#9: A Space to Grow

When I think of my role as a parent, I believe one of the paramount responsibilities I have is to construct an environment for Genevieve to thrive. For this reason, I took deliberate care in how I chose items for and set up the space Genevieve will spend so much time growing in: her nursery. The basis for many of the choices I made when setting up the nursery are rooted in the Montessori approach. 

The Foundation  
Of our two available rooms for a nursery, I chose this room because it has two oversized windows with a view of the front of the house. I loved the natural light that floods in, and how Genevieve can look onto the planters and the neighborhood. I deliberately chose to keep the walls a nice, neutral light grey with white trim to make the room feel serene (and I didn't have to paint, yay!). The room also has a great symmetrical arc to its high ceilings. Since I wanted to highlight the natural light of the room, I made my accent wall the double windows and used velvet olive green curtains to frame them. I chose this rich green because it is a calming and natural color and the velvet material adds much needed texture to the space. 

When considering the furniture and materials in the room, I knew I wanted them to be simple and natural in color. The purpose of this is to create an environment that is not overstimulating; basically, the room should be a background that is beautiful and comfortable to be in, but easily tuned out. I wanted to use variations of whites and creams and natural wooden tones. I also made sure to incorporate baskets in these colors as well to add textural interest. The mirror, frames, and curtain rod are all gold to keep lightness, but  the metal adds a smooth sleek appearance. 

I did want to make sure I interjected some color and personality into the space too. Our theme is loosely "woodland animals." This theme allows me to rely on natural themes like realistic baby animal pictures above Genevieve's crib, and to add color using flowers and plants as inspiration. I use green, and shades of purple and mauve to add richness and depth of color. Overall the space feels bright and energizing, while also serene and earthy from the rich and deeper color tones and natural wood and wicker textures. 

The Four Zones 
In the book, Montessori from the Start, by Lillard and Jessen, the authors describe how most nurseries are not active places to be, but rather only places to sleep. They described how a nursery ought to be a place for an infant to spend meaningful time awake and so they outlined four zones a nursery ought to establish.

The four zones are feed, dress, play, and sleep. 

My feed zone is namely my reclining glider. This is an item I splurged on since I know I will spend a lot of time here during feedings. This glider is electronic and moves up and down incredibly quietly and smoothly. It has a high back so I am fully supported, almost reclines all the way flat, and has incredible lumbar support (I already sit in it when my back in sore). I placed this chair next to the window so I can look out and appreciate the light. I have the diaper genie deliberately to the side as a little side table (yay dual function) and a coaster in the basket on the neighboring dresser. I also have burp rags in the bottom basket of the dresser right next to me for quick-grabbable access (I will likely add a cream or breast shield to that basket as well). I also keep a cream and light purple patterned throw blanket on the chair to help protect against spit up or spills. This zone is simple, because not much is really required beyond me and baby. 

My dress zone is not perfectly one succinct area: it is both my dresser and then Genevieve's closet which are on adjacent walls. As she ages, the way I will simplify this separation is to use the bottom drawer (because its her height to access independently) of her dresser as her "daily wear choices" drawer. Meaning I will place two options for anything she'd want to wear (size and weather appropriate options) for her to choose from. The purpose of this is to not give too many options, but to instill autonomy and self direction. My dresser has three drawers and two baskets. In the top drawer I keep bows, socks, hats, and mittens. In the second drawer I keep only the outfits she will currently be able to wear (newborn-3 months). And in the third drawer I keep the different swaddles and swaddle sleeper options I have for her. In the top basket I have diaper supplies (diapers, wipes, and general rash cream). Behind this basket, I have a metal box containing first aid supplies and thermometers. In the bottom basket I have burp rags and additional muslin blankets. On top of the dresser, holds our changing pad and a basket that holds hand sanitizer, an organic cream, coaster, and other miscellaneous items. The diaper genie is just to the side of the dresser. Then of course I use the closet to hang up more clothes arranged in size order. I already have an empty bin for "too small clothes" so I can declutter as she grows. If you know me, you know I am the opposite of a pack rat. My philosophy is D or D: dump or donate if you do not use. Lastly, I have a hamper, that is between the window and next to the crib for dirty laundry. 

The play zone for the nursery is the wall between the closet and entry door into the nursery. I have three bookshelves mounted to the wall, and an activity gym below the book cases. I also have a fairly flat basket (easy for baby to reach into) near the window that will have only a handful of toy options that is next to the crib. This basket is important to the play zone, but it is easily moved to the middle of the room or the play zone wall when play is occurring and out of sight out of mind when we are not. I already have a "toy library" bin in the closet and a book library in the closet so I can deliberately rotate out toys and books. In order to stimulate focus and attention, I will only ever have a couple book options and a handful of toy options available to Genevieve. I have three shelves and plan to use them deliberately. The top shelf will hold a resource book, sight cards, and bigger read aloud book. The middle shelf will contain library books (where we will choose two at a time). Then finally the lowest shelf will be books that are always available to G from our little at-home library. The toys we will primarily utilize are not plastic or feedback toys, but rather wooden  toys that are very simple. This will aid in Genevieve's exploration and experimentation rather than merely offering fixed entertainment and novelty.

The final zone is Genevieve's sleep zone. This zone is very simple and basically consists of her crib. I currently have a small nightstand that we already had setup next to the crib for her Hatch (sound machine and night light) and her video monitor. However, this is one element of her room I may change (a taller book case or a hanging shelf for these items. For now it will work, and we can adjust if needed, it isn't an important detail and always nice to use something you already have! 

Meaningful Space 
Hopefully you aren't reading this and feeling daunted by the details. I didn't choose things with hyper vigilance to a philosophy but rather kept the ideas of simplicity, zones, and natural colors and textures in mind as I put the room together. For example,  I held in my mind the concept of the zones and while they informed how I set up my nursery, I wasn't locked in to them. For instance, next to the crib by the window I have 3 baskets and a pouf. That isn't a technical "zone" but it was important to Andrew to have a secondary sitting option in the room and the baskets each have a purpose: dirty clothes, blankets, and toys. The Montessori approach talks a great deal about the importance of beauty. By beauty the emphasis is really that the room, toys, etc. ought to be appealing to the child. Therefore, I created a nursery that is beautiful, but from that beauty what I truly hope is that it entices Genevieve to be creative, at ease, and develop independence in a space that is designed with her in mind.