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How to Create a Closet Nursery

7 Tips from Tiny Home Expert Whitney Leigh Morris

Whether square footage is hard to come by or you’re on a path toward sustainability, the tiny living lifestyle is one that an increasing number families are turning to. 

Tiny living does not mean you have to sacrifice form for function, though, and no one proves that more beautifully than tiny living expert Whitney Leigh Morris. Whitney and her husband are raising their son, West, in a tiny cottage in Venice, California. To make their small home work with their new little one, the couple transformed a space they already had -- their closet -- into a nursery, and decided to use bloom’s space-saving alma mini crib as the centerpiece.

Whitney's #ClosetNursery is total nursery goals. Here are 7 tips from her experience to help you build the perfect closet nursery in your space.

1. Downsize what you already have.

“You don’t need extensive storage if you don’t have too much stuff to begin with. Not only will getting rid of excessive items help you adapt your home for the baby and his/her necessities, but it will also free up precious minutes and hours within your day,” Whitney says.

2. Skip the baby shower.

Whitney and Adam decided against a baby shower to stop the flow of new items before they entered their house. Instead, they invested in pieces that were special to them, like bloom’s alma mini crib. Instead of a big party, friends and family were invited to help welcome their son with a meal train that ended up keeping them fed for weeks!

3. Donate what your baby outgrows.

“The minute he outgrew his newborn stuff — with the exception of one special piece — we washed and passed it along to another family in need" she says. “If you can help others, it’s easier to give stuff away.”

4. Wall space is storage space.

The key to getting the most out of your space is to use all of it. Whitney really takes advantage of her vertical square footage by utilizing hanging baskets for storing towels and toys and by installing a top shelf to store larger items in baskets.

5. Invest in pieces that enhance your aesthetic.

Whitney and her husband downsized quite a bit when they emptied their closest to make room for their baby. What they kept, and the new pieces they invested in, had to serve dual purpose: form and function. In a tiny home, even mundane items like dogs’ leashes are on display. Whitney made sure Stanlee and Sophee’s leash and leash hooks added to the aesthetic of the space, rather than just being something to throw on the floor by the front door.

6. Choose a compact crib.

“The first piece we picked was the crib. We needed a VERY specific size, and this bloom alma mini crib (on wheels, which is a feature we love and use frequently here) ended up being absolutely perfect,” she told Domino. “The crib's platform height is adjustable, and the entire thing is easily collapsible.”

7. Keep everything easily accessible.

“It was very important for us to make sure none of our belongings are crammed into corners or hard to reach places,” Whitney says of her home. “We want everything to be easily accessible, while also being safely situated in case of earthquakes.”

Hanna Nakano is a Washington, D.C. based writer and photographer, and mother of two.

All photos courtesy of Whitney Leigh Morris of Tiny Canal Cottage.

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