The Ultimate 14-Step Guide to Designing a Nursery
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Designing your baby’s nursery is such an exciting experience as you prepare for your little one’s arrival. I remember being so excited to design my son Bryson’s nursery. There were many nights I would go into his empty room, and just sit and visualize how I wanted his room to look.
Not going to lie, the process of designing a nursery can be totally overwhelming. There are so many design styles, nursery themes, and color schemes that you can choose from. Deciding on nursery furniture and decor accents is not an easy task either because there are just far too many options.
Well, mamas and future mamas, you are in luck because in this post you will get a comprehensive guide that will show you how to design a nursery in fourteen steps.
1. Create a Floor Plan
When designing a nursery, the first step is to create a floor plan to determine the placement of both large and small furniture pieces. I recommend planning where your larger pieces of furniture will go first, and then work on your smaller pieces.
You can even sketch out a floor plan of the nursery, where you draw where each piece of furniture will go, measure the area, and write down the measurements of the size furniture that will logically fit in each area.
Here is a list of furniture you will need:
- Crib
- A standard crib in the United States is typically 28 inches wide by 3/8 inches long.
- Changing Dresser
- Purchase a dresser for changing instead of a changing table, a dresser you can use when your child gets older.
- Accent Chair
- A glider, swivel, or rocking chair is best for nursing and getting your baby to fall asleep.
- Accent Table or Small Piece of Furniture
- Usually placed next to a rocker to rest essential items such as a bottle, breast pump, cell phone, etc.
- Furniture for Storage
- Apart from a dresser for baby essentials, you may need a piece of furniture to store baby toys, books, and other baby items.
2. Choose a Color Scheme
When picking out a color scheme, determine how you want the room to feel. Do you want the room to feel bright and airy? Neutral and calm? Energetic and stimulating?
When determining a color scheme for your nursery design, you can use the 60-30-10 rule, a design principle used by designers that helps you choose a color scheme. The rule says, to use three colors in a room, 60% of the room being the main color (wall paint, main furniture pieces, etc.), 30% being the secondary color (window treatments, accent furniture), and 10% being the accent color (throws and accents).
In the nursery photo above, the primary color is pink, followed by white as the secondary color, and tan as the accent color. Pink dominates 60% of the room, which is displayed on the walls, blanket, stuffed animals and artwork. White makes up 30% of the space, appearing on the crib, artwork, and curtains. Tan accounts for 10% of the room, highlighted in the wall decor, storage basket, and seen in the rug.
With Canva’s color scheme generator, you can easily create a color palette by simply uploading a photo of an image you like. The generator will create a matching color scheme for you. All you have to do is drag a photo of an image color scheme you like, and the color scheme generator will create a color scheme for you. You can find a link to the color scheme generator here. Additionally, Canva allows you to design a custom color palette using their color wheel.
3. Select a Design Style
Now that you have a color scheme, it is time to determine your design style. Furniture and decor come in many design styles. Design style is the aesthetic and creative choices that are made for a specific interior room, including materials, colors, and overall feel. You incorporate this design style into a room with furniture, table-top decor, textures, wall decor, and more.
Some popular design styles include:
- Modern: characterized by clean lines, minimalism, and functionality. It often features neutral color palettes, open spaces, and an emphasis on simplicity and practicality.
- Organic Modern: modern design that includes natural and earthy touches. It emphasizes the use of organic materials like wood, stone, and leather, combined with clean lines and functional furniture.
- Traditional: this style embraces timeless elegance, featuring classic furnishings, rich wood tones, and elegant detailing.
- Vintage: refers to a design aesthetic that incorporates elements from the past, typically from the mid-20th century or earlier.
- Bohemian: is an eclectic and care free expression that incorporates materials like wood, rattan, and woven fabrics.
- Minimalist: design style that emphasizes simplicity, functionality, and only uses essential elements to create a space that feels open and uncluttered.
- Scandinavian: is known for its clean lines, functionality, and features light and neutral color palettes—such as whites, grays, and soft pastels.
- Contemporary: is characterized by clean lines, open spaces, and a mix of modern materials like metal, glass, and wood.
- Coastal: inspired by the beach and ocean, aiming to create a relaxed, airy, and calming atmosphere. It features light, breezy colors like whites, soft blues, sandy neutrals, and sea foam greens,
- Modern Farmhouse: a blend of traditional farmhouse charm with sleek, contemporary elements. It combines rustic, vintage-inspired details with modern finishes and clean lines, creating a balance between warmth and simplicity.
Your design style is a matter of preference. If you are an earthy person, the organic modern or Bohemian design styles may be right for you. Having a design style in the planning process of designing a nursery, makes planning much easier because you can look up items and furniture in your design style for your baby’s nursery. If you don’t know your design style, I recommend taking an interior design quiz online. Havenly has an interior design style quiz that helps you discover your personal design style.
4. Choosing a Theme
There are so many themes to choose from when designing a nursery. Nursery themes add character and charm, while also helping to set the mood and feel of the room.
