Designing The Perfect Nursery

Excited about planning your nursery? So are we! Here are some ideas and inspiration for colors, furniture and accessories that will be perfect in your new room.

Parents have countless decisions to make from the moment their child comes into the world. Some are difficult, others less so, but one of the most fun has to be deciding on how the room of your family’s latest addition is going to look. Your baby is going to spend the majority of her day in the nursery, so it is important to create a pleasant, protective environment that evokes calmness and security. The room also has to be pleasant for you, the parents, because you too will find yourself spending countless hours there.

Plan before you buy

Before you start painting or rush to buy that crib you saw in the store, take some time to plan out the room and take into account an important factor in designing children’s rooms: it’s all very temporary. Before you know it, your little baby will become a kid and then a teenager, with all sorts of wants and needs, and you will find yourself replacing furniture and redesigning the room. When planning a nursery, think carefully about each and every item you buy – will it grow with the child? Will you still need it a year or two from now? It’s a shame to spend a lot on items that will only be used for a few months.

Don’t forget about yourself

The nursery may be where your baby spends most of her day, but you will find yourself spending countless hours in there, as well – feedings, diaper changes, playtime, reading a book, or just sitting beside her bed at night because she’s afraid of the dark. So in addition to designing for your baby, you need to design with yourself in mind. Put in a comfy couch or chair to spend your hours on, and design it with furniture and colors that will make you feel good, too.

Picking out the right color scheme

Many parents tend to choose pastel colors for their nursery – light blue, lilac, soft green or any other one of the countless shades from our color fan. Well, we want to let you in on a secret – a baby boy doesn’t necessarily need a blue room, just like a baby girl doesn’t need to sleep in a pink room. In fact, it’s a better idea to paint the nursery in neutral colors such as a base grey with bursts of white and yellow, for example. This way you will create a modern nursery that isn’t too childish and will be good for both genders and nice enough for adults, too. If you’re still adamant about adding more color, we suggest painting one dominant wall and leaving the rest neutral, to create a balanced harmony. After the walls are painted you can add all sorts of patterns and decorations. Use wall stencils to make this task easier and get the perfect result.

In addition, when painting the nursery, don’t forget safety. It’s important to choose a safe paint – water based, eco-friendly, durable and easy to clean, without harmful compounds. Tambour Supercryl Matt+ is the perfect paint for nurseries: acrylic, durable, washable and with high coverage, and it comes in an amazing array of colors.

Let there be light

A well-lit room is a pleasant, warm room. When planning a nursery, you should choose a well ventilated room with plenty of sunlight. Other than natural light, you should also fit the room with lighting that will make you feel good throughout the day, along with pleasant nighttime lighting. Don’t forget curtains or shutters, because babies nap a lot throughout the day and need dim light for a peaceful slumber.

Choosing the right furniture

Most baby furniture today is modular and can grow with your baby – cribs that turn into beds, changing tables that can later be used as dressers, even nursing chairs that can be used as regular, stylish chairs. When picking out furniture, try to plan ahead and opt for modular items. You’ll save money in the long run, and your room will maintain its design scheme for several years. Make sure the furniture is made of safe, non-toxic materials. Babies and toddlers tend to learn by licking and gnawing on everything in sight, so it is important to keep their surrounding healthy and safe.

Another important furniture tip has to do with its positioning in the room. Don’t fill up the room with bulky furniture that will crowd it. Your baby may not move around a lot during her first few months, but around 6-9 months when she starts crawling, you’ll want her to have plenty of space to roam.

Last thing about furniture – try to buy wooden furniture that can be renewed using wood paint like Tambour Polyor: water-based, odorless, easy to apply and clean and quick to dry. If you want to redesign a piece of nursery furniture and don’t know where to start, visit our furniture painting guide.

It’s all in the details

The most fun part of designing a nursery is choosing the accessories and other knick-knacks. Tie in the room with some home-styling items such as knitted baskets, a mobile or stuffed animals, but keep in mind that many of them will no longer be relevant a year or two from today. And don’t forget the walls – pick out pictures, prints, large photographs, alphabet letters and even a dreamcatcher to evoke your child’s senses and give the room that total look.

Supercryl 0498P, 1521P, 1123T, 0058P
Supercryl 0954P
Geometric wall

All grown up? Time to spruce up the nursery and turn it into a big-kids’ room? Here are some tips and ideas for designing and painting children’s rooms.