Would you be game to do it? Designing your own isn’t as easy as it can look. So, when I saw Insta posts by bookkeeper Mel Wyse of her beautiful nursery, I got in touch. Did she mind being quizzed about a few nursery decor shopping tips and tricks? She did not! Find out more below.
Tell us a little bit about you…
My Name is Mel, short for Melinda. I’m 37 and live in the Southern suburbs of Sydney. I have a husband of 12 years and we have been blessed with two gorgeous boys, Tom (4 years) and Noah (10 months).
We also have a beautiful 8-year-old not-so-golden and not-so-good-at-retrieving Golden Retriever, Zali. Plus, three very temperamental chickens. We’ve been living in and renovating our family home bit by bit for the last 5 years. The light at the end of a very long tunnel is just starting to be seen!
I am very drawn to your aesthetic and understand you have your own book keeping biz. So how do you nail Nursery design so well!
Thanks so much! It’s true! I’m a numbers nerd! I love my bookkeeping work. To me, numbers are always black and white; right or wrong and that satisfies my OCD-like tendencies. However, I have always had a creative side and enjoy putting the little time I have into the boys rooms.
Although the boys love the constant rubble and goings on of a house under renovation, it’s important to me they have somewhere peaceful and finished to escape to. How the rooms have turned out is a fairly unplanned, constantly evolving fluke! I definitely cannot take all the credit given all the beautiful Insta businesses that have contributed along the way.
Noah’s was your first room reveal… How do you feel getting your creative work out there?
Nervous! So very nervous! I was always confident of how much I loved the room and wanted to share it with everyone but also really wanted to make sure the photos did the room justice. As well as the businesses involved too. It’s really hard to not compare yourself with some of the amazing creative profiles out there but I’m quite proud of where I started. Plus I really enjoyed reading the positive feedback!
Nursery Decor – Which are your favourite products?
In Noah’s room my hands down, favourite product would have to be the Blond + Noir Snowy River Decals. If ever I find myself getting lost or going in a different direction I always go back to the decals and work my way out from there.
I am also absolutely in love with our Made By Miss Jade macramé wall hanging and life size koala decal by flossy-p.
Outside of that there are some really versatile and economic nursery decor pieces that are easy to use, can be moved around and are useful. Our Essentially Raw Designs hanging shelves and print hangers and Ava & Harper Co wooden shelf and wall decor are fantastic.
Both boys are so lucky to have their own amazing name signs by Lennon Grace Designs which probably draw the most attention from our guests, along with Noah’s driftwood mobile by KamiKashii.
The wall decals are so beautiful, can you tell me more about them?
Most of my decals originate from Blond + Noir directly but we have also been lucky enough to acquire some of her decals through Paper Lee and Isla Dream Prints. They are so simple and easy to use and can be used to create more than just a simple spotted wall.
Our life size koala decal from flossy-p has definitely found its forever home in our place. It’s one of those items that I don’t think I could ever part with. I have memories of both boys interacting with him etched into my mind and he now holds a very special place in my heart.
Your organisational skills are BEYOND. Have you done the Marie Kondo thing? And do they really stay tidy for long?
My organisational skills are limited to my bookwork, inbox and only a few spaces in the house that generally remain untouched by anyone except me! I did watch the Marie Kondo Series and definitely found inspiration there. I really do think that when your home is organised you tend to feel less stressed and anxious in general. But sadly no, our home definitely has a lived-in feel and it really is only Noahs drawers and my half of the wardrobe that tend to stay like that for longer than 5 seconds!
What are your best storage / organisational tips?
I really believe in reducing the clutter. I do sporadic overhauls of areas within the home, getting rid of/donating things we no longer use and need. Adopting a ‘quality over quantity’ and ‘less is more’ policy helps to reduce mess. It also keeps items easily accessible and visible. All well and good in theory but with two kids and a husband that tends to buy a new hammer before going searching for the old one it’s actually really hard to do. And we now own at least five hammers!
Got to love clutter-free! Big thanks to Mel for taking time out of her day to chat with us and for sharing all her nursery decor shopping tips. We can’t wait to share Tom’s room with you!