When choosing a theme and design style, think of the following:
- Your color scheme you chose for your baby’s nursery
- The way you want the room to feel
I knew I wanted to incorporate the colors white, green, beige, and natural oak into our baby’s nursery. My goal was to have the room feel modern, neutral, and earthy. So, I decided the woodland theme was the right theme for our little Bryson. Take a look at my son’s nursery here.
Here is a helpful free PDF I created called 90 Nursery Theme Ideas that you can use to help you select a design style and theme for your baby’s nursery.
5. Create a Pinterest Board or Visual Board for Nursery Planning
If you do not have Pinterest, a Pinterest board is a collection of pins that you can organize into a virtual scrapbooks based on themes and interest. For example, if you want to create a bright rainbow themed modern nursery, you can gather images of nurseries, items, and furniture that all have those qualities.
If you are not a Pinterest user, you can create a collage of photos that match the aesthetic and vibe of the nursery you are looking to create. You can print these visuals off the internet or get magazines cut and glue these images to a large piece of oak tag. This could actually be a fun Friday night activity.
By creating a Pinterest or visual board based on your color scheme, design style, and theme, you can begin to visualize how the room will come together. This allows you to see if your ideas will flow well and create a cohesive look.
6. Set a Nursery Budget
How much do you want to spend on your nursery? Can you put some nursery furniture and items on your registry to help with your budget? I did not create a budget before I designed my nursery, and I wish I did. Nursery furniture can be costly, and you want to make sure you’re buying furniture that is in your budget.
The furniture will likely be the most significant expense in your nursery design, including key pieces such as the crib, rocker, changing dresser, and carpet. Definitely take that into consideration when planning your child’s nursery. You can find many pieces of furniture and decorative accents at reasonable prices. If you need to budget for your nursery, determine how much you want to spend, and keep track of your spending during the nursery design process.
7. Choosing Nursery Room Paint Colors
Researching paint colors on Google and Pinterest is an excellent way to discover the most popular shades within the color palette you’ve chosen for your color scheme. If you don’t do the research ahead of time, you will probably go to your local improvement store lost, and end up with 15 paint color samples. I’ve done this before, and it’s absolutely not fun!
For my son’s nursery walls, I selected the paint colors green and white. I researched the top white colors and earthy greens on Google and Pinterest. Additionally, I made a list of three white paint colors and three green paint colors I wanted to sample. I picked up the paint samples and painted them on the nursery walls to determine which white and green color to select. I went with alabaster (warm white) and basil (an earthy green) by Sherwin Williams. My husband and I, painted all the walls in alabaster and the board and batten in basil.
8. Determine if you want an Accent Wall
Do you want to add an accent wall to your nursery? Accent walls are usually one specific wall in a room that differs from the other walls in the room. Accent walls draw your attention to one specific area of the room and add visual interest to a room. An accent wall can be as simple as just changing the color of one wall in the room and painting the rest in a neutral color.
Examples of accent walls:
- Different color accent wall: painting the focal point wall in a different color compared to the other walls.
- Shiplap: horizontal boards that slightly overlap and tightly seal.
- Like you see in this post by Making Joy and Pretty Things called “How to Plank a Wall for $30 DIY Shiplap.”
- Board and batten: wide vertical boards alternating with narrow strips of wood, which are called the battens.
- Wall decals: very thin sheets of vinyl with one printed side and one adhesive side.
- Like this woodland decal
- Panel Molding: thin strips of trim or molding that looks like picture frames on the wall next to each other that creates a paneled look.
- An example of panel molding is in this post called, “Wall Molding in the Nursery” by the Wood Grain Cottage.
- Wallpaper: paper that is put on a wall or walls in vertical strips to provide a decorative or textured surface.
- Here is an example of woodland wallpaper that you can use to cover an entire accent wall
A nursery accent wall is obviously more work and a little more time-consuming compared to painting all the walls one color. However, adding an accent wall really does make a room look more designed, and it adds a focal point in the room when designing a nursery. If an accent wall is in your budget, and you want to tackle a DIY project or hire someone, by all means go for it.
9. Researching Nursery Furniture
Researching nursery furniture can be so overwhelming. To narrow down your furniture search, you want to choose nursery furniture in your design style. If you haven’t selected a design style, it may be very difficult to decide on furniture because there are so many options.
Tips for Searching for Nursery Furniture:
- Tip 1: Have a list of what furniture you will need for your nursery.
- Tip 2: Figure out what color you want each piece of furniture to be. Think of the colors you decided on for your color scheme.
- Tip 3: Get creative! Refrain from buying a nursery set.
- Tip 4: Have your measurements written down during your furniture research, so you can quickly see if the furniture will fit.
- Tip 5: Find stores that sell the design style of furniture you want for the nursery.
- Tip 6: Know your furniture budget before purchasing your furniture.
If you are going for a more modern look and you’re shopping on a budget, you may want to search Modern Nursery or Babyletto for furniture. Both websites have some affordable nursery furniture options. I bought my son’s dresser from Modern Nursery and we love it so far. We did have to build the dresser, which is annoying, but we ended up loving the dresser.
