Top 10 Tips For Decorating Your Nursery

The nursery style you ultimately choose will be determined by a few things.

• The style throughout the rest of your home.

• Your personal sense of style.

• Your vision of what a comfortable and stylish nursery is all about.

What is your style throughout the rest of your home? If the rest of your home is monochromatic and modern with lots of steel and sleek accents, how will a baby room decked out in a traditional style fit? Most likely it won’t! So consider taking cues from how you live in your home on a day-to-day basis when decorating your nursery.

Your personal sense of style will most likely come out in your choices. Are you a modern fashionista that has to have the latest on the runway? Or is your style more comfortable, Victorian, lace, maybe with an antique feel?

When you hear the words “A nursery decorated with style,” what springs to mind? Is it shades of beige for a sophisticated palette? Or is it bright garden yellows and greens to play up a playful nature? Or perhaps you’ve learned it’s a boy or a girl so pinks and blues MUST be used. Whatever you choose, make sure it represents your own sense of personal style — that way, you won’t regret any of your choices!

Ask yourself:

• What are those key elements that I have to have in the room so that it works for me and my little one?

• Are cozy and comfortable on the top of my list?

• Are modern and trendy what I’m looking for?

Whatever the case, these are the style attributes that should help you decide on the overall nursery style before you start on the specific details of decorating.

Now the fun begins! Collect inspiration images and create a board.

You may want to look in magazines for inspiration, or online. For this, Pinterest is your friend! Do a search for “modern nursery” if that’s your style, or “cozy nursery,” if that’s your vision.

On two or three separate occasions, just sit back, put your feet up and let your imagination run wild, pinning images to your heart’s content.

Next, take a minute to find your focus: What do your photos have in common? Lots of pastels, ruffles, lace?

Or are they a blend of colors, shades varied by light and dark but all beige, all brown or all pink?
Or do you see that there are bold contrasts in color — black and white with red accents? Crayon colors as a palette? Or perhaps chevron appears frequently in the photos you pinned.

Some new moms prefer to have a physical board so they can pin or move around or change things physically, and that’s perfectly fine! Some of us are more tactile than others. We want to feel fabrics and touch textures.

Soon you will see a common theme or thread develop in the images you love. This will help you narrow it down to the style choice that fits your family best. Make a note of the common threads you find and make specific notes on things you really love so you can personalize your theme.

Now that you have taken some time to think about how you envision your perfect nursery, let’s move on to some style choices.

Okay, so you’ve searched for inspiration and made your board – or boards. You’ve found the common threads in the images you love the most. Now it’s time to narrow down and determine what your nursery style will be, combining those threads with your personal style. But how do you do that?
Know the style choices! The list below may help you decide what type of nursery style fits your family best.

• A traditional style nursery is characterized by a classic and elegant feel, showcasing furniture with curved lines and elaborate details. For example, a sleigh-style crib is a typical traditional nursery piece of furniture. Classic color combinations, such as blue & white, pink & green, and yellow & green will adorn traditional nurseries.

• A modern style nursery has clean, simple lines and emphasizes functionality and stunning design. A crib made of natural materials, with a streamlined design and a two-tone finish will fit perfectly in a modern nursery. Trendy nursery color choices, such as blue & brown, orange & pink, and pink & brown are popular for a modern nursery.

• A vintage style nursery is inspired by days-gone-by and has an old world charm, yet offers all the functionality and modern comfort you need. If you would like to decorate your nursery in a vintage style, focus on romantic and whimsical touches and introduce specific elements such as cast-iron cribs and hand-painted motifs. An all-white nursery color palette will work perfect for a vintage-inspired nursery room.

• A beach style nursery is perfect if you live near the beach. This cool breezy decorating style uses sea-inspired colors, accents and treasures. You can almost smell the sea! Include soft shades of blue, green and coral pinks with light-colored furniture or pieces with a distressed finish. Don’t forget to include sea-inspired accessories like shells and starfish!

• An organic style nursery is becoming an increasingly popular option. To create an organic nursery you will need to include soft earthy colors, simple furniture made with natural materials, flooring without synthetic finishes and high-quality organic baby bedding and fabrics.

