A Playful Remodel in Our I930s House
Updated: 7 minutes ago
A little personality, a lot of love, and the first finished room in our house.
Bringing personality back into this 1930s house was one of the things I set out to do when we first purchased it. At first glance, the house felt outdated and a little haunted, lol. But as they say, the bones were there! It just needed some TLC, and apparently a lot more work than we initially thought.
Between expecting a baby and helping my husband renovate the house (and by helping, I mean deciding what goes where, lol), life was getting pretty consuming. By the time I was about seven and a half months pregnant, we suddenly realized… wait, we don't even have a baby room yet!
And don't get me wrong, I wasn't exactly jumping with excitement to start another project.
We had a little over a month, a small budget, and a house already under construction. Starting the nursery also meant putting parts of our kitchen renovation on hold because, unfortunately, Peter couldn't duplicate himself and work on five things at once. 😂
But we agreed on one thing. We could deal with being uncomfortable and living in an unfinished house, but our little prince deserved his own space, and we were going to make it happen!
Finding the Inspiration: Wallpaper First!
As with any design project, I like to start with something that leads the direction of the room. It could be a fabric, a pattern, a piece of art, or even an interesting color combination.
For Rafa's nursery, I knew I wanted that starting point to be wallpaper.
Something fun, inspired by nature, a little unexpected, and with a cool vibe. I wanted a pattern that brought personality into the room without making it feel overly themed or too childish.
I often see nurseries that are so washed out and neutral. And while I understand the aesthetic, it's just not really my thing.
I'm not saying a baby's room needs to look like a circus, lol, but I do think we can have a little more fun with color!
And here's something interesting: newborns see high-contrast patterns more easily because their vision is still developing. As they grow, they become better at distinguishing colors and details. So I loved the idea of having interesting patterns and contrasts for Rafa to discover as he grows.
My Wallpaper Selection Process
One thing I always recommend is ordering wallpaper samples, even if you've already seen the wallpaper in person.
There's something about bringing a sample into the actual room, moving it around, looking at it in different lighting, and playing with paint colors that makes such a difference.
For this project, I ordered samples from OnDecór and Rebel Walls.
I've worked with OnDecór in the past and really love their canvas-finish wallpapers. I actually used one in my previous apartment, but in the peel-and-stick version. This time, since it's our own house, I wanted to go with traditional paste-applied wallpaper.
I ordered so many samples!
Some felt too cottage, others too childish, and nothing was really giving me that feeling I was looking for.
Then I went back to Rebel Walls, a Swedish wallpaper company with some of the coolest contemporary and interesting patterns I've seen.
I ordered a sample, and honestly, even before receiving it, I had a feeling that was the one.
And it was!
Designer tip: If wallpaper isn't your thing, you can absolutely start with a beautiful upholstery fabric, something you want to use for curtains or pillows, or even a statement piece of art. The idea is to find something you love and pull the room's color palette from there.
Wallpaper Doesn't Have to Cover Every Wall
I didn't want to wallpaper the entire room. Instead, I decided to use it on the key walls: the crib wall and the wall where the rocking chair would go.
This gave the wallpaper its own moment without overwhelming the space.
For the remaining walls, I wanted to find the perfect blue from the wallpaper and really commit to it.
We ended up choosing Benjamin Moore Lake Placid 827, and instead of stopping at the walls, we color-drenched the room, including the ceiling, trim, and windows.
And guys, it turned out amazing!
I love how the blue ties everything together. It makes the room feel intentional, a little unexpected, and gives the historic details a fresh look.
Bringing This 1930s Room Into 2026
Once the design direction was figured out, it was time to deal with the actual room.
And by that, I mean all the not-so-fun things that come with renovating an old house.
The first big project was the floor.
The room had damaged laminate flooring, and we suspected there might be original wood underneath. The question was whether it would be worth saving.
The hesitation I had about letting Peter rip out the flooring and just hoping we'd find gold underneath was unimaginable.
But as they say, fortune favors the bold!
And we got lucky.
The wood underneath was manageable. Not perfect, but manageable.
Peter had already refinished the wood floors downstairs, so thankfully he had the tools and a much better idea of what we were getting ourselves into.
One thing we noticed was that the upstairs flooring was a different wood species from the downstairs. Upstairs we had pine, which is softer and more prone to dents.