If you are going for a modern look and do not mind spending more money on your furniture, then West Elm and Crate & Kids can be great options for you. You can find a variety of nursery furniture styles on websites such as Wayfair, Amazon, and Walmart.
10. Wall Decor and How to Plan it
Wall decor adds visual interest to a room, creates a focal point, and sets the tone and style in a room. I loved planning the wall decor for my son’s room. It’s so fun getting creative and choosing wall decor that matches the aesthetic you are looking to create.
Planning Your Wall Decor
When planning your wall decor, you can follow the following steps:
- Arrange your furniture first, because wall decor is typically positioned based on the placement of your furniture.
- When the furniture is in place, take a look at each wall, and visualize what type of wall decor will fit best on that wall.
- Measure the wall and see what size wall decor will fit best
- You can use post-its or sticky tape to map out the dimensions on the wall before purchasing.
I have made the mistake of buying a mirror that was far too big for a room before. When I put the mirror on the wall, I immediately regretted not researching proportions and how to measure a specific wall for wall decor.
In this blog post called, “Hanging Wall Art-The Complete Guide,” by Ballard Designs, the writer discusses ways to hang wall decor. It’s a great reference to help you determine how to hang your wall decor if that is something you struggle with.
Different types of Wall Decor
- Wall art
- Mirrors
- Shelving
- Baby name sign
- Murals and wallpaper
- Wall hooks
- Chalkboards
- Beautiful quotes
- Decorative wall decor objects
11. Decorative Accents are a Must When Designing a Nursery
Decorative accents tie the room together and give the nursery some character. I incorporated both woodland themed accents in my decor and more modern decor items. When designing a nursery, it’s best practice to use your design style to help you select accent pieces.
List of Accent Decor for a Nursery
- Crib sheets
- Black out curtains
- Lighting: ceiling fixture, lamps, and night lights
- Decorative changing basket or pad
- Books as decor
- Decorative laundry basket
- Toys as decor
- Mobile
- Throw pillows
- Plants in decorative pots
- Decorative bins for storage
- Stuffed animals
- Blankets
- Area rug
12. Personal Touches
Personal touches are items that truly make a space feel like it’s yours because the items hold special significance to you. These items are usually sentimental and evoke feelings of joy, love, and peace. You may have an item in your house you can already add to the nursery, or someone might have given you an item. One to two personal touches are perfect for a nursery. You do not have to go crazy adding sentimental decor!
Ideas for what Personal Touches to add
- A picture of you pregnant with your baby
- A framed photo of you pregnant with your baby
- An item a relative gave you
- Your favorite blanket or toy as a child
- Baby book that you keep updating
- Beautiful quote that is framed
- Artwork created by you, a friend, or a family member
- Baby books you loved as a child
13. Nursery Room Setup and Safety Check
I recommend not waiting the last month of your pregnancy to start designing a nursery for your babes. You will be super exhausted and tired the last month of your pregnancy.
Nevertheless, plan ahead because setting up a nursery will take time some time and effort. It will take weeks, if you’re painting, creating an accent wall, building furniture, etc. If you have a baby registry, and people start sending furniture to the house, you can start building the furniture as it comes.
Nursery Setup steps:
- Clean room
- Accent wall
- Paint
- Build furniture and put in place
- Hang wall decor
- Add personal touches
- Macro organize
- Micro organize
- Check to see if the room is safe
- Review to see if anything is missing or you need anything else
After you are done setting up the room, make sure to check the room for any safety issues. When your child is a newborn, they will obviously not be moving around a lot. They may also be sleeping in a bassinet in your room the first couple months.
However, you can still take these precautions before your baby arrives.
- Make sure the mattress fits the crib
- No items in the crib when the baby sleeps
- If you hang a mobile, make sure the baby cannot pull it down
- Securely anchor dressers or large furniture to the wall
- No sharp edges on furniture
- Remove any small chocking hazards
- Ensure smoke and carbon monoxide detectors nearby are working
- No cords or strings dangling near the crib
- Slats on the crib should be no more than 2 3/8 inches (6 cm) apart, so a child’s head cannot become trapped between them.
When your child is mobile, you will have to cover electrical outlets, get gates, and other items to make the room is more safe. If you want to read more about nursery safety, the blog post Creating a Safe Nursery: Organizing and Securing Furniture and Accessories by staysafe gives you tips on how to make each aspect of the nursery safer.
14. Time to Organize
Finally, now that your babies nursery is all setup, it is time to organize all the items you purchased and received from friends and family. You will want to organize your babies, clothes, burp clothes, socks, towels, shoes, linens, personal care, blankets, toys, and books.
Items you can purchase for organization in your baby’s nursery include decorative bins, a dresser, drawer dividers, draw organizers, cube furniture, toy storage furniture draw organizers, and behind the door hanging organizers.
Buying draw organizers and dividers for your babies dresser will truly help your brain. It helped mine!
Conclusion
I hope you enjoyed this fourteen-step process for designing a nursery! Have so much fun with this process! It’s such a fun and exciting time, mama! Don’t stress and take each nursery project day by day.
