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Blacked Out

Man I drank too much tequila last night.

KIDDING!

The only thing we’re over consuming in this house is watermelon.

Watermelon teether

Today’s topic is black out curtains

You guys know I dragged my feet putting up black out curtains. For a few reasons:

  1. The cost of the curtains + rods
  2. Drilling into plaster walls
  3. I didn’t want part of my house feeling like a cave
  4. I love the clean look of blinds

But ultimately none of those reasons were really a big deal. I bought the curtains and rods from Target at a good price, Thomas is a pro with the drill, and I’m just having to put a little effort into opening the curtains after each nap.

I think they make the room look a bit more formal and dressed up. Maybe I am a curtain person after all!

Blythe Pottery Barn Dresser + Changing Topper // Rocking Chair

The curtains

Little Z Sleep recommended the Pillowfort ones, so I ordered them from Target in white with a blue trim. GREAT PRICE! They 100% black out the room, and I love that they still look bright when they’re open. I don’t love that the dresser’s color looks so cream next to the bright white curtains, but I did not want a pattern to compete with the rug + headboard and I wanted the curtains to melt away when open, so white + cream is what I get.

The rods

These are Loft By Umbra, and they wrap around at the edges so the curtain is flush to the wall and no light peeks in. (Note make sure you get the right size. I bought the 88″-120″ and we had a snag at install because the ends must be screwed in.)

Note the little head in the crib!

So are they working?

We couldn’t really tell a difference in sleep before + after (he’s still getting up around 6am) but I think blackout curtains are one of those things you won’t regret, especially as baby –> toddler. I doubt any baby is going to sleep worse with them, ya know?

B LOVES to look out his window after diaper changes <3 He also loves to grab the blinds, so we raise them up during the day.

Coffee Table Swap

Another change you may have noticed is our beloved West Elm coffee table has been moved to the basement. I knew this would have to happen when B started walking since it was a head-bonking risk, but we did it now because we desperately needed some carpeted floor space in the living room. You might recognize the little white ottoman that I had in here when I first moved into this house. It’s on wheels, so it easily moves out of the way or holds drinks when we need it to.

What I didn’t anticipate is how much I LOVE having the open space by the couch! When we got the bigger Pottery Barn couch the coffee table made things quite crowded in there, and had to walk carefully around it to get up. I actually love not having a coffee table because the room feels so open. I’m not sure what the long-term plan is. I don’t love the look of the tiny, rollable ottoman, so it’s just a temporary solution for now. Any suggestions?

We spend a lot of time playing on the floor now! Birch is so much better at sitting up on his own.

Hey that’s me!

Birch + Baby Kath

Most people say he’s all daddy + brother. I don’t mind because both are very handsome! But I think he looks like me as a baby a bit here. Also, look how dark my hair was! I think I was younger than him here. (Although always a Younger!)

Other Posts About The Nursery + Sleep

Baby B’s Nursery

Sleep Training 2.0

Sleep 4-6 Months

Reader Interactions

Comments

  2. We got rid of our coffee table when our first started crawling because it had sharp corners & was super solid wood. Best thing we ever did! We haven’t had a coffee table since, and, like you, I love how open our living room feels now because of it. I suggest using slim end tables instead. I got some
    Slim, affordable ones from Target years back & still love them. They’re nice to put lamps on and we use them for drinks as well.

    Reply

  3. I just have side tables (they are round and sturdy, so no one is going to bonk a head or a knee on them, and they aren’t going to tip over) which I like much better than coffee tables. Coffee tables have always seemed to take up so much room, and just look like a place to hit a shin.

    Reply

  5. We had a big ottoman at our old house and got rid of it when we moved. I love having an open floor! I never have been a fan of coffee tables. We have two ends tables in our living room for drinks (and we have a fab couch that is a recliner and the mid-section folds down for drinks. It’s how mommy and daddy chill at night, ha!)

