It may have been the first nursery commission of his career, but when it came to the design of baby Stefan’s soothing, sunlit bedroom, Patrick Hamilton was full of inspiration.

“My clients wanted happy, calm, and cool” the designer explains. “Also, the gender of the incoming resident was a surprise for all, so we had to be flexible. Notknowing made the choices really fun. Each decision had to be tempered by the next, to make sure we got a masculine-feminine balance – which all good rooms need, not just surprise nurseries!”

After settling on a gender-neutral wildlife theme, Patrick set to work, choosing a bold Marimekko printed fabric as a unifying element. A pair of portraits from The Animal Print Shop followed soon after.

“I knew pretty early on that I wanted Baby Chick, for its puff of soft yellow, ” says Patrick. And, Stefan’s parents refer to the little man as “Stefanchik,” making the print an especially apt choice.

“I also settled on the Lamb Close-up, primarily for the color – white was a very intentional color choice in this room. And then there was the whole “counting sheep” thing – which may be wishful thinking in a nursery, sometimes!”

White frames and custom 8-ply mats were selected for the prints’ display, while furniture from Room and Board, West Elm, and CB2; a mobile from Land of Nod, and animal-themed lighting from Jonathan Adler added tasteful, stylish flair.

Patrick’s favorite details?

“I love the stripes and the painted ceiling.” he says. “But really, I love how it feels, at all times of day and night. And it was a real joy to use the animal prints. I know that as Stefan gets older, they will help him understand things about the natural world beyond his door. I can’t think of anything better than that!”

We’re honored. Thank you, Patrick, for bringing this beautiful room to our attention!

Photos by Jody Kivort. (See more, plus room sources on Apartment Therapy.)

Grayson William’s Chapel Hill, NC nursery may be baby-friendly, but don’t get the wrong idea – the decor, punctuated with shades of blue and gray, is decidedly un-babyish. “Overall, I just wanted a clean modern vibe for the room,” says his mother, furniture and interior designer Tracy Kalman Jordan.

“My favorite details in the room are the animal prints – particularly the babywhite tiger; he has the sweetest face – and the nostalgic items, such as the vintage wooden train set that belonged to my brother when he was a child,” says Tracy.

“I used white Ribba gallery frames from Ikea for the prints, which are simple, clean, and work well with the room’s modern look. I loved all of the animals, but in the end, I chose based mainly on color scheme and facial expression. I didn’t have a particular animal theme for the room, so I was open to choose the ones that spoke to me.”

Baby Grayson is a fan of the prints, too-he will stare at them forever! He loves the baby kangaroo, in particular,” Tracy says. “Not sure if he’s drawn to its ears or what!”

Tracy’s nursery-ware shops of choice? Ikea (for my pendant light fixture, the bookcase, and several stuffed animals”), Overstock.com (“great for rugs”), and West Elm (where she found her patterned drapes and felt storage bins). Birch tree wall decals came from the Etsy shop Artwall Project.

“The best place to shop, however,” she says, “is in your own home. I pulled in lamps and a side table from another room, and repurposed an old dresser by painting it gray. Moving items from room to room helps keep everything fresh and new.”

Thank you so much for sharing, Tracy! Find additional sourcing information for items in Grayson’s room, such as the Oeuf Sparrow Crib at Chic & Cheap Nursery, here.

Nursery photos by Tracy Kalman Jordan.

When it came time to styling a forest-animal-themed nursery for her nephew, Raleigh, Laurel-Dawn McBurney was more than ready to meet the challenge. “I’m lucky to have a sister who was willing to be hands-off when it came to the design of the nursery,” she says. “She mentioned that she loved the idea of having baby deer be the theme of the space, so I ran with that concept and broadened it to include all forest animals.”

With the theme decided, decorating with The Animal Print Shop’s Nursery Art was an easy choice. “We picked Baby Fox, Baby Deer, Baby Raccoon N0. 1, and Baby Porcupine,” says Laurel-Dawn. “I depended on these pieces to bring sweetness to the space.”

Other stand-out details include handmade bedding (sewed with love by Raleigh’s grandmother), a green-and-whiteSerena & Lily glider, and hand-stenciled birch tree walls. “They took me an entire weekend to complete!” says Laurel-Dawn.

We just LOVE the stenciled walls! See Laurel-Dawn’s post here specifically about the stencil project.

Raleigh, now a year old, loves to interact with his animal friends. “Every night before I put Raleigh in his crib, he points to each baby animal,” says his mother, Stefanie. “I name each one for him – it’s become a sweet ritual.”

A big thank-you to Laurel-Dawn and Stefanie for opening their doors to us for this post. See more (and find sourcing information for the other items in the nursery) at Laurel-Dawn’s beautiful blog, Abode Love.

Nursery photos: Carrie Tabb. Post contributor: Shoko Wanger.