How to create a woodland nursery

Karen Robock is a self-professed "girlie girl," but when she and her husband, Barry, were designing a nursery for their daughter, Matilda, three years ago, they didn't want a ruffles-and-bows style of room. "We'd heard that the Disney princess years come soon enough!" she says. They took a cue from our family cottage near Bancroft, Ont. and created a subtly feminine “enchanted forest” nursery. 

A version of this article appeared in our spring/summer 2013 edition of Today’s Parent Pregnancy with the headline, “Babe in the woods” (p. 32-34).

Karen with her husband, Barry, and Matilda. 

The birch tree wallpaper was their starting point. From there, they added woodland inspiration of all sorts: stuffed bunnies, a wooden bird mobile, a ceramic deer’s head and elk antlers on the wall, a squirrel night light, and more. "We think of it as a little bit of forest in the city," says Karen. "Topped off with a pretty chandelier, of course."

The rocking chair belonged to Karen's late mother. "I love that I can rock my baby to sleep in the same spot she rocked me," says Karen.

The deer and owl bookends are both antique finds from Ontario’s cottage country. 

The couple also scoured Etsy (etsy.com) to find unique and budget-friendly prints that would complement their theme.

They also found the perfect finishing touch for the light switch on Etsy. "You just have to peel and stick it on," says Karen.

A hollowed out the closet makes a great nook for a dresser and changing pad. They spruced up the space by painting stripes in grey-taupe.

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