    Advice on blinds? Maybe you’ve posted about yours before. I love the idea of nice blinds like yours. I’ve always been a curtain person because it’s easier (and I don’t want people looking on the front of my house.) But I think I’d love to ditch the dumb curtains we have and patch the holes from the rods and put up NICE blinds.

    We put up blackout curtains in our six-year-olds room so at 7:30-8 in the summer, when it is time for bed, it’s dark in his room. He told my husband it wasn’t bedtime, it was too light outside. So he said “Not in your room!” HA

    Reply

    • I ordered blackout shades from selectblinds.com, and they’re amazing (and pricey). They have lots of different styles and colors and are all custom made.

      Reply

    • We did a similar set up with blackout curtains, but ours let light in on the top and bottom still. Do yours? I had to cover our window with a trash bag and now I wish we would’ve just done full on blackout shades (not curtains). Curtains look better, but I want it dark so I can’t see my hand at any time of day if the curtains are closed.

      We just got rid of our coffee table too. Although my husband insisted he needed something for his feet so we got a leather poof instead. Hopefully it works!

      Reply

      • The only place light leaks on ours is between the two curtains in the middle. A couple magnets there would be a good idea.

        Reply

  7. Those are THE best curtains for sure!!! Thanks for the shout out 🙂 🙂 Also….I have zero coffee tables and just one side table ha!! At first it was crawling, and now it’s PLEASE DON’T KNOCK MY LAMPS OVER!!! Such a precious room and gorgeous home you have!!

    Reply

  8. What about side tables instead of the coffee table? Also, I’d love to see a post about kindergarten!

    Reply

  11. Have you thought about a bigger rug under the couch? I’m not sure that the rug is proportional to the couch. (I know you’re asking about coffee tables, not rugs, so feel free to disregard.) I was just reading something about how people perceive the size of the room based on the rug, and if the rug is too small, then they feel like the room is small.

    Reply

    • This one is an 8×10 and it wasn’t cheap, so I don’t think replacing is an option, at least for the short term. It’s pretty big!

      Reply

  12. Curtains look great! Your last curtain recommendation inspired our curtains in our Missouri home, maybe I’ll have to invest in these for our guest room which gets direct light that creeps in through the cracks in the morning. Dan ate at Lampo for pizza last night with one of his students who was in town visiting and then at an ice cream place (Chaz?) also on the mall. He liked both of them. I shared your restaurant recommendation page with him for the few times he gets away from the library!

    PS: I love side by side baby photos – now we need to see Thomas as a baby to compare!

    Reply

    • Lampo is the BEST! And Chaps has the best birthday cake flavor. Glad he’s enjoying his stay! And yes, I need more Thomas baby pics too!

      Reply

  13. Maybe go with a quilt that has a less yellow base in the nursery? It might help the curtains blend better and seem more deliberate. Either way his room is adorable:)

    Reply

  14. We got a table like this (https://www.overstock.com/Home-Garden/Coffee-Sofa-End-Tables/2030/subcat.html?featuredproduct=18218727&featuredoption=30457898&kid=113194307315267&track=BingPLA&utm_medium=cse&utm_campaign=bingpla&utm_source=bingpla&countrycode=US&cid=273243&msclkid=859b9f01c8421c5f2479c3f8ff9189e3) when the boys started walking. Still had a place to put a drink, it didn’t fill up a space (since the bottle tucks under the couch) and it was great!

    Reply

  15. Im in the market for a living room rug, and I’ve always admired yours. Where did you
    but it, and what’s the material it’s made out of? Thanks so much!

    Reply

  16. We love our Pillowfort curtains too! My son is 18 months it definitely helps now that it is so bright outside when he goes to bed.

    Reply

  17. He does look like you when compared to your baby picture. But when I saw his sitting-up pic, my immediate thought was that he looks like his daddy.

    No suggestions on the coffee table sitch. I’ve always had a coffee table, and I would feel incomplete (naked?) without one.

    Reply

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