I’m finally back to working on the baby girl’s woodland nursery. I had hoped to finish the room before she arrived—I nailed down the overall vision and got many pieces in place—but, as often happens, life got in the way. Between Christmas, birthdays and preparing for the baby, the nursery stayed unfinished when she was born.
This is the crib I bought when Miss A was born—long before I learned how to plan a cohesive room or use a vision board. I picked a matching dresser and chose dark wood because my husband preferred it. The crib is solid and well-made, with clean, simple lines, but I never loved the dark finish.
Miss A’s Pink & Turquoise Nursery
It also had a few bite marks along the rails from toddler years.
To update the crib I chose Annie Sloan Chalk Paint. I already owned French Linen, but wanted a slightly lighter, softer gray for the crib. I mixed one part Old White with six parts French Linen to achieve the color I wanted.
While I was in the hospital, my mom looked after Miss A and kindly finished painting the crib. Some people say chalk paint isn’t always faster because you still need to wax the piece, but I appreciate the minimal prep. Chalk paint is forgiving and creative: you can choose to distress or not, keep subtle brush strokes or smooth them, and finish with clear or tinted waxes. For someone impatient like me, it’s ideal.
I’d used chalk paint on furniture twice before and had distressed those pieces. This time I originally planned a clean finish, but after applying clear wax I went back and added some distressing. The aged details improved the overall look and felt more at home with the nursery style.
I also experimented with dark wax for the first time. Applying dark wax is part technique, part instinct; it’s much like distressing in that it’s easy to overdo. Because the crib doesn’t have deep crevices, I followed the distressed edges and rubbed in a light amount of dark wax to give subtle definition where I wanted it.
A gentle hand is key when using dark wax—just a little goes a long way. The first application created sharper edges, so I softened those areas by layering clear wax and blending. The result is a muted, antique effect rather than stark contrast, which is exactly what I wanted.
On my original vision board for the baby girl’s woodland nursery I included an antique gray crib from Restoration Hardware Baby & Child. That crib was beyond my budget, but it informed the direction I wanted: a soft, vintage-inspired gray crib. My makeover isn’t an exact replica, but it captures the same feeling at a fraction of the cost.
This project cost about $50 in supplies (I already had some paint on hand) compared with the $1,200 price tag of the inspiration crib. For a vision board that’s meant to guide style rather than dictate exact pieces, I’ll happily call that a win.
I propped two framed pieces of artwork against the crib and took a quick photo because I loved how they looked together. I haven’t decided on wall placement yet—there’s still more painting and waxing to do on the changing table and dresser—but seeing elements come together is encouraging.
I love the rustic wood frames that echo the crib’s finish. Next on my list is painting and waxing the changing table and finishing several smaller projects. Now that Baby G is nearly a month old, I’m feeling ready to move her into her room. When Miss A moved into her own room at four weeks, she began sleeping longer stretches—so I’m hopeful the same will happen this time.
Update: I was initially concerned about using chalk paint on a baby’s crib. Annie Sloan’s product information addresses this: chalk paint and wax are acceptable for children’s furniture if you wait the full 4–6 weeks for the paint and wax to fully cure before use. Also note that pregnant women should avoid applying the wax; I waited until after delivering Baby G to wax the furniture.
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