Category: Pregnancy
March 6, 2019
Your little bundle of joy is almost here! If you’re not feeling the onset of nesting yet, it will hit soon. Arm yourself with the right knowledge on how to decorate your nursery to avoid overdoing the décor, creating an inefficient layout, or painting your nursery’s walls with a color that doesn’t connect with your baby’s items.
Where Do I Start?
You may be asking yourself: where do I even start with decorating? From furniture, to color/themes, to layout, creating your dream nursery can seem like a tall task. However, if you prioritize the order of your to-do list, you will be rewarded with a great end result.
- Look for Inspiration: Find inspiration in photographs/art, outfits, rooms, and landscapes to see what color palettes you’re pulled to. Create a Pinterest or cut-and-paste mood board, focusing on broad concepts such as color, style, and theme to narrow down your design choices. As you move forward, reference your mood board to remain consistent and on theme with your design and decoration.
- Purchase Major Furniture: When starting to shop for furniture, stick to the bigger items: your crib (make sure it fits CPSC safety standards), dresser/changing table, and glider for nursing. Test out having the furniture setup in different arrangements within the room to get a visualization of how the space will look certain ways. This will help you decide which layout you prefer best for both aesthetics and functionality. The design you choose will help you decide your focal point, what bedding to buy, accent choices, and more.
- Pick Your Focal Point: Your focal point will serve as the subject and anchor of your nursery’s design. Parents typically choose to have their crib as the focal point, since there are many ways to pull in attention, such as with bedding, the color of the crib, or a bed skirt for a traditional feel. However, you can make any item your focal point. Whether you want to add a fun rug, a trendy nursing chair, or a pop of color with your dresser/changing table, that’s up to you and your designer eye!
- Choose Décor: You have your color palette/theme, your major furniture pieces, and your focal point, now it’s time for the fun part: décor. Stick to the 60-30-10 rule with your color palette, having one primary color, and two accent colors. Feature your color palette throughout the room with wall decals, prints, pillows, throws, and any other decorative items you feel fit your room’s vibe.
- Pick Your Paint or Wallpaper: It’s time for the finishing touch- the walls! Whether you choose to paint your walls or cover them with wallpaper, make sure your nursery’s walls are washable. If you are painting your walls, use a good quality, VOC-free paint and ensure the room has adequate ventilation. You are going to want to air the room as long as possible so all potentially harmful air toxins can escape.
Picking Your Wall Color:
When you enter a paint store or search for wallpaper, you are met with what seems like millions of options, and it can be overwhelming. Narrowing in on the color and how you think would best fit your nursery is essential. Look to your bedding, rug, or wall art to set the precedent for the color(s) of the wall.
Consider the size of the space and where natural light hits when covering your walls. Bolder colors are a great option for an accent wall, dark colors are useful when applied to a single wall to add depth, and lighter colors are a go-to for making the room appear bigger and brighter. Remember to start small when painting. Use swatches to ensure you like how the color appears when dry, as well as throughout different times of the day when lighting may hit it differently.
Think long-term when choosing your color; painting/covering your walls is a timely and pricey task. A sophisticated color scheme is a great choice if you expect to stick with this color as your child grows up. Here are some different paths you can take with the coloring of your room:
- Current and Trendy: Navy and coral, a cool minty green, or a rich, neutral shade with accent walls are popular choices for nurseries nowadays.
- Classic and Traditional: Consider pinks and purples for a girly vibe, and blues and greens for a boyish vibe. If your baby’s gender is unknown, yellow and gray are popular gender-neutral picks.
- All-inclusive: Don’t feel like your color(s)/theme has to fit a gender stereotype, popular colors nowadays, no matter the gender, include (but are not limited to): grassy green, soft neutral pink, eggshell blue, violet-gray, and mellow yellow.
Remember: Functionality is Key
Whether your baby’s room is large or small, you’re going to be using every bit of space possible. It’s important to incorporate functional storage to avoid clutter. To maximize storage, purchase furniture pieces with built in drawers or cabinets, such as a crib with a trundle. Also, think vertically: use walls for shelving. Many parents find that incorporating wall-mounted shelves in safe locations around the room can help maximize storage and double as fun decoration. We recommend never installing shelves above areas where baby will be, such as the changing table or the crib, in order to keep baby safe from a potential falling item.
When it comes to the layout of your room, many parents’ number one tip is to make sure anything and everything you may need is within easy reach. Whether you’re at your changing table and need wipes, or you’re at your nursing chair and need a burp cloth, make sure the items you need are well stocked and located closely, according to the area’s typical use. For the changing table, we recommend having a hamper and diaper pail on either side, stocking your hanging shelf or top drawer with diapers, wipes, lotion, and other changing needs, and having toys nearby to keep baby entertained while you’re changing his/her diaper. Near your nursing chair, have a small nightstand or end table to place your breastfeeding needs, such as water for yourself, a burp cloth for baby, and anything else you may need to easily reach for.
Remember, decorating your nursery should be fun! There’s absolutely no pressure to have the perfect room for your baby. Decorate the nursery how you want it; realistically, your baby won’t care, only you will. You’re going to be spending a lot of time in this space, so make sure it’s an atmosphere you enjoy and feel comfortable and relaxed in.
To learn more about how you can prepare for the arrival of your little one, check out other posts on our Blog.
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