How Renters Created an Earthy Nursery Nook in Their NYC Bedroom

Kids’ rooms come in all different shapes and sizes — they could be a traditional nursery or a space born from an unused closet. There seems to be an endless tap of creativity when designing rooms for children. Marikah — who goes by MJ — has one such space in her bohemian Brooklyn rental apartment.

The sunny 900-square-foot apartment is everything MJ, a multi-hyphenate content creator, blogger, style lover, YouTuber, and Instagram strategist, and her “husbae,” Duran, wanted. It’s in a great neighborhood, is a spacious home, and came at a reasonable price.

For all of the amenities that came with MJ and Duran’s apartment, there was a potential hang-up. They have a daughter, Maiori, and only one traditional bedroom. However, with some creativity, the couple created a stunning, personalized space for their daughter. Here’s how they did it.

A Nursery Nook in Their Primary Bedroom

MJ and Duran’s primary bedroom is full of warm, organic, and earthy tones and is spacious enough for a bed, dresser, nightstands, and plants. But it was big enough for Maiori’s nursery nook, too.

“I love my bedroom because it gives me freedom to let loose with a combination of different design styles. Since having our daughter, we turned the corner of our bedroom into a little nursery nook, which is definitely a hidden gem and can’t be seen from outside the room when the door is open (a plus),” MJ wrote at the time of her house tour. “I love that we added the wallpaper in that corner because it gives her a little space, character, and belonging.”

Wallmur safari-themed wallpaper has two benefits: It personalizes the space for Maiori, and separates it from the parents’ area while simultaneously complementing the surrounding mature decor.

One of MJ’s proudest DIYs is hanging bookshelves in their primary bedroom to display her clothing. Sleeping in the same bedroom as her parents has some other perks, too. Maiori gets to enjoy voice-controlled blinds and an air purifier. “We splurged on our Dyson when we found out we were pregnant. We wanted to make sure we had the best, clean air for our baby,” MJ said at the time of her house tour.

Maiori’s nursery nook proves that anywhere can be a personalized oasis for your kid. And their apartment has so many other cool aspects besides the nursery nook. Check out the rest of their gorgeous home in the full home tour on Apartment Therapy.

Product List

• Crib — Buy Buy Baby

• Matching Dresser for Crib — Buy Buy Baby

• Tall Dresser — Bed Bath & Beyond (formerly Overstock)

• Wallpaper — Wallmur

• Crib Sheets — Solly Baby

• Crib Small Knot Pillow — Etsy