From turning a cluttered spare room into a dreamy nursery to sharing tips on balancing creativity and family life, Clare Sullivan brings together design and parenting wisdom. With ideas like bold wallpapers, clever storage hacks, and vibrant baby clothes, she proves that beauty and function can go hand in hand. Ready to make your nursery as inspiring as hers? Read on!

What was the first step you took in designing your nursery, and are there any must-haves you’d recommend for first-time parents?

My nursery was the spare room in my house that I'd been using as a "junk room," so the first step in designing it was clearing it out and organizing all the stuff I'd piled up in there. Once I had a clean slate, I started working on my design. The easiest way for me to design a room is by taking a photo of the space, then sketching my ideal room over the photo. You can do this by printing out the photo, but I use Procreate on my iPad. This way, you're able to work realistically with the confines of the room, and I'd recommend sitting in the room as you sketch out your ideas. It's helpful to visualize how you'll be physically operating in the room while you design it, for example, imagining yourself moving from the crib to the changing table, playing with the baby on the floor, reading to them at night, etc. This will inform your furniture layout and how to design a room for maximum usage.

One of my favorite items for Myles's newborn phase was his Moses basket. I didn't see this item on any "baby prep" lists but found it to be the most useful thing. I was able to put him down for a nap wherever I was in my home, or even outside while I did my gardening. He was born premature, so I wasn't ready to leave him in a crib by himself. The basket was a lifesaver for us.

What are some of the easiest (and fun) things to DIY in a nursery?

To transform a basic room into a fun and imaginative space for children, start with the walls. The best thing about designing your nursery is that there are no rules when it comes to using color and pattern creatively. In your living room, for example, you may find yourself feeling restrained and gravitating toward muted tones and solids in order to create sophistication and cohesion. But in a nursery, have fun! Toss those rules out the window. For me, it was an exercise in embracing my inner child. I ordered lots of wallpaper samples and went with the one I felt most called to. It was a bright blue and white star print. Think about your child's development, looking at strong graphics is a great way for them to develop their little brain. My son is very visually stimulated in his room, he's always looking up at the walls, and I can see his eyes jump from star to star. Wallpaper is definitely a DIY you can take on by yourself. If you're a beginner, I'd recommend starting with peel and stick. Give yourself a weekend to complete the project, and definitely enlist some help (I took it on by myself, and even though I've got a multitude of wallpapering jobs under my belt, my pregnant self was exhausted by the end). If you want to save even more money, try a stencil wall! All you need is a stencil and paint to create the look of wallpaper for less. 

As a new mom, what’s one thing about nursery design you didn’t expect?

As I was designing the nursery, I was imagining myself coming home from the hospital and spending hours with my baby in his room. In reality, I had to give birth early via C-section from complications and was stuck in bed for much of those first few weeks. I don't think we even stepped foot in the nursery aside from grabbing a few diapers! Now that Myles is almost 8 months old, he's transitioned to sleeping in his nursery, so we're able to enjoy it. But for many months, it got barely any use! So remember to think about your own bedroom before you finish the nursery. I'm glad the nursery was complete before he was born because once the baby arrives, time and energy both become depleted. However, I wish I'd thought more about setting my own bedroom up to accommodate a newborn. Assign a dresser to be a changing table, and clear out the drawers to fill them with diapers, burp cloths, wipes, creams, and all the medical necessities you may need during those first few weeks or months.

For parents wanting to go from plain white walls to fun designs in a kids’ room, where should they start?

It can be overwhelming to design a fun, colorful room for a baby. Where do you start? How can you introduce multiple colors while maintaining harmony? Yes, bright colors are fun, but new parents are tired and overstimulated - you want the room to feel playful for your baby, yet peaceful and safe for the both of you, especially at nighttime. Begin by selecting your main color. Ignore gender rules. I went with blue not because I was having a boy, but because it's my favorite color. To create a harmonious yet colorful palette, picture a pie chart. Your main color should account for 50% of that chart. Then, bring in a secondary color which should account for about 25% of your chart. Mine was a sage green. With the last quarter, add in 2-3 more tones. I chose orange and red to serve as fun pops of contrast. To avoid complete color catastrophe, I grounded the room with a light, cream colored rug. Make sure your palette has "room to breathe" whether it be neutral ground in your wallpaper, a white crib, or a muted rug.

Any tips for balancing a beautiful nursery with practicality?

