Leslie Long
Oliver's Bright Botanical Room Reveal

I feel like I have been working on this room forever, and now that it is finally done, I am so excited to show it off. It has taken a few months to work through the kinks (and resolve my mothers heart), but Oliver’s Bright Botanical room is finally complete and ready for him to move in full time.
It’s no secret to anyone who knows me or has been following along with me for a while now that we love plants in our home. They purify the air in our home, they release oxygen and water into the air, they help us feel connected to the environment, and they contribute to a more calm and harmonious living environment. So when I started planning Oliver’s new space from scratch, it was a fairly obvious choice to me that I would start with plants. I was so fortunate to partner with Costa Farms. They helped me fill the space with plants and really bring it to life. I couldn’t be happier with how it has turned out.


HIGHLIGHTS
While I can honestly say that his room as been a labor of love, and that everything in here is meaningful in one way or another, I would be remiss if I didn’t point out my favorites. Luckily they are all here in one photo frame.

1.The feature plant wall. It was a vision of mine for quite some time, and while the plan did change a few times, I am so happy with how it turned out. I was really lucky that Costa Farms jumped on board with me right away when I told them what I was thinking. It really is the highlight of the whole space and Ollie loves to look up and watch the plants hang. (Stay tuned for more on that tomorrow ;) )
2. The low + long teak dresser. This pretty relic was a second hand find by my parents up in Northern Canada. My dad graciously sanded it all down for me and brought it to our house where we proceeded to move it with us to Oklahoma. I have hung onto it in its half-finished state for quite some time because I always saw potential in it, but never had the right space for it. After a good coat or two of Valspar OLD SOUL, it has become the shining star in Ollies new space and I think it will be art of the family for a long time. (Gotta send a hat tip over to @burtsbrisplease for the gorgeous color inspo.)
3. The handmade hanging Wood Feathers by JB + DJ. I first caught a glimpse of these beauties years ago when I made a chance encounter with Dayna at local Makers Market in Niagara On The Lake, Canada. Since then I have been an such a fan of everything that that she and her husband produce, and when I was originally planning out our little nursery nook in our room for Ollie these feathers was one of the first things that I bought. Even more beautiful in person, they hang and rotate so delicately it looks like they are simply floating there. Both my children love to watch them and I love the feeling they bring to the space.


BACKGROUND
Why is he only getting a space of his own now?? Well, for various reasons, we made the choice to forgo a nursery for Ollie early on, and instead carved out a nursery nook in our bedroom. Our first, Ava, had hardly ever used her nursery and probably slept in it five times max. It was a beautiful space, but it turned out to be nothing more than an over sized closet for her pretty things, and a place for my nursing chair. This time, I was determined to be more mindful about the choices I was making in our home and not force us into something that didn’t work for us, just so that I could have “the perfect nursery”. Looking back, I couldn’t be happier with the choice. It turned out that baby no. 2 was as indifferent to sleep as our first was, and I am certain that if I had put him in his own room and then had to drag myself back and forth to his room every time he woke at night (5-8 times), I would have never survived that first year. Now that he is 15 months old, and on a more regular sleep pattern, I couldn’t be happier to scoot him out of our room and into his own space full time.



REAL TALK
I will say upfront that his lovely wood bead and felt ball garland do not stay on his crib when he is in there. I do leave them up in the day when he is in the space because he loves to jingle them, but only with my supervision. Furthermore, he is 15 months old, so the room is obviously not the clean most days, but I figured no one wants to see a first reveal with all the drawers dumped out and blocks everywhere.
SOURCES
Coming soon.
And that's it. Let me know what you think. :)
Cheers,
Leslie