Your family dynamics are changing with a new addition of a precious baby. Most expectant mums will get the ‘nesting’ desire and this is when your imagination can go wild on ‘how to set up the nursery?’ Here are some thoughtful suggestions that will help you get started.
The nursery needs to be well appointed and look great. In saying that, you really only need a fraction of the ‘baby furniture’ that you might think you need. The obvious are a baby’s cot, a comfortable nursing chair and storage. Yes, I know your saying ‘what about a change table and a rocking chair’ well these are also needed but not literally. Remember that a baby will grow up and if your child will be remaining in this room he or she will need to grow up with them.
Our jumping off point should be an item with a colour palette that’s fun and whimsical. A baby’s quilt for instance, fabrics are great for inspiration though don’t need to be nursery themed. Knowing the gender of your baby is always helpful but not necessary. Keeping the colour palette gender neutral doesn’t mean just greens or lemon tones. Remember you want the baby to be sleeping rather than being over-active, so steer away from bright and bold colours and go for fun yet calming colours.
North and East facing rooms will benefit from a cool colour palette of aqua and greens while a South facing room will enjoy warmer colours like soft burnt orange and earth tones. If you have high ceilings, why not use two colours. By placing a picture rail around the top of the walls you could continue the top colour onto your ceiling. A soft blue will work wonderfully with the soft burnt orange.
Let’s look at the furnishings… a rocking chair is not something you’ll use later on so look for something that is super comfy, with a wide seat and arm rests at just the right height. This could be a find at a second hand store or a hand me down. Remember that vintage furniture can be cheap, durable and you can make it personal by changing the colour. A simple make-over by reupholstering in fabrics that work well with your starting off piece is the way to go. The change table is essential so why not find a dresser/chest of drawers at a suitable height that a change mat can go on that still has plenty of room left on top to put the necessities that go with it. Here your piece of furniture is doing double duty, storage and a change table, and will last the distance.
Carpet is ideal for both comfort and sound proofing. Let your accessories bring in the ‘bright’ elements you’re wanting: a mobile over the cot, teddy’s and toys. For cheap and individual artwork why not source your favourite child story book from a book exchange and using matching frames, set the pages in to create a story book wall. Or make your own fabric flag bunting (that match your colour palette) to wrap across the room.
Now all we need is that special little wonder, your baby.
