Erin Foster Designed a Non-Cutesy Nursery For Her Daughter

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“I’m planning on her being very mature when she’s born,” says writer and entrepreneur Erin Foster of her daughter-to-be. “She’s going to be very intellectual—no kids’ stuff.” Peek into the nursery she designed in collaboration with Pottery Barn Kids, and you’ll notice that Foster is only partly joking: There’s a very grown-up palette and certain items you’d definitely want in your own bedroom, too. (We’re looking at you, rattan lamp.)

Crib next to rattan floor lamp — Courtesy of Pottery Barn Kids

“I didn’t want it to be cutesy,” Foster says. “I’m not a girly-girl, so I didn’t want a girly-girl room.” Instead she went the peaceful and calming route by eschewing pink for sage green and incorporating multiple pieces made from the material of the moment: rattan. Unsure about where to start, she chose the grid rug first and let it inspire the entire room’s color scheme. From there, she incorporated woven pieces throughout, like the side tables, lamp—”It’s going to become mine one day,” she says—and baskets that hold extra blankets and pillows.

Dresser in nursery as a changing table — Courtesy of Pottery Barn Kids

Foster also specifically shopped for items that were Greenguard Gold certified. “I’m all about nontoxic stuff, and it is important for my daughter to have a room that’s really clean,” she says. Everything from the mattress and the crib to the glider and dresser meet the eco standard.

Rocking horse and hooks next to dresser in nursery — Courtesy of Pottery Barn Kids

close up of hooks and blocks in nursery — Courtesy of Pottery Barn Kids

But mostly, she’s proud of her own good taste. “I have fancy fashion friends who I always feel nervous to show things to because I don’t want them to judge me,” she says. “And two of my friends—one’s a stylist and the other has her own high-end fashion brand—said this was the chicest nursery they’d ever seen.” And she expects her daughter to be impressed, too: “She better know how lucky she is not to have a dorky nursery.”