Baby Boy Nursery Reveal | Mallard, Fish, & Lodge-Inspired on a Budget

Brittany Hart
Jul 30
3 min read

We welcomed our sweet baby boy at the end of May and life has been a whirlwind ever since. Now that we’re a couple of months in and settling into a rhythm, I’m finally sharing our completed baby boy nursery. This has been such a fun project, especially since we planned it with a tight budget and lots of reused items from our first baby. I’m so excited to show you the final reveal and walk you through some of the decisions and inspiration behind this fishing and lodge-inspired nursery space.

We always knew the third bedroom in our home would eventually become a nursery room for our baby boy. For the longest time, though, it was more of a “junk room” full of odds and ends, and it even doubled as my office (yes, I typed the original version of this blog post at my desk in there, ha!). Needless to say, we were not prepared and got a late start on putting this space together. But now that it's done, I’m thrilled with how it turned out.

The Vision: Baby Boy Nursery Inspo

The theme I had in mind was a cozy mallard nursery and fishing and hunting lodge nursery vibe with lots of wood tones, greens, and blues. I wanted it to feel warm, rustic, and masculine without being too over-the-top or overly themed. Think antique books, buffalo check nursery decor, natural textures, and a mix of new and old elements.

Staying on Budget

We were able to save a lot by reusing gender-neutral nursery furniture from our first baby. Everything we had was white and easy to incorporate again. The rocker still needs to be reupholstered at some point, but for now, it works and that’s what matters.

One of my best budget nursery finds was a solid wood dresser from Facebook Marketplace for $100. It even has the antique chipping I love, which ties in perfectly with the rest of our home. The only downside is that it’s more of a cream color than bright white, so I was a little worried it might clash with the crib and changing table. But once I layered in the wood tones and rustic decor, it blended in really well.

Amazon Wins: Curtains and Throw Pillows

I found buffalo check sage green curtains on Amazon that were super affordable, around $40 or less. They look much more high-end than they cost. I also grabbed matching throw pillow covers that tie the whole space together. These little touches really added charm and helped bring the hunting lodge nursery theme to life without breaking the bank.

Reuse What You Have

Let me say it again, reuse what you have. It’s so tempting to buy all new things when designing a nursery for a baby boy, but you truly don’t have to. I’m proud of how much I was able to work with what we already owned. For example, I reused a blue rug from our old house that ended up matching the nursery walls perfectly. That was such a happy accident and really brought the space together.

Dollar General Finds

Yes, you read that right, Dollar General nursery finds came through big time. I found four storage bins for $50 total. I had been eyeing similar bins on Amazon for $30 to $40 for a set of three, so this was a total steal. Don’t overlook simple, functional storage pieces at stores like Dollar General when creating a budget-friendly nursery.

Antiquing Treasures

I also had fun hunting for nursery decor while antiquing. I found a couple of mallard duck figurines and some antique books to stack and display, which all together cost me around $30. These little pieces really added to the cozy, lodge-inspired nursery look I was going for.