus, it’s nice and wide, so it can fit me, the baby and any boy who might want to hop on and cuddle.

This rocker from West Coast Kids is nice and wide so it fits all of us, almost.

I don’t leave the house without a pound of gold accessories, so as you can imagine, I’ve always wanted a gold crib. This one is Million Dollar Baby from West Coast Kids, I have it in black for my boys and I decided boy or girl, this baby was getting it in GOLD. The mobile is Pehr from West Coast Kids and the wallpaper is from Anewall– Evan and I put it up ourselves and seeing the final product was almost as thrilling as the birth of our child. I love that it ties in the vintage watercolor paintings and gives the room life and color.

I've always wanted a gold crib and Hallelujah, I got one for the nursery! I love how it looks against the watercolor wallpaper. — I’ve always wanted a gold crib and Hallelujah, I got one! I love how it looks against the watercolor wallpaper.

The dresser/change table is Natart from West Coast Kids- I gave it a vintage-feel by switching out the knobs with unlacquered brass pulls I found at an antique hardware store. Oh, and the fresh greens are just there for the photos, trust me, there will be nothing but wipes, diapers and our Peanut changer on this table from here on out.

I swapped out the dresser pulls with antique brass knobs that would tie in with the gold crib in the nursery. — I swapped out the dresser pulls with antique brass knobs that would tie in with the gold crib.

Finally, we wanted to fill her nursery with things that have meaning and history. The gold ‘G’ stands for Romi’s last name, Gatica- it’s a paperweight that belonged to Evan’s Grandfather. My best friend Kate’s mom hand-knit this blanket for baby Ro and the plane and train were handmade by Evan’s Aunt Toya and Uncle Bill when he was born. My kids’ plastic toys barely last a week and these have lasted 40 years!

I used to think that putting effort into decorating a nursery was silly- after all, she’s just a BABY, she can’t appreciate an Adobe fireplace, a vintage rug, a gold crib… but I CAN. And with all the insanity going on in my life and in my house, it’s nice to have a special little sanctuary that I can retreat to with my special little girl. Who, quite frankly, deserves the nicest room in the house.