At the end of the day, the most important purpose of a nursery is how it can help you care for your child. It must be comfortable. Under your rug, put a thick pad—this will help with tummy time. I soon learned how quickly my son can go from upright to horizontal while playing on the floor, and you never want them to hit their little heads on a hard surface. But safety and function never have to compromise aesthetics. I use an antique dresser, which I find particularly beautiful, to store his diapers, wipes, medical items, and PJs. I store his outfits in the open on a bright orange hanging rack. I am obsessed with his cute clothes and hate the idea of hiding them away in a closet, especially because they grow out of them so fast! This way, I can quickly scan his clothes and grab what I need without leaving his side. I am a big fan of woven baskets for under-the-crib storage, and you'll definitely want a pretty hamper at arm's reach from the changing station to easily toss soiled clothes into. A big, comfy glider chair is a must-have for reading goodnight stories. I like that mine has an ottoman I can move to the side during the day if we need more floor space for playing. At night, when we're both deliriously tired, I slide the ottoman back in place to get extra cozy. Any furniture that doubles as storage is a huge win. I keep his toys in a custom-upholstered bench, it's soft and padded for safety, and the fabric is super pretty, you'd never think of it as a storage item. Essentially, think creatively about your storage solutions. You don't need to limit your aesthetics by purchasing tons of plastic boxes and metal racks. Organization items can be pretty basic and boring, so think outside the box to use antique baskets, colorful shelving, and maximize each corner of the room as best you can.

What are your favorite Meems items for a kids’ room, and how would you style them?

For some reason, I am obsessed with hooded towels. I love the Yikes Twins ones with the little animal heads (https://www.shopmeems.com/collections/yikes-twins-1). I'm going to put a hook on the back of his door for easy towel access, and the cute little ears and tails on the lion towel would be so fun to add some whimsy! I think Books to Bed is a genius company. I love the idea of setting up a shelf at his height that stores PJs coordinating with a matching bedtime book. When he gets older, I think it'd be so fun for him to pick the book he wants to read that night and make a night of it with matching PJs! Little items that can make my day-to-day routine more special for him and memorable for me are a huge win in my book.

Speaking of memories, I have a few newborn outfits that I simply can't bring myself to donate or even put into storage. I'm thinking of framing a few of them by pinning the outfit to a fun, colorful paper background inside of a shadowbox. The special outfits I love are the old-fashioned smocked bubble suits like this one: https://www.shopmeems.com/products/seersucker-smocked-bubble?_pos=1&_sid=209619736&_ss=r.

Does your interior design style influence your child’s wardrobe (or vice versa??)? What are some of your favorite Meems looks for kids?

My favorite clothes for Myles are COLORFUL! I love organizing his clothing, and I definitely gravitate toward bright, fun tones. We like what we like, and I'm soaking up every second of being able to put him in whatever I want. I know that won't last long (my little brother demanded to wear jean shorts for an entire year), so I put him in bright stripes, colorful corduroys, and all kinds of prints. Here are my favorite items from the site:

https://www.shopmeems.com/collections/onesies-rompers/products/teddy-hux-stripe-romper

https://www.shopmeems.com/collections/onesies-rompers/products/blue-stripes-rib-romper

https://www.shopmeems.com/collections/onesies-rompers/products/crochet-chick-romper

https://www.shopmeems.com/collections/tops-baby/products/party-hux-sweatshirt

https://www.shopmeems.com/collections/tops-baby/products/multi-smile-sweatshirts

https://www.shopmeems.com/collections/bottoms-baby-1/products/light-spruce-furry-huxbear-pant

https://www.shopmeems.com/collections/sets-baby/products/striped-knit-baby-2pc-set

https://www.shopmeems.com/collections/pajamas-baby/products/large-star-blue-pajamas

https://www.shopmeems.com/collections/baby-outerwear/products/patchwork-denim-jacket

https://www.shopmeems.com/collections/hats-and-gloves-baby-0-24m/products/rib-knit-stripe-hat

What’s your best advice for moms balancing creativity, parenting, and busy days?

It isn't easy, and I have plenty of hard days. I found myself in a cycle of guilt a few months into being a new mom. I love working and never had to balance work with anything so major. So when I was working, I felt guilty that I wasn't parenting. But when I was parenting, I felt guilty that I wasn't working to support my son. It became an endless cycle, and there's no end to it if you don't acknowledge that you'll never attain perfection. It helped me to talk about it with my friends, especially those with children. I've learned to accept that I'm doing my absolute best, and that's all I can do! One thing I'm good at from my experience in business is delegating. I'm never afraid to ask for help or assign roles. And I found that my friends and family love to lend a hand, especially if it means spending time with a baby! Some people will be more excited to lend a hand than others, which is totally OK. You'll figure out where you need help the most, and you'll definitely reach a point where you need a break for yourself. Sometimes a long shower is enough to feel human again. Remember that you're not alone, and it's not a walk in the park for anyone. Also, it's temporary. I find myself constantly trying to capture every moment with my son, anxious that he's growing up so quickly. But it's natural, and each day brings new skills, growth, expressions, movement, and babbles. Remember that mothering is the most important, and hardest, job in the whole world. You went through unthinkable transformation to carry and birth your child, essentially showing yourself just how powerful you are. Try to remember that eventually, you'll get a full night of sleep. And your hard work will pay off when your baby can give you a kiss back on the cheek.

Follow Clare for all her inspiration @clare.sull