Today’s post is all about what elements to consider when getting a nursery put together. I want to start off by stating the obvious. There are very few actual needs we have when it comes to preparing for a baby. If we are honest, we really just need:
A safe place for baby to sleep
A car seat
Diapers and wipes
Milk/formula
Clothes
Thermometer, diaper cream and a few other tools like nail clippers.
Baby shampoo and wash
First aid kit
You can argue for a few other things, but if we had to keep it simple, these are the absolute basics.
Now when it comes to a nursery, again, we are going to establish that a lot of these tips are less of a need and more of a want. If you want to create a dreamy nursery that brings you joy, read on!
As a mom of three, I have now gone through this process with each child. In all three scenarios, the nursery wasn’t completed until the child was actually born and out of our room.
For me this was actually helpful, I never felt pressured to have everything done prior to bringing home baby. It was also rather chaotic every time we were welcoming a child. Maybe more on that for another time. Let’s talk nursery design!
Measure the Space and Create a Room Layout
I can’t emphasize this one tip enough. This even comes down to measuring your door opening. You need to know what is going to fit in the room. You also don’t want pieces that feel too big or too small for the room.
Measure everything and as you start looking to buy, keep those measurements handy. Know before you buy a single thing what your ideal room layout looks like. If you know you are placing a dresser against a certain wall or you have a window that needs to be accounted for, you can’t afford to start buying items without nailing down the placement of furniture.
As you are putting a space plan together you can think of dividing your room into zones.
Some common zones to think about include: sleep, feedings, a spot for changing diapers, etc.
Choose Elements that Grow Up Well
Aside from the crib and the rocking chair you should really try to find a design that won’t require an overhaul every few years. A nursery is of course for a baby and you can make it feel sweet and lovely without falling into the trap of thinking everything needs to be teddy bears.
It’s totally okay to have some of those elements, but when it comes to your hard earned dollars, choose items that will be classics in the years to come.
If I want to introduce something like bears for example, I would do that through accessories, books or art. This is how high-end homes also feel more luxurious. They never have very obvious or kitschy rooms. The theme of a room is usually subtle and doesn’t overpower a space. So, choose items that will grow up well when purchasing larger pieces; keep the more juvenile elements to things like accessories, which are easy to swap out down the road.
Pick Your Dresser or Armoire First
Why do I suggest going with a dresser before any other element?
Well, a dresser is usually going to be a piece that can grow with your child. Dressers are also a good jumping off point. If you choose a mid-century style dresser or a french inspired piece you have a foundational style for the room.
Cribs are usually pretty straightforward, enough so that you can make a number of them work, but knowing what you gravitate towards is helpful when you start with a dresser or large wardrobe piece.
Layer Lighting
This is a tip that applies to any room, but especially in a nursery. You want several layers that can serve different needs. You have your general/ambient lighting, task lighting and accent lighting. Just in case you are wondering what the difference is, here is a simple breakdown:
Ambient lighting is your overhead lighting, think recessed lights or a ceiling fan with a light.
Task lighting is for… tasks. This comes in handy when perhaps you want to read to your baby before bedtime. Having a floor lamp near the rocker could be a great addition to your nursery for this very reason!
Accent lighting is going to focus on highlighting a particular object or area. Wall sconces act as an accent light. You can also have track lighting or a picture light serve as accent lighting.
I am not suggesting you have to have all three in one bedroom. However, you will want at least the first two. Make no mistake, I love the way a wall sconce or picture light instantly elevates a space. By all means, if you can incorporate accent lighting, do it!
Don't Neglect Functionality
This room is going to probably serve many purposes for a while. The nursery will probably be where you feed your baby, change diapers, put your baby down for naps and bedtime, rock them to sleep and soothe them, read to them, play with them, and heck, you might be sleeping too!
This room has to do a lot of work. Don’t trade functionality for aesthetic.
If you need to keep a diaper caddy on top of the dresser because space is limited, do it! If you can get away with hiding all of the diapering essentials in a top drawer, wonderful! Just think about how your day-to-day will look and don’t feel like you can’t make changes along the way!
Find ways to maximize storage in smaller rooms and be aware that babies will grow and accumulate more stuff! If your nursery is full now, just imagine what will happen once your baby has settled in.
Utilize Vertical Space
If you have a smaller room this one is especially helpful, but it really is a trick all designers use.
Take your design up and you will draw the eye up and make a room feel larger. Here is where you can do a mirror over the dresser or a long wall mirror (bolted to the wall of course), a vignette of photos or art, or maybe utilize book shelves. There are a lot of options when it comes to going up! One easy way to make a room feel larger is simply using vertical lines. Just like horizontal stripes widen us, your room will feel lower if you are already dealing with 8 or 9 foot ceilings. So if you do a wall treatment like wallpaper or shiplap, be sure the pattern or orientation goes up!
Pay Attention to Window Treatments
This is important for a number of reasons, but the window treatments you use are not only going to promote or hinder sleep, but also help your nursery feel polished. I think it is extremely important to have flexibility with your window coverings.
