Dream Home: Nursery

We went with (somewhat) neutral colors in our nursery and I was really, really glad we did when we heard Number Two would be arriving sooner than planned and would have to share a room with his big sister.

We also decided to paint the walls in a normal room color and have any decorations hang on the wall. My husband made some wooden cutouts that matched the bedding and we hung those on the wall. That way if we move or are in the house long enough for the kids to want to redecorate, we don’t have to deal with Mommy’s emotional attachment to the wall art before we do anything!

I love the Pretty in Pink, but the Serene room is my favorite. Frills are not my style

Honestly? It was fun doing the decorations for my daughter’s room until she decided SHE didn’t like what I’d chosen. So when our son came along, we barely touched his room, and good thing because he refused to sleep in it. He slept with us until he was 13 months old, and now shares a room with his older sister. For us the nursery was never anything more than a place to keep their clothes and change their diapers; we never spent any time in there playing. And what my idea was of a nursery was very different from the actual function of a child’s room.

Now my kids’ room has all personalized decorations; things with their names on them, because that’s what they like best. I have few toys in their room where they sleep, and a dedicated playroom to keep the fun stuff. That’s what works for our family, anyway. Maybe other moms used and loved their nurseries.

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I think if/when we have a baby, I’ll definitely want to create a space for baby. And naturally I’m drawn to the girly spaces above

We don’t have a nursery. There we go, I’ve confessed it.

The way we figure it: people did this in caves. It’s not a rocket launch, it’s having a baby, and it’s been done before with alot less than what we have. So we’ve been trying to keep that in mind and keep all the gear to a bare minimum. In fact, we really didn’t buy anything exc Evept the cloth diapers and a few carriers. Everything else was hand-me-downs or came from our baby shower. We figured on putting the baby in our room for however long before moving the kid to the spare room. Maybe by then the urge to decorate the spare room will have overtaken me, but in the meantime? I’m fine being one of those freak shows without a nursery.

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I don’t have any kids, but I really like the trend now to buy the bed that “grows” with the kid as it gets older… seems like a great way to go to me, so you don’t have to worry about getting a new bed every few years.

I guess I think most of the rooms above are more for the parents than the kid I’m probably too traditional, but I like kid themes, like Noah’s ark or teddy bears or bunny rabbits or Pooh. Makes it more like a kids room than a mini-adult room

Ok, this is a childless one chiming in! I prefer the Serene room because it requires the least amount of “redoing” if you want to sell your home or use the room for something else. Painting the baby’s name is cute but requires another paint job if you want to sell. Growing up, my sister and I had colorful rooms with Disney character decals (that were somehow easy to take off.)

But I get ahead of myself. In the home where I was born and spent my first 6 years, my room still had Dad’s BIG model airplanes suspended from the ceiling. So, to CPA, you can still have YOUR touches in the room!

Wow, AMAZING. I wish these were MY room!

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Along with picking names and celebrating holidays, the nursery is one of the things that makes me ALMOST want a baby. Almost.

I love the contemporary one. Even the husband would like it, since he’s always pushing brown as a decorating or clothing choice… and we both like the demask-style prints.

I think I like the idea of having a more “grown up” room, as opposed to the alphabet wallpaper I had when I was little. I would even decorate my own bedroom or library in that theme…

Ooohh, fun topic! I hope I will NOT be designing a nursery any time soon, but I already go crazy designing baby shower gifts, so God help me when it is time to design one!

I really like the one with the trees above, because it really plays with the space and dimensions. Personally, I think it’s a great idea to decorate the ceiling, especially above & around the crib. I know the baby can’t really focus on objects that far, but they can still see the shadows and such. And after all, this is what baby will spend a LOT of time looking at- BUT, it’s back-breaking work to do. Maybe buy some of those wallpaper things, and then just put them up on the ceiling?

