Nursery Design 101
While preparing for the arrival of another member of the family, crafting the perfect nursery might move to the bottom of a to-do list. You might be dreading having to look at color palettes and selecting furniture that matches. Designing a new room should be revitalizing and fun! By keeping a handful of things in mind you can streamline the process and make things easier during the hectic time while you’re expecting.
Lighting
When attempting to style a room it’s a good idea to take an inventory of the room itself. This begins with the lighting in the area. Where is the natural light coming from? Are there lights in the ceiling already? Where are the outlets in case you want to plug in a lamp? Keep these things in mind when first considering the overall layout of the room. This helps you plan functionally but it also helps you outline where the attention of the room will be when it is fully furnished. Having natural light is normally a plus and if you are lucky enough to have a significant amount, be sure to leverage it to your advantage!
Spacing
Similar to lighting, this is a sort of precursor or planning step when designing your nursery. Be sure to get some accurate measurements of the room in question. This will give you a better idea of your limitations and can prevent some embarrassing mistakes like ordering something that’s too big to fit through the doorway. In having the actual dimensions of room, you can begin to see how large certain pieces will be within the space and begin to plan out the general idea of how the room will look in your head. Be sure to plan things such as where to place a changing table or dresser in reference to a crib. Accurate measurements will give you a better idea of how much space you have and will protect you from making the nursery too cramped or having everything in one section of the room.
Pick a Theme
Pick an overall feel for the nursery that you want to come through in all your choices. Some people opt for ideas that are a little more outlandish than others. For instance we’ve seen things such as a frog themed nursery before. Nothing’s off the table and the sky’s the limit. The main goal here is to choose something that remains consistent throughout the room and makes things easier to relate back to when you run out of ideas. For example, if you have a lot of animals in a room, it can be easier to just choose another pillow that has an animal on it instead of stressing over what decision to make. It also helps prevent a room from adopting a hectic feel.
Color
An overarching idea when designing a room comes down to creating consistency. This makes the process easier and makes the room feel better as a whole. Take some time to investigate color palettes that interest you. Be sure to pick some colors that will accent the room as well. Having the entire space consist of a handful of colors can feel boring if they are too similar and drab. Think of what colors the walls and floors will be and try to accent that with your furniture and other decor. Take a look at some colors that you think would be a good fit and do some research on complimentary colors to them. In general, nurseries do well with pastel colors because they are generally light and have a “smooth” feel. Although it might feel like an inexact science, certain colors can invoke different moods or feelings. Do some research on color psychology as a way to confirm your feelings on your theme.
Furniture
When putting a room together, people often make the mistake of putting aesthetics before necessity. A room full of furniture with no purpose can be seen as a wasteful. However the two are not mutually exclusive. Just because a piece of furniture is functional or has storage does not mean that it has to be an eyesore. A great example of this for any nursery would be adding some wicker baskets or other helpful additions that both look good and serve a purpose. The main idea here is to spice up the room with items that are necessary but tend to be ignored in terms of style.
As with all interior design, many things come down to personal preference. There is no right or wrong way to do anything and being able to go outside the bounds of what is considered best practices is ok when it comes to style. These are just outlines to help you through the process when things feel overwhelming. In keeping a few overarching ideas in mind when going through a room design, it should enable you to make the best choices for you!