Welcoming a new baby into your family is always a joyous event–but it’s also one that requires a lot of careful nursery design and preparation, home adjustments, and smart shopping for all of the essential items your baby will need to be safe and comfortable.
To create a nursery interior design that’s not only serene, cozy, and chic, but is also eco-friendly, a great value, and is able to grow with baby as they progress to different ages and stages, we have compiled some expert tips from our Design Team. In order to cut down on waste and superfluous furniture in your home–which will ultimately save you money and reduce your environmental footprint–it’s important to shop smart, do your research, and invest in high-quality nursery essentials that can stand the test of time while also looking great.
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Nursery Design Tip #1: Choose a Versatile Theme
When you start choosing a color scheme, wall art, rugs, and decorative accents for your nursery, think about colors, patterns, and themes that have the potential to go the distance as your child grows. For example, if you’re going with patterned wallpaper, make sure the print is not baby specific so that it can easily match with big-kid furniture as you start to bring that in.
Also, consider the fact that, during the baby years, you will be spending almost as much time in the nursery as your child is, so you want to make the room’s decor motif one that you truly love. Rather than picking a theme like unicorns or fairies or spaceships that the child might one day grow out of, choose a color scheme instead of a theme.
Start with a neutral and simple color palette–this allows you to easily make adjustments through decor, pillow and throw accents, wall art, and photos as your baby grows. Plus, remember that realistically, your baby will end up with lots of toys and books in the nursery and a more neutral backdrop will help balance out all the bright colors that come along with those things. A versatile palette also makes designing a gender neutral nursery easier and gives you child the option to build their own color preference freely, as opposed to having a preferred color scheme to start with.
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Nursery Design Tip #2: Invest in Furniture that Converts
One great way to design your nursery in a way that’s eco-friendly, stylish, and ultimately wallet-friendly is to invest in nursery furniture items that are able to convert. You essentially get a baby item and a toddler or big kid item all in one piece.
In a similar vein to shopping smart and investing in convertible items (which can indeed be pricier), it’s also a good idea to think about spending the extra money on nursery pieces that are of a higher quality, are certified organic, and feature really sturdy materials and design elements meant to stand the test of time.
Many cribs have the option of turning into a toddler bed, a daybed, and even a twin size bed–one side of the crib will become the headboard for the twin bed. As your little one grows, trundle beds are so great because not only do they offer an additional sleep spot but you can also use the trundle as storage space.
Finally, be sure to choose a dresser with a lot of depth so that you can easily place a changer on top and have it do double-duty as a changing table–and of course, you’ll be able to use the dresser for years to come.
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Nursery Design Tip #3: Think About Comfort & Storage
As we stated above, mom and dad ultimately will be spending as much time as baby in the nursery so comfort is key. In addition to a glider (an essential in any nursery), think about adding smaller pieces (which are easy to mix and match, and move around the house later on) like beanbags, cozy rugs, poufs, ottomans, and plenty of throw blankets (though be careful to not place extra blankets in the crib).
Consider placing a day bed in the nursery if the room is big enough. This is great for lounging in the room with baby–where you’re reading to them or breastfeeding or pumping, or just sharing a moment–and then using as an extra bed for slumber parties when they get older.
Finally, don’t forget about storage (trust us, the better your storage system, the more comfortable the room will be for everyone) for everything from toys and books to clothes and personal care items. Especially as they grow, kids’ rooms need a lot more storage space than we imagine.
Kathy Kuo Design Services
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