Provided by: Linda Cooper - www.thatsmyroom.com
For you expectant parents who do not want to know if your child is a girl or a boy, what do you do for a nursery design? Following are a few ideas that may help you.
What colors are ideal for a unisex nursery?
- Any shade of green from apple green, lime green to a soft sage green can work well in a unisex nursery. Currently there are many products using green backgrounds or have green as an accent within the piece in bedding or rugs. By locating a rug or bedding that you like, you have a starting point on which to base your nursery.
- Primaries can always be used and can work for either sex. Bright red, yellow, blue and green can never fail but use the primaries as accents only and use a neutral as your wall color.
- If a softer palette is preferred, pastels in a buttery yellow, mint green, peach and lavender could also be used.
What themes work well for both a boy and a girl?
Themes that can be used for either a boy or a girl are:
- Beach
- Celestial
- Frogs
- Noah's Ark
- Nursery Rhymes
- Rubber Duckies
- Teddy Bears
- Under the Sea
- Vintage Looks
- Winnie the Pooh
Use color and pattern to create a gender-neutral nursery and then add a few simple accessories to make the room gender-specific once the baby is born. For example, paint the walls a soft color, such as a sage green, and locate fabrics with small patterns in florals, checks, stripes and other geometrics that have the same green of your walls. Choose a rug that has color and shapes but does not lean toward either sex.
After the birth of the baby, a more gender-specific lamp, art plaques and other accessories can be added to finish out the room. The beauty of color and pattern is that the room can grow with the child without having to change finishes. Simply change out the crib to a bed; the room can change from a nursery to a bedroom for a toddler.
Some general principles/ideas when designing a nursery, regardless of the baby's gender are:
- Keep the room simple and not too cluttered.
- One of the most inexpensive ways to customize a piece of plain furniture, such as a nightstand or a chest, is by the use of drawer pulls. For a few dollars you can create furniture with personality. Drawer pulls also can be used for window treatments, to hold valances or as tiebacks.
- Don't forget the ceiling because your child will be looking up more than out. Paint the ceiling like the sky or at least a color.
- If using a border, put the border where the child can see it up close, put at wainscot height rather than up at the ceiling.
- The most important thing to remember is to make the nursery comfortable and safe.
Some specific products I would recommend are:
One of the most interesting products I have seen is the Cloud Wash Kit that is a do-it-yourself kit and creates clouds with shapes of your choosing, such as bunnies, sailboats, spaceships, etc. This product can be used on walls or the ceiling, which is the most forgotten space in any room. This product allows you to have a custom look for a small price and some effort. The product can be seen on my website www.thatsmyroom.com under Nursery Looks.
Also would recommend the use of the new wall murals that give a room such a unique look and can take the place of artwork. One example is a vintage Toy Block Mural that could work for either a boy or a girl. Can also be seen under Wallpaper Borders and Murals.
About the Author:
www.thatsmyroom.com - Online resource for Children's Room Decor-Nurseries to Teens, over forty themes for girls and boys
Join my monthly newsletter for the latest trends and products.