This CPA dude sounds pretty sensible to me. But, what the heck – I’m a guy. I can see the need to make sure you have all the right stuff in there: crib, changing table, chair, etc. And I am OK with a mobile or two and some interesting photos for the little guy/gal, but there’s no need to drop a couple of thousand dollars on revamping the room. The baby will never know the difference because it will all be changed by the time he/she is old enough to understand.

I can’t WAIT to decorate a nursery. I love the more modern and serene images you posted above. I’m a self-proclaimed design freak, and an obsessive renovator/decorator, so as soon as I find out I’m pregnant, I’ll be scheming.

Ok, I’ll be honest, I’ve already done some scheming too. I have some colors I love, and even bedding sets I’ve drooled over.

I think creating a personalized space for the baby helps with mentally preparing for this new little thing to become a person. Bring on the paint chips, I say!

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I helped my next door neighbor with a grandchild project. It was a little girl and in pink, white, and black. It was quite stylish. I monogramed the bumper pad. It was a really pretty black/white print with a solid white center section. I did the baby’s initials in a very swirly pink (on white). The sections had pink ribbon separating them. She said she matched the pink to the color of the walls. There are so many beautiful choices out there that I just don’t know how you could choose.

My true interest lies in heirloom sewing and I really want to take a class. My machine will do the work. I just have to know how. Heirloom is the Christening gowns and pillows with lace insertion and lace shaping. Maybe now that your Dad is retired?????

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I would say some of these rooms are beautiful – but they are probaby more for adults and not so much for children.

I think children would appreciate brighter colours and I’ve read that babies can see colours at birth but they will often have trouble distinguishing similar tones and so therefore it’s easier for them to distinguish contrasting colours.

So I would hang obejcts in happy bright contrasting colours on the walls and in the ceiling to make them interesting for the baby.

It’s always fun to look.

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Usually the kids redesign it in time anyway. Good luck !!

I just discovered your blog through PW’s blog, and just wanted to say it is totally Fabulous!!

I can’t wait to start reading, but have a feeling that I can easily forget about my other life responsibilities and spend a few days straight reading all of the amazing posts…

Btw, congratulations on the engagement, the marriage & the baby on the way!! So happy for you.

P.S. I definitely like the Serene for the nurser =)

why don’t men get that we women want to work on the nursery before we even get that positive sign on the stick? my husband and i just moved into a new home and i’m ready to get started on the nursery and my husband doesn’t seem as excited as i am. my nursery style is “i can’t make up my mind” but i prefer the warm colors of serene.

Found you through Smitten Kitchen post. Love the blog already. My thoughts on nurseries are as follows:

~ My children will be raised to appreciate “ocher” and “melon” instead of just yellow and orange. Why not start from day one? You can easily get a room that screams “adorable baby” without using pink or blue, and without devaluing the room for those who come afterward.

~ I grew up with an oil painting of a dancer en pointe over my bed. It is a piece which I have come to treasure – something I’ll always adore. It has been with me through every sleepless night, every little girl daydream. I guarantee I would not have the same attachment to a Winne-the-Pooh print. Don’t water down the world for baby.

~ A nursery is a temporary habitat. I recommend decorating with things you pull from other places in your house (side tables, baskets, etc.) and pieces which will transition into grown up land easily. Old things can look completely new in a new room, with a new baby.

Those points said, I prefer Traditional (though pink and brown is SO overdone) and Elegant looks listed above. I think the nursery should be a very special place, but doesn’t have to be an overhaul. And remember to be sweet and have two chairs… one for Dad.
Those points made.

Hi there,
I was in Target today and they had the CUTEST wall appliques for decorating a nursery. And the best part is they are not permanent, so as the baby grows, they can be removed and replaced with new ones.

I found them online again by going to target.com and doing a search for “wall applique.”

They even had one that has the pictures and words from the book “Guess How Much I Love You.”
-Heather

It is always nice to find a bit of additional expertise when renovating (or thinking about it). If you are looking for a few really good tips, I suggest looking at Masterrenovator.com, the site is full of great info on things that can help a lot.