by: London Hampshire
Unique and Gender Neutral Nursery Designs
I come from a large family – one with 19 cousins and 14 aunts and uncles. The weddings have started, our family is growing rapidly, and, for the first time in our generation, a baby bump has started growing! Her baby shower is this weekend and they have chosen not to find out the gender of their little bundle until he or she arrives. As a result, we are going to talk about designing gender neutral nurseries today! This subject can be tricky to master and still accomplish a well designed, cute, and soothing space for your newborn. We can never really be prepared for the addition of those tiny fingers and toes, but hopefully this will help the transition.
Bringing Nature Indoors
Organic shapes and a mix of colors are featured in the design above. When designing a nursery, it is common for parents-to-be to choose pink hues for a girl and blue hues for a boy. Not knowing the gender typically means parents will choose green and yellow hues for their nursery. Designs like this one stray from what is considered tradition and provide a stimulating environment as the child grows and learns to recognize colors. The wide variety of color in this palette allow a little more freedom in picking out bedding, area rugs, etc. because they don’t have to match perfectly. The organic shapes in the wall mural, the rug, and the mobile provide a soothing sensation for the child, which will help with sleep patterns. If you feel like you don’t have the artistic touch to carry out painting a wall mural, stencils or stick-able wall decals can be used to carry out the same feeling.
Color Choices
Tans, whites and creams can create a soothing, calm environment for your child and are always considered gender neutral. But be careful of going overboard with the neutral tones. Having too little color in the nursery will mean less stimulation during your newborn’s “play time”, primarily because the lack of bright color means less excitement for their developing minds. The pops of bright blue and the colorful mobile in the space above help ensure eyes are wide open when play time arrives.
According to HGTV designer Dan Vickery, initially “newborns can only see black, white and gray. As their sight develops, the first color they recognize is red; however, avoid red in a nursery because it can create confusion to a newborn when it’s the only color they see. Softer tones, like blues, greens and pinks, begin to develop at the same rate so they’re more pleasing to a newborn’s eye”. The space above is great for transitioning into the first couple years as well. As the child grows, they will begin to recognize the shapes and colors as actual objects with names, and can help them learn at a faster rate.
All Natural
This tropical-themed space is fun and cute a provides a lot of interesting color for the little one. “Paneled walls are whitewashed to lighten the space while maintaining the rich character of the wood. Tropical wall art and dark wood furnishings complete the look. With the addition of colorful knobs and a polka dot changing pad, a buffet is transformed into a changing table. Sheer drapes and a shell curtain add a casual beachy vibe.” This look can be executed easily on a budget because the feel of the space comes primarily from what was already there. Use the features in the architecture to help design your space.
Think Outside the Box
This space fosters a sense of adventure for the little one with wild animals and maps of the world. The chalkboard walls allow parents to leave sweet messages to their newborn now and an area for imagination and creativity when their child can start to draw and create. “The nursery’s pale yellow crib adds to the room’s mid-century modern vibe and really pops against the non-traditional black chalkboard walls. To maximize storage space in this 12′ x 11′ nursery, parents Jeff and Torey had custom floor-to-ceiling built-ins constructed that resemble their bungalow’s existing architecture. The bookshelf on the left is topped by a genius hidden feature: a tray-style top that can be slid out for use as a changing table now and will function later as a desk for son Wesley.”
If you’re planning for a little one (or maybe two) to arrive, come to Sacksteder’s Interiors for ideas, tips, and inspiration. We can help the nesting process so your precious bundle will have a unique space of their very own. Call us in New Trenton at (812) 637-1422 or in Obryonville at (513) 791-5022.
