One of my favourite things to do when I was pregnant was plan and decorate Elian’s Nursery (thats a sneak peek of it on the right!). It still isn’t quite finished because we’re making a big change to the house at the moment so 1 half his room is currently storage, but once that is sorted I get to make the final changes then I can reveal his room properly to you all. He doesn’t really need a room of his own yet, so I’m not worried about getting it sorted asap! But as we had been in the house for over a year when we found out we were pregnant it meant most of it was already decorated and I was missing the fun home decor planning I had when we moved in, so it got to start all over again with nursery decor ideas! Most of our house is neutral (white walls, oak floors) with pops of colour to let the furniture and soft furnishings stand out more, but I decided his room could be a bit more bold and fun! But I’m not going to talk about it today, lol, you’ll have to wait for a proper reveal in a few weeks when its properly finished.
So today I am handing the blog over to John Starr, a freelance writer, father, and DIY enthusiast living in Brighton. In addition to working on his latest project (be it work around the home or a new article), he enjoys spending time with his two children and today he is going to chat to you all about DIY nursery decor.
For parents expecting a newborn, there are all kinds of things to have fun with. Running through name options, picking out clothes (if you know the gender, that is), and keeping close friends and relatives updated on the process are just a few of the things you’ll enjoy. But another, if you decide to set a room in the house aside for the new little lady or gentleman, is designing a nursery! Parents (and probably mothers in particular) can get a lot of joy out of setting up the perfect, cosy little space, and in some ways it’s as much an art project as anything else.
That said, setting up a nursery is also a lot of work! You’ll be designing every last aspect of the room, and you’ll inevitably wind up comparing it to examples you’ve seen on the internet, or even in films. So to give you a boost, I’ve written up a few handy tips for nursery décor, some of which are my own and some of which I’ve borrowed online. Enjoy!
1) Pick A Neutral Colour
Pink, or blue? If you pay attention to films or even common discussions and images surrounding newborn babies, you’d think these are your only options for the wall colour in your nursery! And either one is completely fine. But you should also consider other options. Some have actually made the argument that pushing pink for girls and blue for boys is enforcing gender stereotypes, but whether or not you hold the same belief, options like pale green or yellow or even a light cream colour can all be very suitable for a nursery as well. Generally, neutral colours and pale shades are fairly soothing — though if you really want to give this aspect of the design some careful thought, Project Nursery actually has a guide of how different colours are thought to affect babies, according to research.
2) Make Sure Lighting Is Flexible
This is a tip I never would have thought of, but it was included on a list of suggestions at The Bump. The idea, as it was put there, is that sometimes you’ll want it nice and bright, and at other times you’ll want a soft, dim light so that you can check on the baby without waking him or her up. As for the DIY side of things, this might mean putting in a lamp or two with dimmer functions, or simply designing curtains in a way that allows them to be partially drawn while still allowing some natural light in.
3) Build In Some Shelving
Of course you can just buy a set of shelves or cabinets to keep in the nursery, but one way or another you’ll want space to display photographs, stuffed animals, toys, or even children’s books. And if you really want to take the DIY approach, you can always build these on your own, making them look however you like and taking up only the space you want. In addition to actual construction material, you’ll need to make sure you have the equipment you need to make it happen. Screwfix can be a useful reference in this regard, as the site’s array of specifically organised, trade rated tools can help you to get an idea of what you may already have and what you may be missing. But with the right tools and materials you can design your own shelves or display areas for your little one, which can be oddly satisfying.
4) Make Sure You Have A Rocking Chair!
This tip is out there in a few places, and it’s also part of the fairly traditional image of what a nice nursery ought to look like. But I’m also recommending it personally! To begin with, rocking chairs are underrated in general but they also give you a very soothing place to sit and cradle your baby as you rock them to sleep. The only trouble is making sure you don’t allow the sway of the chair to put you to sleep too!
5) Make The Room Adaptable
Finally, you might also want to consider the fact that your child may end up spending several years in the room, and making it too “babyish” might not be ideal. Now, you should absolutely still focus on the fact that for now, it’s a baby. But Baby Centre put forth a few interesting ideas for adaptability. For instance, opt for things like wall stickers rather than decorated wallpaper, so that you can easily change out characters or animals that your child may outgrow.
Thank you John for these great tips! Taking these into mind here are a few of our favourite nursery decor picks, to help give your little ones room some real fun and personality!
Under the Sea Wall Sticker / Bird House Lamp / Woodland Wall Decal / Truck Shelving / Cloud Shelving / Plane Lamp / DIY Unicorn Nightlight /
What kind of nursery decor did you plan for your little ones room. Did you keep it neutral, go with a theme or something more sophisticated, I’d love to know?
