4 Design Tips to Help You Create a Welcoming Nursery
I love designing nurseries. Love love love it. With each of my three children, I created multiple design boards, developed several color schemes, and pulled together a ridiculous amount of fabric swatches to create a welcoming space. I’m pretty sure I spent more time thinking about how to decorate their rooms than on choosing their names.
When designing a nursery, the key is balancing the space so that it works with your entire home and for both you and your baby. Yes, the room is for your baby, but ultimately the nursery is part of your home and you will be spending a decent amount of time in it. If the rest of your home is scandinavian modern, a lacey, very-pink, victorian nursery is probably not going to work long term. Consider the style of the rest of your home and how this room will grow with your baby.
Below are a few of my designer tips to creating a welcoming space for the newest addition of your family.
Baby Friendly, not Baby-ish
Baby friendly design does not automatically mean babyish design. Your nursey can feel both grown-up and baby appropriate at the same time. The furniture, curtains, lighting, and rugs do not need to scream “baby” to work in this room. Select a furniture style that works with your overall style – you never know when you might decide to use a piece from the nursery in another part of your home. Choose a sophisticated color scheme and mix in lots of baby-friendly fabrics to create a sweet and cozy space for your little one.
Speaking of color pallets, you don’t have to paint the walls pink or blue to prepare for your new baby boy or girl – there are plenty of creative ways to add gender specific elements in the design. I like to keep the foundation gender-neutral and add nods to the gender through accessories such as fabrics, books, stuffed animals, and art. By doing this, not only can the furniture and space be used for multiple children but can also grow with your child seamlessly.
Keep the Space Simple
When designing a nursery, I like to keep the space simple by choosing hard-working pieces. For example, rather than purchase a separate diaper changing table and dresser to store all of that baby gear, select a dresser with a low profile and purchase a changing table topper. Mobiles look lovely in the room, but I know personally, my children didn’t spend much time laying in their cribs awake. Cribs that convert into toddler beds can be a practical option (note: if you are planning on having multiple children, be sure that you aren’t planning on using the same bed for both your newborn and toddler!). Baby gear and toys are endless, but many items are only used for a short period of time during a baby’s first year. I am reminded regularly that less is more, and not only does this ring true in my designs, but there is also significant research proving less is best for your baby’s development.
High-Quality
When I was pregnant with my first, I was told multiple times to select a high-quality chair for my daughter’s room. Several friends shared war-stories of routinely rocking their children back to sleep in the middle of the night, or even sleeping in the chair themselves over the first few years. While I personally have not found myself sleeping in the chair of my children’s room, I do very much agree that a high-quality chair is an important purchase for a nursery. Sure, you will use a great nursery chair to rock your baby to sleep, but you will also use it for reading and cuddling well after your baby can fall asleep on their own. After 5+ years, part of me wishes I would have spent a little more to get a higher quality chair for my daughter’s nursery (it is starting to look a little ragged).
Choosing high-quality is important for any piece that you will use for either multiple children or long term as your child grows. Kids are hard on furniture – babies included – from banging their toys to testing out their new teeth – so choose pieces that can withstand the terror of tiny bodies.
Add Natural Elements
Natural elements are a key piece to all of my designs and your nursery shouldn’t be overlooked. My yoga-instructor-granola-eating-mother likes to promote how houseplants clean your air, and although the evidence of that is sketchy, they certainly bring a visual freshness to a room. I always select easy to care for plants and consider how the plant will reflect the ultimate design. Faux plans can also be a great option if the light isn’t great or if your thumb sometimes reads more brown than green (or if I think tiny hands will try to grab and eat the dirt – and the answer is yes, yes they will).
Need a little more assistance in creating a custom space for your baby? Contact me to start the design process.