Baby Furniture Built to Last: Luxury Nursery Furniture

Nursery furniture, by definition, is temporary furniture. Your baby will outgrow it (rather quickly in the grand scheme of things), and you’ll be upgrading your child’s room in a short span of time. But just because your little one only spends a few years in their nursery doesn’t mean you should sacrifice quality with their furniture. 

Finding brands that avoid short-lived trending styles and instead focus on craftsmanship and classic designs is essential. The right piece can help you make your child’s nursery into a haven they feel safe and comfortable in, no matter their age.

At fawn&forest, we collect the highest-quality pieces from brands that care. Learn which essentials your nursery needs and discover brands that can deliver on them.

Luxury Essentials for Your Nursery

Decorating your baby’s room with durable, beautiful, and luxurious furniture is more than just interior design. It’s giving care and attention to the space your child will spend most of their time in for the first few years of life. You might have been gifted most of the supplies you need during your baby shower, but deciding on the right nursery furniture can be more of a lift. 

So what essentials should you include in your baby’s room? Here are our suggestions for how to build a place of comfort:

Baby Cribs for Sweet Dreams

Your little one will go from bassinet to toddler bed or daybed in the blink of an eye, and ensuring they’re cradled in a safe, soft space makes bedtime easy at any stage. Deciding which luxury baby bed to buy will depend on whether you want a piece that transitions with your baby or one that fits them only during a specific age. Convertible cribs, such as 4-in-1 convertible cribs or cribs that use conversion kits, let you stick with one piece throughout their childhood, changing only their crib mattress and crib bedding.

Seating for Stories and Cuddles

Your baby’s nursery isn’t just a place for sleep. It’s a space for you to make memories together, develop their love of reading, and more. Classic rocking chairs and rockers, modern gliders and swivel chairs, and recliners can help you create that haven of comfort for you and your little one. Go for seating that fits your decor but also offers a durable design, exceptional luxury, and convenience. 

Extras for Care and Comfort

Along with all the essentials you need for outside the nursery, like strollers, car seats, and baby clothes, a few additions to the room can bring it together. Practical supplies like changing tables or changers and storage can be just as luxe and high-end as your crib. A mid-century modern bookcase can offer an aesthetic place to store books for your future reader. Adding a well-placed table can give you all the space you need to display art, set up an area for creative activities, or add a little extra storage. Whatever you choose for your design, make sure you find pieces that will contribute to your aesthetic and deliver functionality for years to come.

Brands at the Intersection of Cutting Edge and Ultra-Chic Luxury Furniture

At fawn&forest, we strive to find modern brands offering sustainable styles and beautiful designs to give you a collection of the best nursery furniture. 

Brands like Nursery Works aim to bring high design into the nursery for the ultra-chic parent. The designers at Nursery Works collaborate with highly skilled American craftspeople to build each piece. By making their products in low production runs, they can use methods and materials that would be unavailable in typical mass production. For instance, many of their solid wood cribs are bench-made in small local shops in the United States.

You’ll also find nursery furniture from brands like Oeuf, Babyletto, and Million Dollar Baby, each chosen for their dedication to quality craftsmanship. These brands offer only the best-in-class nursery furniture that will make your baby’s room look one of a kind and ensure their healthy, happy growth.

Timeless Styles from fawn&forest

Are you looking to decorate your child’s nursery with style, safety, and sustainability in mind? When choosing furniture for your baby’s nursery, you deserve original, unique furniture designs made from the highest quality, natural materials available on the market. Explore our catalog of best sellers, sustainably-sourced items, and thoughtfully-designed pieces built to last. You’ll find Greenguard Gold-certified cribs and crib essentials, hits from your favorite brands, and unique aesthetics you won’t see elsewhere, all chosen to support and encourage your child’s safe sleep and healthy development.

It would seem logical to assume that a new crib mattress would be safer than an old one. After all, as years go by, we continue to regulate more and more. There is even a certification for crib mattresses, so how could they be less safe? The truth is they are.

You would think that since crib mattresses are regulated and certified by a giant safety seal they would be safe. That's not entirely true. 

The University of Texas did a study and found that

• New crib mattresses release about 4x as many VOCs (organic chemicals that have a high vapor pressure at ordinary room temperature.) as old crib mattresses.
• Body heat increases emissions.
• Toxic chemical emissions are strongest in the sleeping infant’s immediate breathing zone.