For some more style ideas, consider this article:

To theme or not to theme? That is the question!

Maybe a particular “style” doesn’t appeal to you. Perhaps you have always wanted your baby to have a room with everything Disney, or all things animal. To be honest, the choices truly are endless!
But be very careful with this! What happens when your little one decides they just hate Barney — but purple dinosaurs are everywhere?!

Nina Petronzio, mother of twins and cofounder of Plush Home, argues, “As tempting as it may be to buy that purple Barney bed or Little Miss Muffet nightstand, keep your selections simple and allow your furniture the flexibility to grow with your children. Don’t get me wrong; you can have fun with your room — but keep themes to accent pieces that you won’t lose sleep over when your kid no longer likes dinosaurs.”

Curious about what’s trending?
The most popular themes can be found here:

7 Hottest Baby Room Trends

Still not sure?
Why not try a quiz to determine your nursery style?

So you’ve decided to go with a particular style or a particular theme. What’s next?

Start thinking about the colors that will work best with your theme. Decide on that basic color scheme (usually pulled from your inspirational sources). Then mix in fabric choices. Remain flexible, though. Look for patterns in several scales (meaning, the same pattern in a small print and a large print to decide which you like better).

But, the question of whether or not pastel colors soothe an infant or if bright colors make babies feel restless is still a question that baffles most parents-to-be.

Glen B. Earl, Ph.D., offers some insight. “Colors have no effect on newborns.  However, by 2-3 months they can begin to distinguish between colors. At 6 months they can see color,” he explains. “Infants are not soothed or become restless by colors. At first, infants cannot even see colors and as they get weeks/months older, there is no meaning attached to colors – except as a means of learning and interest.”

So, dip your paintbrush and don’t be shy!

Choose a primary color
The color of your walls is the largest color space in the room. Paint with your primary color to set the tone and style of the room.

Choose a secondary color
Next, use your secondary color. Whether it is the carpet, a rug, or a beech wood floor, the color of the floor will impact the look of your room.

Choose an accent color
Think about how the furniture — and the color of it — will impact the look of your room.

Include the accent color in items like the curtains or the bedding.

You know your colors; you know your overall style and look. What about the furniture?!

Nursery furniture is available in a wide variety of styles, so choose the one that fits your family – and also fits the space you have for your nursery. Look for a furniture store that has a wonderful selection of nursery furniture, including convertible cribs which grow with your child.

Also remember the golden triangle in furniture placement. Nina Petronzio explains, “In nursery design, my golden triangle places your crib, changing table and nursing chair close by to make your nights less sleepless. Once your child is old enough to eat meals with you, you’ll have more flexibility in your furniture layout. But while you are still doing night feeds, the triangle will quicken your process.”

That’s advice for the ages!

Make it fun! Make it functional!

Make your décor work for you. Cute additions to your baby’s room can keep it fun, but functional.

Use the changing table shelves to organize baby needs like diapers, wipes, and blankets. When baby starts crawling and walking, they can turn into toy storage shelves.

Consider items that can be used for more than one thing – check out this article for some great ideas!

For some practical decorating advice: Avoid clutter.

You’ll be carrying a baby back and forth in the middle of the night and a misplaced chair (or play mat, toy, book, etc.) can be brutal to trip over when you’re not expecting it.

On this note, make sure you have lots of functional storage space so you have easy places to tuck things when you’re done using them, instead of leaving them scattered on the floor

Don’t forget the wall decorating details!

And don’t make one of the most common wall hanging mistakes expectant moms make. Think long term when you choose artwork! Make sure it’s artwork that all ages will enjoy, so you will get the best use of your investment.

Teach your child early what’s important by creating a focal point with a genuine statement piece. Choosing one wall to decorate is not only simpler; it’s easier on the eyes.

Think about what you want your child to wake up to. We suggest Wall Art of your family to remind your little one of how much he or she is cherished.

Here are two bonus articles with tips for you, as well:

We hope these tips help you in decorating your nursery!

Look for our next article with practical tips and advice on what to include in your nursery.