One of the most fun, but potentially stressful, parts of expecting a baby is designing the nursery. If you’re having a baby in 2022, here are some popular nursery design ideas for inspiration.
Setting up the nursery is the first step in a room that can see your child through years of growth. Keeping this in mind while you’re planning your nursery layout, design, and furniture can help you to save money when it comes time to convert the room to suit your toddler, again in early childhood, and beyond.
Creating a nursery for the first time may feel overwhelming, but it doesn’t have to be — just one piece of inspiration can serve as a building block to plan the rest of the room around. Working with a trusted partner that can help you put a full plan together will also make the nursery renovation process more stress-free.
Pulling inspiration images from Pinterest, Instagram, or home decor sites is a great place to start. But when it comes to finding your way through the process and leaving your own personal touch on the room, our guide below will walk you through every step.
Walls
Gender-neutral designs are becoming more and more popular in recent years, but there are a multitude of options for nursery walls depending on your preferences. Bold wallpaper with a mixture of light colors can be stimulating for your child and make the room instantly decorative, or you could start on a blank slate with white walls and let your decor introduce in pops of color.
Wallpaper in geometric shapes or including graphics can also add the illusion of texture, and a patterned accent wall can add interest to the room while being stimulating for your little one. Another textural element for those that want to achieve a more rustic and charming nursery feel is a shiplap wall.
Artwork on the walls is another great opportunity to add visual interest that both you and your child will love. Images and paintings of nature are great for a nursery because they’re fairly neutral and can last for a while as your child grows. You may even consider a mural that will make for a beautiful room and serve as a calming element.
When it comes to choosing wall color, you’ll want to consider the color’s overall affect and tone. Certain colors may be related to certain emotions and may over or under stimulate the child (i.e., red can cause agitation, but a room without much color may be dull for a growing baby). Neutral wall shades may help when it comes to facilitating a positive toddler room transition down the line, and easily changeable decor can help add more color to a plain room.
Lastly, windows are great for adding natural lighting, but blackout curtains can help facilitate sleep and cut out some of the outside noise. Additionally, curtains can serve as another a great opportunity to add color or patterns to a neutral wall.
Floors
There are also several options for flooring that will serve you and your baby the best. Carpeting can add warmth to the room, but it will be harder to clean than hardwoods. Your flooring decisions will ultimately depend on your personal preferences, nursery renovation budget, and what’s most functional for you and your family.
If you do go for hardwoods, consider rugs for playtime and added warmth for your sake. After all, you probably won’t want to walk on cold hardwoods when checking in on your child in the middle of the night!
Rugs are also a great way to add a new texture that your baby will enjoy exploring. Another fun element that can keep your child entertained is a painted or patterned ceiling. These are growing in popularity because babies spend so much time laying down and looking up, so patterned ceilings may be more impactful for your baby than stand-out walls or flooring.
Cribs & Furniture
Your crib choices will likely depend on the amount and shape of space you’re working in. The rest of the room’s furniture should be chosen with your own comfort in mind, as it will be used for feedings, storytimes, and playing with your child.
If you’re looking for ways to save money while furnishing a nursery, upcycling old furniture you already own or thrifted furniture pieces is a great way to save. A convertible crib that transfers into a toddler bed is also a great option for longer-lasting furniture purchases that will be better financial decisions in the long run.
A rocking chair is a common nursery staple that can be fairly easily upcycled. Adding a changing pad to the top of an existing dresser is another common way to save money, and can help in the eventual transition to a toddler’s bedroom.
When it comes to space-saving techniques, oval cribs will take up less area in smaller rooms. If your nursery is in a corner of another room rather than in its own space, there are also plenty of furniture pieces with hidden storage that can help you maximize space.
Layout & Storage
Whether the nursery is going in a makeshift nook or its own separate room, storage will be essential to maintaining order with a new baby in the house. When considering your initial layout, there should be clearly defined different spaces for sleeping, changing, feeding, and playing so that items used in each activity can be stored separately.
Cubby storage is great to keep diapers, clothes, and the like out of sight until they’re needed. Additionally, a storage rack or towel warmer will be perfect for tucking away towels and blankets when they’re not in use.
Multipurpose nursery furniture is a great start, especially in a small space. As mentioned previously, combination furniture like a changing table with a chest of drawers beneath can help with storage now and still be useful in the toddler years.
If you’re willing to spend a little extra, an additional bed in the room like a bunk bed your kid can grow into allows for future child planning. You might also consider a daybed that you can use on your baby’s restless nights until they’re old enough to grow into it.
Lighting & Decor
Adding decor is the finishing touch on a nursery that will be comfortable, calming, and fun for your coming baby. Centralizing on a specific theme is a great way to plan your decor, but try not to go overboard here — keep the room calming for your baby at bedtime and easy for you to maintain amidst the chaos of taking care of a newborn.
Animal decor is incredibly popular because it will help your child start to recognize different animals while also being an exciting element they’re sure to love. Whimsical lighting installations or mobiles are another great way to capture your baby’s interest and keep the room feeling fun.
Lighting can add to the room decor — whether that’s through fun child-centric lamps with animals or other decorations on them all the way to bedroom ceiling light installations that show off your interior design taste. Decorative sconces or lampshades can add to the room’s theme without bringing clutter to the room.
When planning artificial lighting in the nursery, soft lighting is a safe choice that won’t be too harsh on the baby’s eyes. It’s also a great idea to have low lighting options like a night light so you’ll be able to check on your baby at night without tripping, or a small reading light to help your child wind down during bedtime stories.
Adding a family heirloom or some sort of personal decor is a beautiful and classic way to welcome a new baby into your family. A gallery wall of children’s art or family photos is another way to add meaningful decor to a more simple room. Personalizing certain items like wall decor, pillows, etcetera, with the child’s name can also be a sweet, personal touch.
Malek Construction Will Bring Your Nursery Design Ideas to Life
Malek Construction can help you design the perfect nursery space and take the pressure off of you during a nursery renovation. Our years of experience in Northeast Ohio translate into an optimized planning process that ends in exceptional work. We’re well-known for our honest and open communication with all clients, and customized designs that balance their budgetary needs and renovation vision expertly.
Need more nursery design ideas from the professionals? Reach out to us today.
