Manhattan Nursery Inspired by Leslee Mitchell's Car Series

Funny story. The other day, I was chit chatting it up with the sweetest chica ever, Leslie Mitchell, about her work and the incredibly cute/chic/all-good-things line of fine art prints that she has in her shop (please look, you will die) and she mentioned that the Car Series was her favorite (mine too). She then sent me over pics of a nursery that features a collection of 9 sweet little cars. Turns out, the nursery belonged to the baby boy of my old boss, Maureen!? She's now the uber awesome COO at Rent the Runway and one of my favorite people ever. And of course, in true Maureen style, she took those adorable car prints and turned them into a nursery fit for glossies.

From Maureen, Teddy's Mommy...The inspiration behind the room was really Leslee's adorable car photos ... I had loved them from minute I saw them, so much so that I built the entire room around them. I ended up with 9 car pics above the crib because I couldn't choose as they are all so amazing! What do they say? More is more.

The car prints enabled me to incorporate color and became the inspiration for the mini shelves for the matchbox cars. I went with custom framing for the prints with a white lacquer frames and white matting."

I think that - as most parents know now - the hardest thing about planning a nursery is how to invest in pieces that will grown with the baby. A crib that turns into a toddler bed, a dresser that isn't so tall it will topple over or so small that it won't hold the Big Boy clothes. Choosing a wall color or a wallpaper that can change with updated art or an older kid vibe is key and yet so hard when you first start planning! That said, I love where we ended and really feel like Teddy will love this room for many, many years.

We went with a layered rug look, mainly because of the durability of a natural fiber rug paired with the softness for baby teddy of the faux sheepskin. The darker tones mean that the wallpaper, the white crib and Leslee's adorable art could take center stage.

If you haven't been inside of an NYC apartment, you wouldn't know that spaces are tiiiight. So we tried to find ways to give every piece a multi-functional purpose. These little bins both organize books and free up floor space all while adding pops of color from the cute covers.

I wasn't afraid to mix prints and patterns, vary the hues of the blues and browns that I used and really just play. I stayed fairly neutral and despite most of the accessories having some color, I kept them in the same family so it was easy to mix and match. Then, I just let the art and the books capture the pops of color that we were so inspired by when we saw Leslee's car prints.

We've actually found that some of the more luxury gifts - even clothes and shoes - have become little works of art to us and we display them here and there. I'll never get tired of seeing these adorable little man/baby boots.

When you have three kids - and that small NYC apartment that I mentioned - you really have to think about organization above all else. Having bins, hampers, big drawers makes tidying up a total breeze. Plus, I feel like if I keep in a neutral tone with nice shape and structure, I can move each piece around the house as we want to change things up.

We got lucky in that Teddy's room was a gender neutral playroom before it was a nursery -- and already had the amazing Thibaut wallpaper in the room. Once I layered the car theme on top, it began to really take shape and become a space that we loved and that we just knew could grow with our little man. I'd say he looks pretty happy, right? Okay, maybe he's just super tired. He loves it. Trust me:) WALLS. Car Prints: Leslee Mitchell Art | Custom framing: BLICK Art Materials | Wallpaper: Tanzania by Thibaut | Custom Shelves (for cars): Etsy, RusticCreationTooTEXTILES. Bed Sheet: Pottery Barn Kids (out of stock but Serena and Lily has similar) | Gray Sheepskin Rug: Pier 1 Imports | Monogrammed Blanket: Sferra | Braided Rug: Chunky Braided Jute Rug by Restoration Hardware Multi-Colored Blanket: Wallace Sewell | Gray Blanket: old Donna Karen FURNITURE. Crib: Reese by Pottery Barn Kids | Dresser: Kitson by Restoration Hardware Teen | Changing Table: Mod Dressing Changing Table by Wayfair | Wooden Play Gym: Clover & Birch | Ottoman: Lulu Cocktail Ottoman by WayfairACCESSORIES. Organic Taxi Rattle: Estella NYC | Light Fixture: Taren Flushmount by Restoration Hardware Teen | Lamp: Wayfair | Basket: La Jolla Basket by Serena & Lily | Storage Baskets: Beachcomber Utility Basket by Pottery Barn

Photography: Leslee Mitchell | Interior Design: Maureen Sullivan