Looking back, I wish we had experimented with bleaching the wood to remove some of the orange tones.
Oh well. We learned!
That's the thing about renovating an old house. You make decisions, you learn, and sometimes you just have to move on.
Lighting Can Completely Change a Room
Next up was lighting.
The room had a very outdated ceiling fan with terrible lighting. And to make things more interesting, we also had popcorn ceilings.
If you've read my popcorn ceiling blog, you already know how much I hate them.
Unfortunately, we didn't have the time to remove the texture properly, so we had to find a way to improve the ceiling and live with it.
Ugh. That was hard for me.
I knew from the beginning that I wanted wall sconces by the crib, but the bigger question was how much recessed lighting we actually needed.
I have my thoughts about recessed lighting, but as I've mentioned before, lighting is like putting together a good outfit. It's all about layering.
You need different sources of light to create dimension, warmth, and a vibe!
And especially in an older house, updating the lighting can completely change how a room feels.
We went with 2.5-inch recessed lights and found the cutest globe sconces on Amazon.
I loved how their rounded retro shape worked with the stripes and patterns in the wallpaper.
Thanks to Peter's skills, we also saved approximately $2,500 in electrician costs by doing the work ourselves.
And honestly, it was worth all the effort.
The new lighting made the ceiling feel cleaner, gave the room a completely different personality, and instantly brought it into 2026.
Popcorn ceiling and all!
The Main Furniture: Functionality Meets Personality
Once the main bones of the room were updated, it was time for my favorite part: furniture!
I knew I needed two main pieces: a crib that could grow with Rafa and a comfortable recliner for all those long nights and days ahead.
Now, I've never really been a fan of recliners. Honestly, I used to hate them! They're usually bulky, boring, and not exactly what I picture when I'm designing a beautiful room.
But for a nursery, I knew I was going to need one.
The challenge was finding a recliner with some personality, something comfortable and practical that didn't look like your typical recliner.
The Rocking Chair That Almost Was
My original plan was to buy a vintage rocking chair from Facebook Marketplace and reupholster it in a fun patterned fabric.
Very me, right?
But once I started adding up the cost of the chair, fabric, and having my upholstery guy do the work, we were looking at around $700.
And that was just not happening with our budget.
Then, in what I like to call my manifesting phase, Namesake reached out about collaborating!
I had already read about the brand and its focus on quality, so when they offered to provide a crib and recliner for the nursery, it honestly felt like an angel was looking out for me.
I chose the Namesake Ambrose 4-in-1 crib in Honey, which worked beautifully with the light oak changing dresser I had selected.
One thing I particularly loved was that it's a 4-in-1 convertible crib, meaning it can transition as Rafa grows instead of having to replace the entire piece after the baby stage. I love furniture that can evolve with your family!
For the chair, I went with the Namesake Crewe recliner in blue gingham.
Finally, a recliner with personality!
I loved the idea of mixing the checkered fabric with the stripes and organic shapes in the wallpaper.
And here's one of my favorite little design tricks: one of the easiest ways to mix patterns is to keep them within a similar color palette.
You can mix checks, stripes, florals, and other prints as long as there's something connecting them visually.
Having these two main pieces in place made everything else start to fall together.
Don't Forget the Changing Table!
Another essential piece was our changing dresser from Delta Furniture.
I wanted something functional that could eventually be used as a regular dresser instead of buying furniture that would only serve one purpose for a short time.
One thing to keep in mind is that the changing pad doesn't come with it, so you'll need to purchase one separately.
I went with a waterproof, wipe-clean changing pad from Amazon.
And I'm so glad I did.
Fabric changing pads? No thank you. With the amount of diaper changes happening around here, being able to wipe everything clean is a must!
A Tiger Rug? Yes, Please!
Next up was the rug.
A rug was definitely a must, especially since I wanted something comfortable for Rafa as he grows and starts spending more time playing on the floor.
But once again, the budget was limited.
And we have three cats, so whatever I picked needed to be practical, easy to clean, and ideally washable.
I explored options from Surya, Target, and a few other places before landing on Rugs USA.
At first, I was considering a more neutral rug.
And then I stopped myself and thought… who are you?!
No! This room needed something fun.
The rug was going to help anchor the crib and bring another layer of personality into the space.
