Decorating the nursery from the ground up is always exciting – whether you’re moving an older child into their new bedroom, or you’re converting a previously empty room into the bedroom of your firstborn, it’s always a lovely task.
The best thing about a nursery is, you can go as lavish or as basic as you like, so you can plan the decorating to fit your budget. Babies have no expectations!
Decorating the Nursery from the Ground Up
Start with the skirting boards
If you’re ripped everything out, or you’ve started out with a bare room, the skirting boards are where you need to start. Take up the carpet (if you’re replacing it), and check the condition of the skirting boards. If they’re in good nick, then think about painting them to match the colour scheme you’re going for. Soft grey is very popular at moment, and totally unisex, or white is a timeless favourite.
If the skirting boards need replacing, why not go for something a bit different to the traditional rounded shape? Some slightly more angular skirting boards (like these from Skirtings R Us) would give the room a more modern feel.
Choosing a Carpet
Again, grey is a current unisex favourite of the interiors Instagrammers, but I’m a fan of more mushroom tones. When choosing a carpet, keep in mind that things might get spilled on carpets in this room (I’m hoping I don’t lower the tone when I point out all sorts of unappealing fluids squirt out of your baby when their nappy is off, so maybe a white carpet isn’t your friend!). If I were you, I’d go for something soft and hard-wearing, from experience I can tell you there will be a lot of barefoot pacing in the middle of the nice while you’re trying to get your baby back to sleep!
Walls
If you’re keeping the gender of your baby a surprise, go for something plain and simple, you can always modify it with decals once your baby is here. We have some Winner the Pooh paper up in our nursery which has been perfect for a baby’s bedroom and we’ll be keeping for the next one (if we have one).
Shelving
Shelves for soft toys and books can add a little personality to a room. Make sure they’re up securely, and just to be safe, don’t put them up near where you think baby will sleep. You don’t want the baby to try and reach anything from the shelf when they’re big enough to stand.
The finishing touches
Once the walls and the floor are complete, it’s time to add the final touches. Obviously you’ll be needing curtains, and if the room you’re decorating is small, you might like this guide for choosing the right curtains for small a small bedroom.
Don’t forget your lampshade! As babies spend a lot of time laying down, looking up, make sure they won’t be dazzles by the light. I think it’s best to choose an ‘uplight’ type shade, where the lighting straight down is blocked and instead diffused upward, towards the ceiling.
Furniture
Obviously a cot is at the top of your list, but what else goes in a nursery? I had a nursing chair and a chest of drawers that had a changing table top, and that’s all I needed! I don’t think you’ll need much more than that at first, because tiny clothes don’t take up much space. You definitely need somewhere to sit and somewhere to chance the baby, but you can get portable changing tables that sit on top of the cot if you really need to save space.
Phew! Decorating the nursery from the ground up can be quite a lot to deal with!
If you liked this article, you might enjoy this one on how to revamp your bathroom – whatever it’s size!
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