Part of the cause of the problem is the manufacturers. Manufactures want to make as much profit as possible, manufacturing as much product as possible, so as long as it passes government regulations, they feel they’ve done their jobs. The real problem though is that the regulations are not very strict.

So why should you buy an organic crib mattress? Is a healthy crib mattress necessary for your baby's health? In short, yes.

Here are just a few of the unhealthy components found in a standard crib mattress. 

Why You Should Get A Natural Crib Mattress

1) Brominated Fire Retardants

These fire-retardant materials are cause for concern wherever children may come in contact with them. This applies to sofas and any other soft furniture where they may be present, as well.

Countries in Europe have banned harmful chemicals like flame retardants entirely. These retardants get stored in the human body with every exposure, making them bioaccumulative (the gradual accumulation of substances, such as pesticides, or other chemicals in your body).

In experiments with mice, PBDE's lead to problems with the thyroid, developmental problems with learning and motor skills, and cancer.

PDBE's are in numerous places such as televisions, computers, carpets, and couches, so it is worthy of taking note of this and whenever possible trying to limit your exposure.

Non-Natural Crib Mattresses Use Cheap Glues

Why do you want to avoid cheap glue? Simply put, cheap glues contain a number of harmful chemicals that are toxic to children, and standard crib mattresses contain a disproportionate amount of these glues to keep it firm and rigid.

Non-Natural Crib Mattresses Have Polyester Fabrics

Fabrics and batting in crib mattresses are often made with polyester. Polyester can cause respiratory tract irritation and severe skin rashes. 

Conclusion

It's not hype, buying an organic crib mattress could be one of the most important purchases you'll ever make for your baby or child to ensure their safety while they sleep.

An organic crib mattress helps increase blood flow and relieve pressure so your baby can get a good night’s sleep. Organic baby crib mattresses are made with non-toxic materials so your baby will avoid sleep interruptions due to exposure to chemically treated fabrics.

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Unlike your bedroom, which is primarily used for sleeping, dressing, and relaxing, your children’s rooms are much more versatile. They serve not only as places to sleep and dress, but also places for creativity, imagination, learning, and active play. 

For pre-school-age children, a bedroom is a good spot for reading before bed and playing with toys after a nap. As children start school, their bedroom will become a more socially-oriented space as they begin to use their rooms as a place to play when they have playdates with their classmates.

The ideal kids’ room offers a safe environment with sturdy furniture and non-toxic materials. Laid out correctly, it will also cultivate play and learning experiences. Apart from furniture, your kid’s room should include plenty of educational items like books and games, as well as movable objects that a child can feel, stack, and manipulate. Items for creating art and music or playing pretend are also very enriching. All these things are valuable pieces in your child’s overall educational program. 

With this in mind, today we want to share with you a few creative kids’ room ideas you can use to morph your kid’s room to help inspire their imagination and development.

Install A Chalkboard

Installing a chalkboard or using a can of chalkboard wall paint is a quick and easy room upgrade that will be something your kid will use for many years. Any time the mood strikes, they can grab a piece of chalk and draw out whatever they are imagining on a blank canvas that is always there for them.

Create A Theme Bedroom

One of the greatest things about being a kid is learning about (and becoming obsessed) with so many new things. One great way to inspire your kid’s imagination and give them a stage to make-believe and really enjoy playing in their room is by designing their room in the theme of their current favorite thing.

Create A Fort In Their Room

One of the most amazing opportunities to inspire imagination in your kid is by giving them a fort in their room they can use to play in. Forts offer endless opportunities for playtime, allowing them to take ownership of the space and design it exactly the way they want. They will have countless opportunities to make-believe and imagine great play scenarios that will keep them engaged and entertained for hours on end.

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I connected with Robin some time ago on Instagram, our daughters are but a few months apart and it's a simple joy to connect with another like-minded mama. I have since treasured Robin's sentiments on slow living and her honest notes on motherhood.

Robin's background in early education weaves a lovely story in her daughter Ramona's room .. uncluttered & thoughtful, inviting and cozy and perfectly tender-hearted like her mother's love.  

