Create a unique and cozy nursery - DIY tips from Ellen

Ellen, who has long inspired her followers with interior design ideas on the Instagram account @picsbyellen, became a parent to little Tage earlier this year. We can't get enough of the charming DIY details she created herself for the nursery.

Please tell us about your family and your house

My name is Ellen, I just turned 30 and live a little outside Stockholm with my partner Charlie and our 6-month-old son Tage in a newly built semi-detached house. We already met when we were both 18 years old and became parents for the first time this year.

Tage has his own small room at home, right now it mostly acts as storage for toys and clothes, but as soon as he gets older, the idea is that he will be allowed to move into his own room. Today he sleeps in his crib which is inside our room.

What do you think is the most important thing to consider when decorating a nursery?

For me, it was important that it should be both functional and at the same time be reasonably in the same style as the rest of the house. We've kept it quite toned down before, but something that I wanted when we both arranged Tages's room and his little corner in the bedroom was to use color (doesn't have to be colorful) and for it to feel a bit playful at the same time. Just getting color into the home I can find difficult as it can easily be perceived as messy, but I have tried to work with similar base colors to get the red thread through the whole home.

Tages crib blends in so nicely in your bedroom - do you have any tips on how to integrate a baby corner into a shared room without it feeling cluttered or over-cluttered?

We have tried to work with the same wood species, colors and style to make his little corner blend in with the rest of the room. So my tip is to try to get a common thread with the rest of the room by working with a few single colors and starting from that when decorating.

Details! We think you're a pro at that. What kind of details do you like to use when decorating?

Oh thank you please! I try to mix in unique details with other decor, this to make it more personal. Then you have so many thoughts and ideas and it is not always that you can find what you are looking for in a store, so sometimes you have to take matters into your own hands and do it yourself. Also like to mix new things with flea market finds! Both more fun and kinder to the environment and wallet.

We think your DIY projects are so cute, have you made more than the bag with Tage's name and the poster?

Right now I'm working on a small letter in ceramics, not a big DIY but I hope it will be a nice detail in his room. Then I'm also renovating and redoing a Marketplace find as we need more storage.

Do you have tips for DIY projects that parents (who can't draw) can easily take on to give the nursery a personal touch?

My first tip is to test yourself, if it doesn't go as planned, you can always redo and test again. Then it doesn't have to be a huge project, it can be something small that still gives the room that personal touch. I painted the Tage painting directly on the back of a picture frame with acrylic paint. The clever thing about painting your own paintings is that you can always paint over if you are not satisfied.

Where do you find inspiration for DIY projects?

I find a lot on Instagram and Tik-Tok but also Pinterest, where I can scroll for hours.

How do you see the kids room developing in the future?

Now the main focus is on getting more storage in his room, as he gets older, there will be more clothes and toys that need space. Have an untouched corner in his room that I hope to finish here in the fall. Even where the crib was before it was moved into the bedroom is now empty, but there I haven't really decided what will replace that place - that remains to be seen.

What are your biggest sources of inspiration for decorating children's rooms?

Some of my favorite accounts when it comes to kids interior design inspiration/DIY on Instagram are Amandaxelssson, Malin.sveder, interiorbyjosephine and many more. Then I get lots of inspiration on Pintrest, where you can really find a lot of DIY tips.

Follow Ellen on Instagram: @picsbyellen