So naturally, a tiger with blue eyes made perfect sense.
We ended up going with a 5x7 rug because the room's dimensions were a little awkward, and that size worked best with the crib placement.
I also added a rug pad underneath.
Designer tip: If you're buying a washable polyester rug, don't skip the rug pad. I personally like a cushier one because it adds softness and makes the rug feel more substantial.
Especially for a nursery where you'll eventually spend a lot of time on the floor.
Window Treatments: The Detail People Forget
At this point, we had most of our main ingredients.
But there's one thing I feel people often forget when designing a room: window treatments!
Curtains, blinds, or sometimes both can make such a difference.
I wanted drapes that would frame our beautiful, oversized historic windows and add another layer of softness to the room.
Custom drapery was completely out of our budget.
And as much as I wanted to sew them myself, that was going to be a challenge. For starters, my sewing machine is buried somewhere in the garage!
So Amazon it was.
I found curtains in the length I needed and went with a mustard-yellow velvet.
Since the room gets beautiful morning light, I wanted something that would provide some coverage when closed without making the room feel completely dark.
The fabric was surprisingly beautiful, and I was honestly so happy with the quality.
The mustard color was also exactly what the room needed.
We had so much blue happening between the wallpaper, paint, and chair that I wanted to introduce something warm and contrasting.
And it looks lovely!
Designer tip: Whenever possible, hang your curtains high, close to the ceiling, and let them just kiss the floor. It makes the windows feel taller and the room more finished.
Mine ended up a little shorter than I originally wanted, but they worked great!
The Final Details: A Little Red and a Lot of Meaning
Now for the really fun part: the accessories and art.
From the beginning, I knew I wanted little pops of red in the room.
Red is my favorite color, and it's also the color of love, which feels pretty appropriate considering how much love went into bringing Rafa into this world.
But I didn't want to just add random red accessories.
I wanted pieces that meant something to us.
A Little Piece of New York
One thing I really wanted was something that represented my relationship with Peter and how we met in New York City.
I kept thinking about those classic NYC fire escapes.
There's something so iconic about them, and they immediately take me back to that chapter of our lives.
I ended up finding the perfect little fire escape shelf on Amazon for under $40.
And honestly, it was one of those pieces that made us smile the moment we installed it.
It's funny how something so simple can carry so much meaning.
Peter and I met in New York in 2012, and now here we are, in Florida, renovating an old house and having a baby together.
Full circle.
The rest of the artwork is just as personal.
Some pieces I already owned, others were made by friends, including artwork from my best friend and a special piece she created for Rafa to encourage him to stay creative.
We also have a sweet welcome baby Rafa piece made by another friend.
I love that these aren't just decorations. They all have a little story behind them.
The Little Things You Actually Need
One of the last things I added was a column side table I already had from Hobby Lobby.
At first, it was just another cute piece that worked with the room.
But now that I'm spending so much time in the recliner, I've realized how important having a table next to you actually is.
Between my water, phone, snacks, and sometimes my computer, I'm honestly thinking I might need a bigger one!
You don't realize how much stuff you need within arm's reach until you're sitting there feeding a baby for what feels like half the day.
Our First Finished Room, and My Favorite Place to Be
Looking back, this nursery was a mix of love, restoration, design, and a whole lot of teamwork.
We had a small budget, a very short timeline, and an old house that seemed determined to surprise us at every turn.
But somehow, we made it happen.
And now Rafa's room has become our little headquarters.
It's where we change him, feed him, play, take naps, and spend so much of our day.
Before having him, I didn't really understand why people made such a big deal about having a nursery.
Now I get it.
Especially during postpartum, when you're exhausted, overwhelmed, and trying to figure out this whole new chapter of life, having a little corner of your home that feels comfortable and makes you smile can mean so much.
And it doesn't have to be a whole room or a big-budget project.
Just a little space that feels good to be in.
A space that hugs you while you're learning how to take care of this tiny new person.
The nursery is the first completely finished room in our 1930s house, and I think it gives us a pretty good idea of the direction we want to take with the rest of the renovation.
Colorful, collected, a little unexpected, and full of personality.
For now, the kitchen can wait a little longer.
We're enjoying this little corner of our home and all the sweet, sleepless moments that come with it.
El cuarto de Rafa. ❤️
Shop Rafa's Nursery
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