How Writer Erika Veurink Built an Impressionist-Inspired NYC Nursery for $5,000

Calvoire

November 17, 2025

For Veurink, “The room feels like a homecoming of joy and lightness. It embodies what her name, Beatrice, means: the bringer of joy.”

AD: What was the general funds for the nursery?

Tenlie Mourning: The complete invoiced spend, not together with gifted objects, was slightly below $5,000.

How did funds affect your design decisions?

Erika Veurink: With our funds at $5,000, which felt tiny for a full nursery, gifting actually helped with the large items, and the whole lot else got here from sensible sourcing—Wayfair, Rugs USA, Article. I feel that’s the place Tenlie shines. She can pluck magic off a mainstream web site.

Mourning: You can’t separate design from its situations. You could make a $200 piece really feel elevated in case you perceive proportion and placement.

How a lot did you save with gifted merchandise?

Mourning: Approximately $6,000 in gifted objects, together with the crib, glider, and several other key equipment.

Small ledges flip e-book storage into decor.

Image may contain Cushion Home Decor Furniture Chair Pillow and Armchair

Mourning selected the desk as a result of it reminded her of a water lily.

Can you share slightly bit extra about how this partnership occurred?

Veurink: I run a Substack referred to as Long Live and labored with Babylist on a sponsored e-newsletter about constructing a registry as a first-time mother and metropolis dweller. As a part of the partnership, I used to be given a gifting allowance to select items from the location. This freed up extra of the funds for artistic elements versus nuts and bolts.

Given not everybody will have the ability to do partnerships for nursery objects, how can most individuals use registries, hand-me-downs, or secondhand finds to make a nursery lovely however nonetheless budget-conscious?

Mourning: Be particular with registry asks. Instead of generic nursery decor, request the precise crib or glider you’ll like to see and contact on daily basis. Many issues may be inherited, gifted from family and friends, or sourced secondhand.

Veurink: I’ve been so impressed by the secondhand market that exists for brand new mothers on WhatsApp teams, Facebook Marketplace, and even phrase of mouth. It’s additionally nice to lean into the sensible in relation to the registry as a result of the enjoyable stuff, like garments and toys, appear to multiply within the weeks after beginning.

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