In a bedroom you can do a window shade that filters light and pair it with room darkening or blackout curtains. You can also take the opposite approach and use blinds that are really for room darkening, while curtains serve more as light filtering or even as a statement, but not necessarily functional.
I personally lean towards shades that will filter light while having curtains that are blackout for a nursery, but that is totally up to you. Aside from promoting sleep, window coverings will also help your nursery feel put together. This is why for bedrooms, I generally like more options. Not to mention, just like the tip before, we need to think about height!
My rule is go as close to the ceiling as you can, but a good sweet spot is 3″-4″ from the ceiling to curtain rod.
Hanging curtains as close to the ceiling as you can is extremely helpful in a room that has shorter ceilings! Trust me, the longer your curtains the better! This also means you need to pay attention to how your curtains hang.
You need curtains that touch the floor. Anything short of that and the curtains look out of place and become a distraction. Some people love the curtains to just “kiss” the floor, while others like the puddle effect. In either case, I’m a fan, I think it just depends on the room and what sort of look you are after.
Curtains should open up with plenty of room on either side of the window. Consider hanging your curtain rod 6″-8″ beyond the width of the window (if you have the room).
Ground the Room
Even if you have wall-to-wall carpet in the nursery you really should consider an area rug to bring everything together. You can opt for a low pile rug and bring your furniture together so it doesn’t appear to be floating in space. Also consider a rug might be where your little one will play and lay.
Having soft rugs that use cloud pile or shag are viable options for baby. You can also find wonderful playmats that are beautiful and practical like the ones at House of Noa. Just keep in mind you want to ideally have most of the furniture on the rug. Even just the front legs will do.
If everything won’t quite fit, aim to at least have the front of the rocking chair and a side table touching or the front legs of the crib on your rug.
Choose a Color Scheme Not a Theme
Now, in my personal opinion, this will give you more flexibility when you pick a color scheme over a “theme.”
Why?
Well, let’s start with the problems that come with themes.
If you say “I want the room to have a train theme,” that’s fine, but how do you narrow down what sort of trains to incorporate?
Are you going for neutral trains, vintage trains, are these bullet trains? Not to mention, the colors and designs can vary greatly. So rather than start with trains, I would identify a color scheme or color palette and use that to then make decisions on incorporating trains.
Bonus tip: pull your color palette from a favorite rug for a cohesive look. Paint is usually one of the last decisions you want to make for a room. Rugs are harder to come by and finding one that is within your budget is also easier said than done.
If your color scheme is bold rather than neutral, you know what direction to take the other elements and accessories in your room. Let’s also not forget that this room is designed for a baby now, but it won’t stay a baby’s room forever.
As I stated before, it is much easier to swap out accessories rather than large choices like furniture.
Of course, you can paint over your train mural down the road or remove wall paper, but do you want to deal with the hassle? In most cases, you are likely saying “no.” So choose colors that you love and that will serve your child well as they grow up.
Take Inspiration From Others
If you are unsure of where to start (after taking your measurements of course) you should look to other nursery designs for some inspiration. Not only will this help you learn what you like, but maybe even serve as a jumping off point.
If you find a room that you really love, you can take that photo and recreate it in your own home! The beauty of design is that you can make it your own.
Here are some nursery photos I gathered on Pinterest as I began to narrow down what I wanted.
Now to be totally transparent there are more tips that you can add to my list. Designers and decorators will all have opinions on the subject, but if I can make any final suggestions it would be to plan ahead and do not rush the process.
Your nursery does not need to be instagram worthy before baby arrives.
Kudos to you if you are able to get ready with time to spare! I just think realistically, many of us are juggling other things and sometimes this is not our first kid! If you already have kids then you certainly have to balance this entire process.
Don’t feel guilty for not having your nursery totally complete prior to the big day. Also, try to rid yourself of any guilt you may feel at first when you are a little less focused on your other child or children. Being a mom is so rewarding, but you are only one person. It will be hectic with a newborn, but embrace the chaos as much as you can and don’t feel like your nursery needs to be “perfect.”
I want to hear from you, what is your favorite way to sweeten up a nursery?
If you want you and your nursery featured on Kinsale Home, let’s connect!
From the time I was a young child, I have loved interior design and beautiful things. Ten-year-old me would create “floor plans” on notebook paper and design the dream homes of my siblings. We would have an initial meeting and after jotting down their wish list, I got to work creating the home of their dreams.
After designing the layout, I would take the Sunday newspaper ads (are those still a thing?) and cut out pictures of furniture, lamps, and accessories to create mood boards for each room in the home. When I was all done, weeks and weeks later, I would showcase my work and pitch my design ideas to a sibling.
If you too enjoy beautiful things and the process of turning a vision into a reality, welcome! If you love watching homes transform, but just don’t know how to start or have the resources to buy everything you like, stick around. I love finding affordable and practical design solutions to give YOU a gorgeous home you can be proud of.
Together, let’s reveal what’s possible.
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