How to Create a Space Themed Nursery

Jodi and I are geeks. Specifically, we’re science geeks, especially about space exploration. When my beautiful wife discovered we’d be having a baby boy, she immediately knew that she wanted a space and sci-​fi themed nursery. Rockets, robots – you know, all that good stuff. She then spent many weeks finding all the things she wanted for the nursery before we put it together.

Before

Step 1 - Furniture

Crib

We were on a budget, so we decided to buy the furniture we could second-​hand. We found this crib in great condition. It has a sleigh shape that Jodi liked and it was just the right color. We made sure it had all the parts and was in good shape before dragging it home because it will be carrying some very important cargo. Now, before this space nursery adventure, I don’t think Jodi had much respect for my handyman abilities. After all, I am a bit of a geek and spend all day doing geeky marketing stuff. However, I worked as a construction apprentice for a year right out of high school, so I’d like to think some of those skills stuck. My aim was to prove with this project that they had! As you can see from the pic below, I at least have retained the ability to place round screws into round holes. Very technical.

• Crib: Graco Sarah Classic Convertible Crib, Espresso - I couldn’t find this exact crib (I think it may be discontinued) but I found a similar one that comes in the same espresso finish and has a sleigh shape to it.
• Crib Mattress: Safety 1^st Heavenly Dreams Crib Mattress, White
• Crib Mattress Pad: Carter’s Keep Me Dry Fitted Quilted Crib Pad, White

Jodi found the perfect set of space themed linens for the crib. It took a while to find a skirt that worked, but we finally found one at Babies R Us (and it matches our glider too – bonus!).

(links coming soon)

Crib Sheets

Crib Skirt

Changing Table

We were extraordinarily lucky enough to find a changing table that matched our crib. Same shape, same color, and very inexpensive! We outfitted it with a matching set of linens.

(links coming soon)

Changing Table

Changing Table Mattress

Changing Table Mattress Cover

Dresser

At first, Jodi didn’t want a white dresser. She wanted an espresso one that matched the crib and changing table. She looked and looked for weeks but apparently, all second-​hand baby dressers are white. After much thought and consideration, she decided that a white chest of drawers would be ok since the floorboards of the room were white. She found a nice second-​hand unit that had an interesting design to it, for super cheap! I went and picked it up from a friendly guy in Ballard who buys second-​hand furniture on Craigslist, fixes them up, then sells them. He wouldn’t accept checks though, so I had to hunt down an ATM machine after 10:00 to get cash for the fellow. No trust these days! We got this solid wood bookshelf for about $75.

Space Nursery Toys on Top

(links coming soon)

Planet Wall Print

Matching Frame

Catch a Star Wall Print

Matching Frame

Step 2 — Wall Hangings – Or, Just Another Pic On the Wall

One of the most important parts of a successful space themed nursery is having a nice selection of wall hangings. Jodi browsed around until she had found some she liked. When our pictures from etsy arrived, we went out and found some suitable white frames to match our white floor board. The green robot plaque was made by a local Seattle artist, who does robot commissions. We bought the one of a kind plaque at a local street fair, and then purchased a few more robot prints from her which we placed on our bookshelf. You can find her website here. Here is a list of the frames we used, matched with their image.

I decided to arrange the frames on the ground first. When satisfied with their arrangement, I then started affixing the adhesive hooks to the wall. Now, I decided to go with adhesive hooks because I didn’t want to leave a mark on the wall. The packaging claimed each hook could hold up to 2 lbs, so I figured we’d be good to go. I followed the directions – cleaned the wall surface, waited for it to dry, affixed the hooks and then waited an hour before hanging. Satisfied, we went to bed.

(links coming soon)

Moon and Back Print

Frame

Orbit Print

Frame

I awoke in the middle of the night to a loud crash. I ran into the nursery and discovered that three of the frames had fallen. The hooks simply popped off the wall! Considering my baby is going to sleep in a crib under these frames, I decided to just go with good, old-​fashioned nails. Frustratingly, this old house has a lot of brick behind the sheet rock (for some reason) so it took me a while of banging holes in the wall before I found some nice studs. And yes, the holes are still there (though strategically covered by the frames). The moral of the story is: adhesive hooks STINK. Don’t waste your money! Use nails.

The Result:

Space Mobile

The next task was to install the mobile and shelf. The mobile is one that Jodi found online. It’s really cute. It has little spaceships, planets and so on that dangle. Be careful when removing them from the packaging. They’re attached to compressed metal coils that have a tendency to fly up and hit you in the face when unpacked. This was very easy to install. Just find a stud, drill a small hole and screw it into the wall! Done.

Lastly for the crib area, Jodi found an artist that creates wooden plaques of Bible verses. She chose this one. Rather fitting for a space nursery, eh?

Wall Shelf

The bookshelf is a bit tricky to get level. I suggest holding it flush against the wall with one hand and then place a level on one of the shelves. Tweak it with your other hand until the air bubble is level, then use a pencil to mark the screw holes on the wall. Remove the shelf, drill the holes, and then screw it directly to the wall. You should have an even shelf.

I really like the shelf, even though it looks like it was very simple to make. It has a sort of futuristic 2001: Space Odyssey feel to it. We’re still trying to decide what to place on it but so far, we have our robot ugly doll, a neat USB flash drive in the shape of SEOMoz’s Roger Robot (which I don’t think you can get anywhere – it was a gift) and, of course, Bender. What kind of space nursery is complete without Bender?

Wall Shelf Baby Toys

(links coming soon)

Bender Figurine

Rocket Teething Toys

Ox Ugly Doll

Rocket Sippy Cup

Roger the MozBot from SEOmoz

Step 3 — Nursing Corner

We placed the shelf just above the glider I bought Jodi. It’s a very comfortable chair that she will use when feeding the baby. Everything in the nursery we either bought cheap new or bought second hand on craigslist, except for the glider. I figured that making my wife’s posterior comfy while feeding was a worthy investment. We chose a dark brown corduroy, to match the crib as best we could.

We bought a cheap little nightstand from Fred Meyer (Kroger’s). On it, we have a simple, cheap lamp from Target that matches the walls. I used my old iPhone 3G as a music player for the nursery. Do you have any album suggestions?

finished pano (coming soon)

UPDATE

Gavin Michael Earl Dennis loves his space-​age nursery.

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