Dawn Matthews | June 04, 2024
Nursery Styling Ideas
10 Minute Read
Bringing your baby home for the first time is an occasion that you’ll never forget, and while it should be a happy time for your family, a new baby is also a big change, so a planned, well thought out nursery is key. Your nursery should be a calm, soothing space for you and your little one, with everything easily accessible to you, as well as looking great when visitors come to meet the new arrival. Let’s take a look at some of the ways to decorate and style your nursery.
Choose a Nursery Theme
Whether you’re excited to use loads of pink or blue, or you prefer a gender-neutral nursery, having a theme can help you to choose furniture, storage, and decorative pieces, so the space feels coordinated. Popular themes for nurseries include:
🦁 Animals, taking inspirations from safari, woodland, farmyard, or even dinosaurs
🏝 Natural spaces, such as the beach, forests, mountains, space, jungles, or meadows
🔤 Using the alphabet for décor
🚒 Modes of transport, such as trains, cars, buses, boats
🏰 Man-made buildings, such as castles or forts (perfect for little princesses and princes!)
Of course, there are so many other ideas to choose from, and you can choose how far into the theme you go. For example, if you choose a nautical theme, you could go all out with traditional red, white, and blue stripes, sailing motifs, and so on, or you could be much more subtle, with paler colours and accessories made from materials often used in the marine industry, which might suit better if the room is to be repurposed when baby moves to their big bedroom.
Pick Essential Nursery Furniture
You’ll already have the essential furniture pieces for a nursery in mind – you’ll want a crib, a changing table, a dresser, and a comfortable chair. A few things to consider:
✔ When choosing a crib or cot, make sure you prioritise safety and sturdiness, and that it meets current safety recommendations. You might want to consider a crib that has adjustable mattress heights, or a convertible cot that can transition to a toddler bed, so that you can make use of it for longer.
✔ Your changing table should have safety rails on each side, and have a secure, padded changing mat. If space is at a premium in your nursery, choose one with storage. It might be that your dresser can double as a changing table, but ensure it can be done so safely.
✔ For your nursery chair, make sure you are super comfortable – feeding and soothing sessions can go on longer than you think! A rocking chair can be a good choice, so are washable fabrics. A matching ottoman can provide extra comfort and support, as well as additional storage.
In addition to choosing furniture, you might also need accessories for these pieces. Items such as bedding for the cot, drawer inserts to help with organisation, and a changing table topper might be on your list, as well as cushions and a washable throw or two for your chair.
Nursery Storage Solutions
Newborn babies require a LOT of things – and they have to be easily accessible. Changing the little one is made much easier when there are nappies, cream, and fresh clothes on hand. So, when you’re planning your changing area, consider how shelving can play a part in your setup. Our range of rustic shelves are available in eight wax finishes, meaning that you can perfectly coordinate your shelving with the furniture you’ve chosen. (Not sure which colour to go for? Order our colour sample pack to get the best look)
Once your shelving is sorted, baskets are next. Depending on what you’re storing in them, you might choose between metal baskets or storage racks, or baskets made from natural materials like seagrass. Metal baskets are easily cleaned, and can add a little toughness to a traditionally softer space, while baskets made from natural materials are eco-friendly as well as offering a gorgeous aesthetic.
Not only do you need baskets for storage, but with a new baby comes a huge amount of laundry. A gorgeous natural basket with handles makes it easy to transport loads from the changing table to the washing machine – and back again!
Another addition you might want to consider is having coat hooks in your nursery – not necessarily for coats, but for dressing gowns and for additional storage space. When night time feeds take longer than you think, or baby won’t settle as usual, having a cosy dressing gown to hand means both you and baby can be more comfortable. Hooks are also a great place to add an extra storage basket, and can give you a place to get the laundry out of the way, or store extra supplies. Our hanging storage baskets are available in two sizes.
When baby arrives, all your storage plans could go out of the window as you and baby get used to each other. Having flexible storage such as shelves with baskets means that you can move things around as you need to, and when they need to be cleaned, you can do so quickly and easily.
Decorative Elements For Your Nursery
You’ve chosen your theme, painted the walls, and you’ve picked out furniture and storage. Now is the time to personalise the space even further.
Getting the lighting right is essential to help baby sleep. Blackout curtains are a good addition, and so is dimmable lighting – either adding a dimmer switch to ceiling lights, or smart bulbs. With dimmable bulbs, you don’t have to compromise on style, and a gorgeous natural ceiling pendant looks fabulous with many different themes. Our seagrass pendant, and our bamboo pendant are perfect in rooms with high ceilings, while our rattan pendant has a smaller profile, and looks great anywhere.
Once your curtains and lighting is done, look to the little extras. A cosy rug makes tummy time more comfortable, and art or photographs for the walls give you and baby something to look at as they become more aware of their surroundings. A gallery wall with photos of your loved ones means you can show them and talk to them about who is in the pictures – which is even more important if those loved ones are far away, or are no longer with us.
Planning Ahead
Babies don’t stay tiny forever, and as they grow, their nursery might become their childhood bedroom, or you might move them to a different room, and repurpose the space. With that in mind, you might decide to choose furniture that is multi-purpose (such as a chest of drawers that can move when the baby goes to their childhood room) or plan a décor style that can be easily changed to an office for when you go back to work.
If you’re decorating your nursery in neutral tones, then use accessories to allow your theme to shine. Framed prints, soft furnishings such as cushions, curtains, and rugs, and ornaments allows the space to look the part, while making it easy to change the space when you’re ready to repurpose it.
Safety Considerations For Baby
There are way more things you’ll need to do to keep your baby safe in their nursery than we can cover in this post, and of course, your property may have unique challenges, so make sure you research the best solutions for you. A few of the things you’ll need to do include:
👣 Ensure the crib meets safety standards, with a mattress that fits without gaps
👣 Use furniture and décor that is free from non-toxic materials and chemicals
👣 Secure furniture to avoid tipping hazards
👣 Cover electrical sockets and keep electrical cords (such as from your baby monitor) well out of reach
👣 Maintain good airflow
👣 Keep windows safe with guards to prevent falls, and ensure cords from blinds or curtains are out of reach
👣 Install, or test smoke and carbon monoxide detectors, replacing batteries as required
Again, this isn’t a comprehensive list, so make sure you check the nursery with a critical eye, to ensure the safety of you and your family.
Our Final Thoughts
Making the most of the precious newborn phase with your baby is easier when you’ve planned for it, and so getting the nursery arranged and styled sooner than later is an essential step. With our suggestions, you’ll have some inspiration to get you started, and so you can plan your nursery and decorate. Don’t forget, if your space isn’t a conventional size, since all of our wooden shelving and furniture is built to order, if you need a bespoke size, we can provide that for you. Simply contact us, or place your order with the nearest size, and tell us in the order notes the dimensions that you need. And of course, when you’re showcasing your nursery on Instagram, make sure you tag us @bensimpsonfurniture.
We hope all goes well with your new baby, and from all of us at Ben Simpson Furniture, we wish you and your family – and your new arrival – all the health and happiness in the world!
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