Nursery Design - The Perfect Nursing Chair

Sometimes I get stuck on finding the perfect piece of furniture and become a little bit obsessed about it and this is exactly what happened when I tried to find a nursing chair for our baby's nursery.

To start with I asked Mr P what style of chair he thought would be good in the nursery .... He asked what do I needed a chair for? If my death stare wasn't enough the harshly spoken answer that followed along the lines of because I'll be up all bloody night and I need somewhere to bloody sit and rest my bloody head made sense to him and his answer soon turned into ..... Whatever chair you want will be perfect babe! Good answer hubby, good answer!!

So the mission to find a perfect nursing chair began !

I asked my Mum's advice on what type of nursing chair she had with me .... She laughed and laughed and said she didn't have a nursing chair it was the bed, the couch, or whatever was close by! 

Oh how things have changed over the years with us new Mum-To-Be's being spoilt for choice when it comes to all things baby!

I asked my sister in law what type of nursing chair she had and she suggested a glider which is a chair with a foot stool attached. When I sat on a glider in the baby shops it made me feel nauseas with all that rocking I just couldn't do it!

I also felt that this style of chair wouldn't fit with the rest of the furniture in our home and when it was no longer needed in the nursery we wouldn't really have anywhere to put it.

Similar to a glider is a rocking chair and whilst there are some great styles around the movement gave me the same sick feeling as the glider.

The main difference between a glider and a rocking chair is that the foot stool also moves with the glider whereas with the rocking chair your feet are stationery either on a separate foot stool or on the ground.

I read a lot of reviews online for the perfect nursing chair and the Ikea Poang chair was a firm favourite amongst Mums. It's inexpensive and it has movement in the back to bounce back and forth but it's not a rocking chair (although Ikea do a rocking chair version).

The only thing I didn't love about the Poang is the wooden arms as they didn't look very comfortable.

I asked friends who suggested a comfortable armchair with soft arms.

Sounds easy enough but most of the armchairs I sat in at furniture shops had a low back and were quite small and not at all comfortable. Whilst I want the chair to look good it needs to be comfortable first and foremost - practical over pretty!

So I came to the conclusion my perfect nursing chair must have -

Padded arms + A high back + No rocking motion

It suddenly dawned on me that a wing chair has all the makings of a perfect nursing chair.

It has padded arms, the seat is wide and cushioned and it has a nice high back for head support.

Plus it looks beautiful it's a really stylish design so would look great in the living room or bedroom when it's no longer needed in the nursery.

Now because I'm doing the nursery on a budget and didn't want to spend too much on a new chair which would most likely get covered in baby vomit in the very near future so I started stalking Gumtree for secondhand wing chairs.

I couldn't believe my luck when I came across the Ikea Strandmon Wing Chair for half price (RRPs for $399 I paid $150) and it was only 6 months old - the bargain queen strikes again!

I had even recommended to a friend this style of Ikea Wing Chair as a nursing chair when I helped her design her nursery so I don't know why I hadn't thought of this chair sooner!

What I love about this chair is when it's not needed for nursing the baby it can be used as a reading chair in the nursery and when it outgrows the room it would fit in nicely in our living room or even our bedroom.

I'm really happy with our latest addition to the nursery and I'm feeling good about the progress we've made so far in setting up the baby's room ready for her arrival in May!

What would be your perfect nursing chair?

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[Images via my Pinterest 1, 1A, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, last image my own]

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Nursery Design: Drawers + Change Table

To come up with a design for our nursery I've been trawling through Pinterest admiring the most adorable nursery rooms and getting inspiration for setting up a nursery for our new addition.

It's not hard to see that I really love the look of a chest of drawers that doubles as a change table with a change mat on top.

Not only is this a great use of space as you don't need a separate change table which will take up room but it's also budget friendly as it's less furniture to buy.

I have chosen the Ikea Hemnes 8 drawers (see first photo above) as it's the perfect size in length to accommodate a change mat and change supplies at easy hands reach.

The height also had to be considered and it's a perfect height as it's the same height as most change tables - not too tall for me to use and not too low for Mr P.

As I'm trying to design the nursery on a budget I have been keeping an eye on Gumtree and managed to find the exact drawers I wanted, brand new, still in original packaging, on Gumtree for almost half the price.

Now I'm impatiently waiting for Mr P to assemble the flat pack drawers so that I can set them up and share them with you!

What did you use as a baby change table?

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[All images via my Pinterest 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6]


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Nursery Design - Working With What We Have

With Mr P and I expecting a new addition in the Jarrah Jungle home I've been busy planning our baby's room in my head for months and months and now we're ready to actually start setting up the nursery for our sweet little girl due in May.

