Heirloom-grade cribs, dressers, and gliders shaped from sustainably harvested hardwood. Finished with zero-VOC stains safe enough to mouth. Designed to outlast three childhoods.
Five steps to a nursery
you'll love for years.
Each card is a guide. Open them in order, or jump to wherever you feel stuck. Your progress saves as you go.
Choose Your Crib Style
The anchor of every nursery
Finding the crib that grows with your child
Start with a convertible crib — it transitions from infant to toddler bed, saving you the cost of a second purchase. Look for solid hardwood construction with no MDF or particleboard. Slat spacing should be between 2⅜" and 6" (federally mandated). Mattress height should adjust in at least three positions.
Key Tips
- Convertible 4-in-1 designs last from birth to age 5+
- Avoid cribs with drop-side rails (banned since 2011)
- Test mattress fit: less than 2 fingers of gap on all sides
Our Recommendations
- Ashwood Convertible Crib — $1,240
- Maple Classic Crib — $980
- Walnut Heirloom Crib — $1,480
Checklist
Match Your Dresser
Storage that does double duty
The dresser that moonlights as a changing station
A wide 6-drawer dresser with a removable changing topper is the single most efficient piece of nursery furniture. You get changing station, storage, and a long-term bedroom dresser in one footprint. Look for dovetail joinery, solid-wood drawer boxes, and soft-close glides — these are the details that survive the toddler years.
Key Tips
- Wide (54"+) dressers provide better changing ergonomics
- Anchor to the wall — always, without exception
- Soft-close drawers prevent finger pinches as kids grow
Our Recommendations
- 6-Drawer Ashwood Dresser + Topper — $1,560
- Wide Maple Dresser — $1,280
- Walnut 5-Drawer Low Profile — $1,380
Checklist
Pick Your Glider
The chair you'll live in at 3am
Choose comfort you'll still want at sunrise
The glider is where you'll spend more hours than you expect. Prioritize lumbar support, armrest height (your elbows should rest naturally while holding a newborn), and a smooth, quiet glide mechanism. Performance fabric or slipcover options are worth every penny — spit-up is inevitable. A matching ottoman that locks flat for a footrest is a genuine quality-of-life upgrade.
Key Tips
- Test the glide in-store or request a swatch + return window
- Ottoman with locking position = footrest + step stool later
- Swivel base adds flexibility for feeding positions
Our Recommendations
- Ashwood Glider + Ottoman — $1,820
- Maple Rocker with Performance Linen — $1,440
- Upholstered Swivel Glider — $1,680
Checklist
Layer the Textiles
Where softness meets safety
Layering textiles safely and beautifully
Safe sleep guidelines (AAP 2022) recommend a firm, flat mattress with only a fitted sheet in the sleep space. Decorative pillows, bumpers, and loose blankets belong outside the crib. Layer your visual softness on the dresser, the glider throw, and the rug — not inside the sleep space. GOTS-certified organic cotton and OEKO-TEX muslin are the gold standard for anything touching newborn skin.
Key Tips
- One firm mattress + one fitted sheet in the crib — nothing else
- Keep 2–3 backup sheets: midnight changes happen
- A rug with a non-slip pad anchors the room and softens sound
Our Recommendations
- Organic Cotton Crib Sheet Set (3) — $88
- Muslin Swaddle Blankets (4-pack) — $64
- Wool Nursery Rug 5×8 — $320
Checklist
Add the Finishing Details
The room that greets them first
The details that make a room feel complete
The final layer is what makes the room feel like a story rather than a showroom. A blackout shade behind sheer curtains gives you light control without sacrificing beauty. A sound machine on a shelf (not in the crib) helps establish sleep cues from week one. One low bookshelf at floor level becomes a reading corner as soon as they can sit up. And a single piece of meaningful art — a name print, a botanical, a family heirloom — turns four walls into a home.
Key Tips
- Blackout + sheer layer = day naps that actually work
- Floor-level bookshelf grows with the child for years
- Avoid plug-in air fresheners — newborns are sensitive to fragrance
Our Recommendations
- Linen Blackout Roman Shade — $180
- White Noise Machine — $49
- Ashwood Low Bookshelf — $440
Checklist
Want all five guides in one place? Download the complete nursery planning checklist.
Download the Complete Nursery GuideHardwood that outlasts
every phase.
We source our ash, maple, and walnut from FSC-certified forests in the Northeast. Every piece is milled, joined, and finished by hand in our Vermont workshop. Our zero-VOC stains meet GREENGUARD Gold standards — the same certification required for schools and healthcare facilities. When we say safe enough to mouth, we mean it.
GREENGUARD Gold
Certified safe for nurseries
Zero-VOC Finishes
Safe enough to mouth
FSC Certified Wood
Sustainably harvested forests
Made in Vermont
Small-batch, made to order
3 Gen
Built to outlast
Take the Style Quiz
Three questions. A curated furniture collection matched to how you actually live.
Your nursery, your style.
Answer three quick questions and we'll recommend the Cradle collection that fits your home and your family.
Built for the long haul.
"We bought the Ashwood crib for our first daughter in 2019. It's now a toddler bed for her, and we just ordered the same crib for our second. That's the whole story."
Meredith Calloway
Mother of two, Portland OR
"The zero-VOC certification wasn't a marketing claim — I called GREENGUARD directly to verify. Cradle passed every test."
Dr. Priya Nambiar
Pediatrician & new parent, Boston MA
"I'm a furniture maker myself. The dovetail joinery on the dresser is the real deal — hand-cut, not routed. Worth every dollar."
Thomas Bergström
Woodworker & grandfather, Vermont
"Second nursery, tighter timeline. The planning guide got us from blank walls to a finished room in six weeks. The checklist alone saved us three arguments."
Jasmine & Kwame Osei
Parents of 2, Atlanta GA
Download the Complete
Nursery Planning Guide
All five planning guides, room-by-room checklists, a timeline calendar, and our product recommendations — in one beautifully designed PDF.