I am a firm believer that parents should not have to sacrifice their sense of style when it comes to nursery furniture. My husband and I had an extremely difficult time finding something that met our expectations. We didn’t want to settle for a crib and dresser, we wanted to make sure we absolutely loved our son’s room (and didn’t really care about the price tag). Unfortunately, very few stores carried a modern line of furniture. What we did find locally was either too contemporary or just not what we had in mind.
Needless to say, we searched primarily online. We saw a few items at our local Ikea, but to be perfectly honest, the cribs just didn’t seem sturdy enough. We looked at Babies R Us, but they only carried one modern style and we were just not 100% sold on it. Pottery Barn Kids had high quality furniture, but their selection was more traditional than what we were seeking. Room and Board and The Land of Nod (Crate and Barrel’s children store) also carried baby furniture. After much debate, we finally agreed on the Oeuf Classic Crib and dresser both in walnut finish. We also purchased the changing station which could be used on top of the dresser or crib.
My biggest fear was something would arrive damaged and then we’d have to go through the hassle of sending it back and waiting for the replacement. The dresser actually did arrive damaged, but I contacted Pampered Tot (the online baby boutique I ordered from because they offered free shipping, no sales tax and I had a discount code) and they contacted Oeuf directly. I was impressed by the customer service I received from both Pampered Tot and Oeuf. Within a few days, a new dresser was delivered to my home in perfect condition and they allowed me to keep the damaged one as well.
My husband was amazed at how easy the crib went together. The dresser arrived fully assembled (all he had to do was put the legs on the bottom which was fairly easy). The furniture is very sturdy and solid, we were both pleased.
My next quest was for a rocking chair. Again, nothing I found locally made me happy (perhaps I was just indecisive because of pregnancy, I’m not sure why I was being so picky). I registered for a sky blue Sleepy Time Rocker online and received it as a gift. My only regret was not buying the ottoman. I spent a lot of time in that rocking chair with my infant for feedings and sleeping, so the ottoman would have made it much more comfortable. My only complaint about that chair is that it requires a lot of effort to make it rock. It would have been nice to test the chair prior to purchasing, but no one locally carried this particular style (or anything similar).
I purchased my son’s mobile on etsy, and it completely exceeded my expectations. Similar mobiles sold on modern baby websites for well over $200 which I found completely absurd. For artwork, I ordered the Binth Alphabet poster and had it framed at Michael’s. We selected a modern hippo bedding set which was very hip and fun. The finishing touches on his room consisted of vintage danish modern wooden animals purchased on eBay as well as an antique Eames Molded Plastic Eiffel Side Chair.
I cannot tell you how much time my husband and I invested on making our son’s room perfect. We were probably a bit too obsessed with the task. In the end, everything blended together perfectly and our son has the coolest little boy’s room. He seems to enjoy everything we picked out, so we have succeeded.
Have you had difficulties finding children’s furniture that fits your design aesthetics? Where did you purchase your modern furniture?
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