I don't want to spend a fortune on the nursery and have given myself a $700 budget for all the furniture and decor. I'll mostly be using furniture we already have and need to get just a few other things and then make them all work together so everything looks like it was meant to be together and not the mix matched collection of furniture that it is!

Working With What We Have 

I have an Ikea cube bookcase in dark wood which needs to stay in the nursery (which use to be my study/craft room) as there's nowhere else to put it in the house and I also need to keep my books on the shelves.

But I'll clear some shelves and make it more baby friendly by adding cute ornaments and baby books. Just recently I had a big clear out and donated a heap of books to charity but I'll be doing another purge to make room for some baby books as I'd love for our little one to be as addicted to books as I am.

Excuse this old photo but it's the only neat and tidy one I have as I've accumulated so many books in the last 5 years since purchasing this bookcase it's overflowing!

When I found out we're having a girl I knew a wardrobe was a must to hang all her pretty dresses and coats - already our little one has a better wardrobe of outfits than me!

I have an Ikea wardrobe which was in the Guest Bedroom and was storing our winter coats and travelling gear which I have managed to squash into our Master Bedroom wardrobe so I can move this wardrobe into the nursery.

I plan to add a few shelves in the wardrobe to store baskets and boxes so I can organise all the baby's things like linen and nappies and anything else baby related I can fit in here!

We have been given a beautiful timber cot which has been in Mr P's family for many years and I love the sentimental thought that it's been passed down through the family.

Unfortunately the timber doesn't match the other white and dark wood furniture so Mr P is going to paint the cot white so it matches in with the other furniture in the room.

Our only purchase so far is the Ikea Hemnes chest of drawers which I've had my heart set on for ages and managed to buy on Gumtree brand new and still in it's original packaging for a bargain $320 (its RRP is $449).

I did my research and read a lot of reviews before settling on these drawers which will double as drawers for the baby's clothes and also as a change table by placing a change mat on top. I don't have space for a separate change table and don't want to spend money on something I may only use for a short time so felt the drawers were a better long term investment.

These drawers are the perfect height for Mr P and I and I can put the change mat on one side so I can stand on the end of the drawers to change the baby (as changing side on may be difficult), and it's long enough to have the changing supplies and nappies on top at hands reach.

My other purchase will be a nursing chair but I'm still undecided whether to get a proper nursing chair like a glider (a chair and footstool that moves back and forth), or a rocking chair, or if a really comfortable big armchair with a high back would be better as it could be moved to another room when it's not needed in the nursery anymore.

What type of chair would you have in a nursery?

I'm trying to be practical in my choices and get pieces that can be used later for other purposes rather than for just a short time in the nursery.

I'm also shopping from home for items we already have that will look good in this room like the rug, light fitting, art and wall decor.

I'm slowing chipping away doing a little project here and there and hope to have the room ready in the next few weeks so I can really start 'nesting' as they call it!

What are your must haves for a Nursery?

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[First 3 images my own - Last 2 images via my Pinterest 1, 2 & 3]

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Our Courtyard Garden - Design Plan

As you may have seen if you follow me on Facebook or Instagram Mr P and I have been getting our hands dirty working in the front courtyard garden these last few weekends.

Over the years of dreaming of the perfect courtyard garden I've changed my mind many times on what I want out here and while the final design may not be my absolute dream garden it's pretty close for our budget, current needs, and being mindful of resale and the needs of others in the future.

This is what the courtyard looks like from the inside and outside at the moment ..... it's basically a blank canvas waiting to be painted!

This is what Mr P and I have come up with for our courtyard garden design:

Two large rectangles of lawn

Paving all around the outside

Large paved area for seating 

Shade sails over the seating area

Succulent garden bed around the bedroom

Vegetable and herb garden beds to the side

Screen for the bins and reticulation controls

This is the courtyard garden design plan .... in a bit more detail:

Lawn

I know there's a trend towards synthetic lawn as it requires little to no maintenance and no water but synthetic lawn really heats up in the sun and the courtyard gets full sun for most of the day so it wasn't an option for us - plus you just can't beat real grass, the environment needs it, and more importantly our furbaby Lexi needs it too! 

We will have two large rectangles of grass between the pavers. This was the best we could do for the odd shaped space and I'm hoping this design will look modern and artistic.

Paving

We will lay pavers all around the outside area as well as a paved path to pull the rubbish bins out and a large paved area for seating.

The pavers will be the same colour as the limestone fence walls as the light colour keeps cool underfoot and won't heat up too much in the sun.

Seating Area

There will be a fairly large paved area for an outdoor seating area - with a lounger, chairs and coffee table.

Mr P is also considering building a built in bench seat nearby along the back wall which would be awesome not only for seating but storage as well.