Thank you Robin!
- Summer

The room I chose to share is Ramona's nursery. This is my favourite space in our home, because we've put the most intention, thought and care into creating a place to meet our daughter's needs. We've also taken great care in keeping it simple and uncluttered, while also being a cozy and fun place that she enjoys spending time in. It's a constant work in progress as she changes and grows (and as I slowly, slowly make decisions - I'm notoriously indecisive). 

The central point of the nursery tends to be Ramona's shelves. We rotate its contents often, trying to offer a variety of experiences - sensory materials, puzzles, objects from nature, literature, music, and fine motor activities - but without having too much out all at once, so she can focus on what's available and play more purposefully. We want Ramona to learn responsibility over her belongings, so by having a specific place (basket, box, tray) for each item, it's easy for her to put everything back in its rightful place independently. 

​We chose a tall shelf for the nursery because it can "grow" along with Ramona. For now we use the upper shelves for decoration, mostly featuring sentimental items, such as her five-day-old foot print, her six month profile, her first piggy bank, and a small antique clock from my grandmere which has its hands standing still at the time Ramona born. As she gets older the contents of the upper shelves will reflect more of her growing interests - perhaps art, or natural items she's collected, or a few favoured toys.

I draw a lot of inspiration in our home from Waldorf and Montessori education. The two philosophies have many differences, but both put a strong emphasis on surrounding a child in a natural environment - keeping in touch with nature and using natural materials. Her toys are mainly made of wood, wool or bamboo (we do have a few plastic toys too!), storage baskets made from grass or sticks, and the room is scattered with various treasures we've found on walks (pebbles, flowers, acorns, pine cones). Next I'd like to add some living plants that she can help care for.

​The most recent, and possibly my favourite, addition to the nursery is this wall-to-wall book ledge. We try to combine visual appeal and practicality as much as often, and this was a beautiful way to store books and encourage early literacy. We placed it at her height so she can help herself throughout the day. I love the little surprises she leaves on the shelves sometimes - a stray toy or block carefully placed between books.

A few things to note...
The Silhouette is by A Family Print Shop.
Martriarch Handmade made the "Courage Dear Heart" and Mini Swiss Cross Banner.
Baskets .. Larger ones & the Mini.

You can follow Robin on Instagram @twentyventi & her blog.

The fawn&forest Room Stories series is an inspirational collection of children's rooms rich in heritage & sentiment. I could not think of a more perfect illustration of my vision for the series than to start with today's Room Story that Rosina Lapp is sharing with us -- the nursery space for her second baby, a son due in December. You know Rosina best from her beautiful clothing company, Tortoise & the Hare.  

I am not alone in the feeling that Rosina's simplicity is absolutely refreshing, her sentiment is rich and the depth of her vision inspirational. Thank you, Rosina for sharing with us.   - Summer

I always strive to have our tiny apartment reflect what we truly care about- our neighbors, the earth, and each other. I believe God called us to tend the earth and do what I can to make the world a beautiful place by being responsible and creative.  I like this poetry from Robert Frost:

“But yield who will to their separation,

My object in living is to unite

My avocation and my vocation

As my two eyes make one in sight.”

All a baby really needs is a few blankets, some warm socks, and warm outfits, diapers, and a mama’s love. Here’s a little peek at what I think is essential to the comfort of mama and baby...

The bassinet is one of the most special pieces I own and I was so happy to be able to pull it out of storage for our December baby. My babies are the fourth generation to sleep in it- that’s a lot of sweet baby dreams held in one bassinet. The locker and changing table were thrifted and refinished.

Only a few feet from our bedside, the nursery is a collection of handmade, heirloom & thrifted pieces with a few new handmade items created by other mamas who have . If I can’t make what I need, I keep watching at nearby country thrift stores first where I can often find hand knitted sweaters, booties, and caps as well as vintage clothes. Of course, I like to support my mama friends who are makers as well.

You know what they say, “it takes a village…” and it truly does. Early this fall, my mom came over and spent a day helping me get ready for our baby’s arrival. We made cloth wipes, burp cloths, fitted sheets, swaddles, and changing table cover. It only takes a few hours of time, a few scraps of fabric. I don’t enjoy shopping all that much so when I can stay home and create what I need with things I already have with people I love, I’m one happy mama.

Shop Rosina's collection of beautiful linen & organic cotton/hemp children's clothing, Tortoise & the Hare and follow along on Instagram @tortoiseandthehareclothing