Inside Katie Sands’ Baby Girl Nursery

If you follow @itskatiesands, you know she has a knack for finding pieces that just work. Her nursery is no different. Between the green crib, vintage storybook artwork, and an effortless mix of pattern and color, the space feels playful but still pulled together. It’s the kind of room that doesn’t try too hard, but still gets everything right, like getting a recommendation from someone who always knows what’s worth it.

Whimsical, romantic, and old-world.

I had already drenched the room in pink when it was my office before we moved in, so honestly… you could say I was subconsciously manifesting a baby girl. We didn’t choose the gender of our embryo during IVF, so the second I found out she was on the way, I immediately knew I wanted the room to feel vintage, feminine, whimsical, and warm. The pink, cream, and gold combo just felt so dreamy and I honestly couldn’t be happier with how it turned out.

Honestly, my mom deserves the credit here. She’s the genius art curator behind @artbyilene and has the best eye ever. I told her I wanted the nursery to feel collected and layered, so she found these incredible vintage Raggedy Ann art pieces which immediately brought me back to childhood. Then we paired them with Shira Berg’s ceramics daisies to make the shelves feel even more playful and whimsical. Even the frames from Casa Salmaa somehow perfectly match the daisies. It all feels so personal.

Thank you! Designing our home has been one of my favorite projects ever. The rest of our apartment is very Scandinavian-inspired with creamy tones, light woods, and calming neutrals, so the nurseries became my excuse to fully lean into color and imagination. I wanted them to actually feel like children’s rooms. Loud, playful, creative spaces where my kids can use their imagination and just be little.

He’s obsessed with his little Nestig Mini Chair and reads “bookies” in it every single night. We’ll all lay on the floor together and now he’s started sitting in baby sister’s chair too because he knows one is “Benny’s” and one is “baby sister’s.” Sometimes he “reads” to her and honestly… it destroys me in the best way.

The Dusk Glider. Without question. It is fully my chair disguised as a baby item. Between the ottoman and the late night feeding cuddles, I may honestly sleep there more than the baby does.

Do I really have to pick just one?! The Nanit monitor is a non-negotiable for me, and the Keekaroo changing pad deserves an award. It fits perfectly on my Nestig dresser and the fact that you can wipe it clean instead of constantly washing fabric covers is life changing. I learned that lesson the hard way with Benny.

And my biggest advice? Design the room for YOU too. You’re the one spending endless hours in there at 3am.

Vintage finds or brand new pieces?

A mix of both. The goal is walking into the room and not being able to tell what’s vintage and what’s new.

Baby boy clothing or baby girl clothing?

I mean… is this even a fair fight?! Although I will admit, baby boy clothing has gotten significantly cuter than I expected. Dressing Benny has become one of my favorite things. But the girl clothes? Dangerous for my wallet.

Fully stocked diaper bag or “wait—let me grab a diaper!” on the way out?

Unfortunately very much a “wait—I forgot a diaper” type of mom.

Cute but impractical or practical but boring?

You can absolutely have both and I refuse to accept otherwise.

Minimal toys or “the more the merrier”?

I really thought I’d be the chic neutral Montessori toy mom… meanwhile my child wants the neon plastic thing that sings at full volume. Humbling experience honestly.