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Design Dilemma: Chic Nurseries

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People who are setting up nurseries often resort to the tried-and-true pink or blue room decorated with teddy bear wall decals. But if you’re planning on having a more stylish baby, you might stretch your imagination and consider a nursery with a bit more character.  Babies are babies, but there’s no reason why a baby can’t grow up up in a sophisticated setting.

For example, have a “glam” baby? Well, here’s a “glam” nursery:

Or maybe your baby is into drama? What about a nursery with navy blue walls?

As you can see above, there’s absolutely no reason why you have to take the traditional route when decorating your baby’s room. You can instantly supply more verve to a nursery just by focusing on three key areas: walls, lighting and art/accessories.

1) Investigate interesting wall paper patterns and treatments. Vibrant accent walls, graphic wallpaper, or an interesting wall mural can instantly transport a blah nursery into Architectural Digest realm.

Above the nursery comes off as stylish, vibrant and playful, although it is clearly not the traditional baby’s room. The colorful rug and modern pendant also add a splash of fun. This style can carry your child well past infancy into childhood.

Here’s a nursery with a quiet, contemporary, “Scandi” feel, courtesy of the black-and-white birch tree wall paper. The contemporary rocker is another cool feature:

And here’s a nursery with a whimsical painted mural that feels dreamy and fun.

This wall mural gets three-dimensional by virtue of a clever wall-hanging:

2) Lighting.

Merry-Go-Round bedside tables are passe. But what about an overhead pendant light?  For instance:

Or even a delicate crystal chandelier for the traditional baby:

Or this, for a modern soul:

In addition to a dramatic pendant, you’ll need a reading lamp over a rocking chair for bedtime stories, as well as a very soft table lamp or nightlight for those times when you want just enough light to check on the baby, but nothing so bright as to disturb a baby’s nap.

3. Art/Accessories.
Every chic nursery needs fantastic wall art as well as a few well-placed stuff toys. In the room below, not only do we love the pendant lamp, but the charming stuffed elephant which provides a wonderfully magical focus.

There’s a tendency for new parents to purchase generic prints and posters for nurseries, but catchy, original art and prints can make much more of an impact, and serve as a collector’s item as your child grows up. For instance, the prints below were thoughtfully chosen, and help carry the room, thanks to their color and originality:

The nursery below make a clever parody of the wall antler trend of a few years back:

In the room below, a faux Zebra-striped rug adds focus and panache:

And this elegant nursery wouldn’t be the same without the storybook giraffe in the corner.

You see, there’s no need to settle for cliches when decorating your baby’s nursery. Your baby’s room can be as chic as the rest of your home!