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This Minimalist California Nursery Has the Cutest Gender-Neutral Decor

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If you’re looking for simplistic and gender-neutral nursery design inspiration, look no further than the serene space Annie Hausler-Tungate created for her baby boy, Jude. With a light and bright feel, classic furniture, and timeless decor—how cute is that U.S. map flag above the crib?!—this minimalist California nursery is the perfect laid-back vibe.

Keep reading for the details on the bespoke art piece Annie found for Jude’s nursery, find out how a childhood nickname became the decor inspiration for this room, and learn the biggest challenge that came with designing this cute space!

 

Name: Annie Hausler-Tungate
Age: 27
Location: Pasadena, California
Room’s Square-Footage: 130 
Years Lived In: 2
Rent or Own: Rent
Children: Jude, 1

 

To start, tell us a bit about yourself and your family! 

 

First and foremost, I am a homebody at heart. My mornings look like a hot cup of coffee with Gilmore Girls in the background and my evenings include a warm lit candle, a Trader Joe’s red and a Nancy Meyers film by the fire. Home is sacred for me. I love being able to create a space that feels warm and inviting.

More about my personal life, I met my husband in preschool and we reconnected in high school. Once we moved away to separate cities for college, we decided to start dating. It was a logistical disaster. However, we made it through long distance, graduated in 2014, and got married the summer of 2015. We immediately moved to Silicon Valley, the home of Google, Facebook, and astronomical rent prices. We were happy with our careers, but the reason for moving so far away was actualized when we adopted our two little rescue pups, Gus and Piper. And then exactly two and a half years into marriage, we found out we were pregnant with our Jude Ross! I found out I was pregnant my last year of grad school, though it was a hard last year, I am so glad I finished school before Jude was born. I completed my Masters of Social Work at USC and now work as a clinical social worker with foster youth.

 

 

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You and your family recently returned to your hometown of Pasadena, California after living in the San Francisco area for a few years. What influenced this decision?

 

We’ve been living back in Pasadena for about three years now. We always knew we wanted to end up near our families. As both sets of parents are within a 10 miles radius, it was a no-brainer to move back! Luckily a few things lined up perfectly that ignited us to make the move. My husband’s company was in the process of being acquired and I was in grad school entering into my practicum year (which means I would essentially be an intern and would not be able to work full-time). We wanted to be near family and in a more affordable area (the Bay Area is even more expensive than LA!) after dropping down to one salary during my practicum year, so we made the move. It could not have been more perfect timing, because less than a year into settling into Pasadena, we read a pretty exciting pregnancy test! We were so glad we made the decision to move back because being surrounded by family after having a baby is invaluable.

 

What was the process of finding your current apartment like? What made you decide this was “the one”?

 

Zillow was our main research tool in looking for our Pasadena home. Oddly enough, my husband had already moved to Southern California to start his new job as I was finishing up my job at my former agency. Because we weren’t in the same city during this time, I became the researcher and my husband would visit each potential place taking pictures and keep me updated on the potential rentals. I had pinpointed our current apartment as a potential option. After my husband and I toured the place (via FaceTime) we signed the lease! The selling points were the hardwood floors and large bedrooms. However, nothing made our decision more than the location as it is within walking distance of several great restaurants and shops we love.

 

Your son Jude’s nursery is beautiful and minimalistic. How would you describe your overall design style? 

 

Thank you! I would say my decision to value comfort and minimalism was mainly based on the ease of cleaning up. I get stressed with clutter and so having a space that is consciously laid out is important. Also, I enjoy a fresh and well lit space where pieces can easily be layered in.

 

 

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Do you think your personal style is reflected in his nursery or did you go a different route for his room?

 

I do think my style is evident in the nursery. I would say his room is my favorite space in the house. It’s the first room I was able to design from scratch and so we were able to source the major pieces specifically for his room. It was really fun to actualize something that had existed for so long in my mind.

 

Where did you find inspiration in designing Jude’s nursery? And how do you think the room will change as he gets older?

 

I actually found a ton of inspiration from The Everygirl and The Everymom cofounder Alaina Kaczmarski and her nursery design for her own son. Additionally, I was able to draw insight for decor and accent pieces directly from Instagram and Pinterest; I eventually put together the conglomerate of what I loved. I had already saved several pieces and photos for inspiration even before I was pregnant so content was never a problem. As Jude grows, I think we will incorporate more of his own personal style/interests and so I am excited to see how his room will organically grow.

 

What are your favorite stores to shop for furniture and home decor?

 

I love Target, Crate & Kids, Pottery Barn, IKEA, and Serena & Lily to name a few!

 

 

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You have some unique touches in the nursery, such as the canvas map wall hanging and what looks to be an original painting above Jude’s dresser—tell us about them!

 

The canvas wall hanging is from a little shop called Land of Nod that was later acquired by Crate & Kids. I had seen it on Pinterest a few years back and bookmarked it for future reference. Honestly, that was the same methodology for finding most of the pieces in his room. I found the piece of artwork above his dresser on Instagram and that was the foundation of the rooms’ design. The piece is called “Not One Is Alone” by Beth Allen. My nickname as a baby was “little lamb” which largely inspired this picture and all the other lamb accents in Jude’s room.

 

Jude is your first baby—what was the most special part about creating this space for him?

 

It was surreal to finally create the room I had been thinking about long before Jude was even here. As I mentioned earlier, I had a Pinterest board created with nursery inspirations before I was even pregnant. When I finally was able to make this a reality, it was a dream.

 

What was your biggest challenge in creating and designing his nursery?

 

To be honest, the budget. I had ideas in mind that realistically were not within our budget. Luckily, through our registry we were gifted a lot of major pieces from family and friends. We would not have a nursery if it wasn’t for them! Overtime we were also able to add in bigger and smaller pieces we love like his bookshelf and the smaller wall bookshelves. We also rent at this time, so the decision to paint the room was sadly not an option.

 

 

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What is your favorite piece of decor in the room and where did you find it?

 

The painting above his changing table that I mentioned above. I found the artist, Beth Allen, through Instagram.

 

Jude is now a little over a year old. If you had to pick just one what has been your favorite motherhood memory so far?

 

Oh, so hard to choose! If I had to pick, taking him to Disneyland for his first birthday. So cliche, but it was amazing to experience it through his eyes.

 

What is the best piece of mom advice you’ve ever been given? 

 

To not listen to advice—ha!

 

 

Annie Hausler is The Everymom


Favorite book you’ve ever read? Small Victories by Anne Lamott

Must-have diaper bag item? The Gathre micro mat for diaper changes! We’ve changed in some pretty random places and the mat saved us.

Go-to everyday outfit? Madewell jeans and their vintage tee! A nice French Tuck goes a long way.

Most essential beauty product? Oh so many, but my Holy Grail is Drunk Elephant Baby Facial.

The last TV show I binged was
 The Morning Show, Fleabag, and Ramy (I like TV!)

Favorite place to shop for kids’ clothes? H&M, Zara, Old Navy, Rylee & Cru, and Quincy Mae

Most embarrassing mom-fail moment? We were eating out at a restaurant and water spilled all over Jude … we forgot a change of clothes, but only realized after we had already undressed him completely. Not to mention, this was all in the booth because the restrooms had no changing tables.