Shade Sails

It is full sun out here for most of the day so shade is a must so we can sit out here and enjoy it all year round.

We thought about building a patio but that would need council approval and be very expensive so in the end we decided shade sails would be a better option. The shade sails will be placed over the seating area and attach to the roof of the house and pillars of the courtyard.

We are in the process of getting quotes for shade sails as the support poles need to be installed before we can do the paving.

Succulent and Rain Chain Garden

In front of the bedroom we have already set up some large pots with a rain chain feature and want to finish this garden bed with succulents and hardy plants surrounded by pebbles.

I'm so excited that my obsession with succulents can finally run wild in this garden!

Vegetable and Herb Garden

We haven't quite decided whether we'll build in a brick garden bed or if we'll buy some large metal tubs, but either way this garden will be along the side wall as it gets some shade from the sun here.

We have already laid the reticulation so it will be ready to hook up water supply once it's done.

I can't wait to grow my own herbs again I really miss being able to pick them fresh from the garden when cooking.

Timber Screen For Rubbish Bins

We have 3 large wheelie rubbish bins that we want to hide behind a screen and these will be moved to the far corner of the courtyard out of sight.

Initially I wanted a decorative metal screen but the pattern allow you to see through them too much. So instead Mr P has started to make a timber screen from the same timber look slats as the courtyard fence. 

Now that we have decided on the courtyard garden design and have a clear vision for what we want out here - we have been getting quotes for some of the work and started work on the projects we can DIY and tackle ourselves.

I really can't wait for us to make the most of this outdoor space which has been an unused sandpit for far too long!

What do you think of the courtyard design plan? 

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[First 3 images my own
All other images via my Pinterest 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14]

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Home Staging And Furnishing A Rental Property

The latest project that has had all my attention, as mentioned in my last blog post, has been to get my rental property an inner city apartment rented out.

The rental market in Perth has not been good for landlords and vacancy rates have hit a 20 year high. I discovered this when my rental was vacant for the last 3 months! Admittedly, that time included the break I had for the wedding and honeymoon. But still, when you compare it to 3 years ago when I had applications flying in and tenants offering more than the asking price to secure the place, it really has been a big change. 

Well, now the opposite has occurred, the rent prices have come down and there is over 5% of vacancies. Add to this the location of my property in East Perth where there are a lot of new developments, so tenants are going for the newer builds rather than the older complexes like mine.

I knew I had to do something to make the property more appealing to tenants because walking into an empty space not everyone can use their imagination and envisage what it would look like with a comfy couch, feature rug and modern art on the walls. Plus a lot of the potential tenants were students and travellers and wanted it already furnished so as the saying goes you need to cater for the market.

So I set myself a budget after working out how long it would take to recoup the money spent and got busy on Gumtree sourcing modern and stylish furniture and whitegoods suitable for apartment living. While most items I got were second hand, I went for quality brands and nearly new items, some of them were ex-display furniture used to stage homes for sale so they were in perfect near new condition.

All the accessories came from Kmart they are so on trend with their designs and inexpensive so it was worthwhile adding some decor items to really add personality to the rooms. Most of the artwork was also from Kmart with a few artworks from Target too.

The coffee table and side table were from Kmart's industrial range and I just love them I want them for my place! The rug had to be a real feature and statement piece and this was the only real splurge item but I scored it for half price so that made it ok - it's from Rugs A Million. 

We did a lot of upgrades too, touch up painting with some of the bedrooms getting a complete paint job, installed all new fittings in the bathroom and toilets, changed all the taps and shower head, we even replaced the old oven with a shiny new one. 

All these little details gave a new lease of life to the place and for a minor investment it really did give a big result.

Once it was furnished and decorated I took some photos and put a new ad up on Gumtree (free advertising!) and after just 4 days and 2 home opens/viewings I found new tenants.

I really do believe that with it furnished it was so much more appealing and everyone that came through said they wanted to live there compared to the way they reacted to the empty space before ... they couldn't get out of there fast enough!

A big selling point for this place is the facilities - it has a swimming pool, spa, sauna and gym.

When you walk out onto the balcony and look down onto the tropical gardens and swimming pool beckoning on a hot sunny day you can't help but want to sit out here with a drink and relax and take it all in. 

So how much did it cost? 

To stage a similar property, that's renting everything for about 6 weeks not purchasing it, will cost upwards of $4,000.

I spent less than $2,500 for the furniture, whitegoods, accessories and art for this 3 bedroom apartment and the best part is as I purchased everything instead of rented it I can always sell and recoup some of the money back down the track if I need to.

I really loved staging and styling the property and I would love to do this kind of thing for a living!

What are your thoughts on staging a property for sale or rent?

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[All images my own]

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