When prepping for the arrival of the newest family member, there are so many exciting ways to decorate your nursery. While there are items you typically think of for a nursery, like cribs and rocking chairs, there are also more niche necessities that you’ll want to prepare before your little one arrives. Thankfully, we’ve put together a guide on everything you need for your new baby’s room!
What Home Decor Should Be Included in a Baby’s Nursery?
You’ll want your baby’s room to feel homey and welcoming from the moment they come home from the hospital. From beautiful pastel cribs and crib sheets to custom throw pillows for you and your baby’s comfort, there’s plenty of decor to consider as you’re curating this comforting space.
Furniture for Your Child’s Room
First, let's talk about the furnishings for a modern nursery! When designing your baby's room, the number one furnishing that you must have is a crib. This is where your little one will spend most of their time sleeping. Having a comfortable crib is a necessity to ensure your baby (and you!) gets the deepest and healthiest nights of sleep.
Another furnishing we always recommend for a nursery is a rocking chair. Rocking chairs are not only a place for you to relax and recharge while being able to keep an eye on your little one, but they are also a fantastic method to lull your baby to sleep.
For the moments when you need to care for your baby’s changing or a small sponge bath, a changing table will be another essential for your baby’s room. A changing table is a great way to designate part of the room for changing and storing all changing-related items, like diapers, and it makes this task easier on you.
Beyond those basics, the options for whimsical furnishings are endless! You can make a portion of your nursery into a playroom for when your little one begins playing with toys. You can even add a loveseat and bookshelf to create a reading nook so that you and your little one can enjoy reading together and help your little one thrive.
Our Spice Market is here to help you find the perfect unique furnishings for your new baby’s room, while our Style Guides make it easy to plan a cohesive and chic space no matter your theme.
Essential Decor
While we’ve covered the essentials when it comes to furniture, there are nursery decor essentials that can add both style and function to your space.
For example, a throw blanket in a nursery is absolutely essential. Whether you or your baby get chilly or your baby needs to be swaddled for maximum comfort, there is any number of reasons why a throw blanket would come in handy in your nursery. Thankfully, Pepper Home’s throw blankets pair wonderfully with our custom pillows, wallpaper, and curtains, so that you can match your smaller and larger decor pieces with ease.
Another essential in the baby room decor is plants! While plants are an easy way to bring life into your decor, they are also nature’s air purifier. Houseplants can boost our moods, they will keep your baby’s room fresh and beautiful.
Rugs, Curtains, and Other Decor
Finally, items like rugs and curtains that match the color scheme of your nursery walls and any wall decor can be the finishing touch that ties this space together.
Rugs like the ones featured in our collaboration with Loom & Co. are used by interior designers to keep your room cozy while also adding more color into your space. Rugs are the perfect nursery design compromise for someone who loves hardwood flooring but wants the subtle comfort of fabric on the floor. You can choose a rug in any decor style, from minimalist black and white patterns to boho naturals.
Similarly, curtains are the perfect way to add color and pattern to your walls while also being able to curate the amount of natural light that enters your baby’s room. We recommend blackout curtains for rooms that are meant for sleeping; this will ensure a many nights of deep sleep for your little one.
Finally, throw pillows are an excellent way to spice up your thoughtfully purchased furniture with color and comfort.
Pepper Home’s custom throw pillows are sustainably made in the U.S., just like our custom curtains, and they ship to you within seven business days, meaning you can see your beautiful new room come to fruition in no time at all!
How Can You Decorate a Baby Room?
Decorating a beautiful baby room is all about having the perfect theme. Having a theme can help ensure the decorating process flows smoothly, so you’re not simply choosing pieces at random.
You can decorate your baby’s room under any number of themes, such as something fun and child friendly like a jungle theme or something more simple like a modern and natural theme that aligns with the rest of your home.
Nursery Ideas and Inspiration
We love recommending a nature-themed nursery room. There are so many fun prints and patterns that evoke the spirit of the outdoors.
One of our favorite decorating ideas is to make an accent wall with jungle-themed wallpaper. This is also a fantastic excuse to bring more plants into your nursery room to create an indoor space that feels like the great outdoors. Safari-inspired stuffed animals like giraffes and elephants can add to the overall theme as well.
Another of our decorating ideas is to come up with a room that is full of neutrals. A minimal nursery with simple white walls is all the rage right now, and using natural materials only adds to the iconic style. We recommend furnishings made out of natural materials, like a sustainable jute rug, as well as tones such as whites, tans, and browns.
Finally, we also love a nursery with a pastel theme. These bright and light colors promote positivity and help a nursery feel comfortable and relaxed. Pastels are commonly found in baby furnishings and items like clothing, making this an easy theme to follow.
Curtains
Curtains are a feature piece in any room, so that’s no exception when it comes to your baby’s room! Finding the right design ideas for your custom curtains is a key part of bringing your nursery together.
We recommend custom curtains so that you can ensure they match the other elements in your nursery. Our curtains are customizable and we also have great recommendations for other fabrics and wallpapers that look great with each curtain still. If you’re eyeing a few different styles and want to try them out in real life, you can always order a swatch to test out at home!
Our curtains have a variety of construction options including tailored pleat, grommet, pinch pleat, rod pocket, ring top so that you can customize your curtains down to every detail. Our curtain calculator and measurement and installment guide are also here to help you make choices from trim options like tassels and rick rack to curtain length.
Wallpaper
Wallpaper is a great way to add design to your walls without the hassle of painting. Once you find the right design idea for your wallpaper, you’ll be ready to check out our paint guide for other colors that match perfectly with our different wallpapers. The cool hues of some of our wallpapers and the warm tone of others are great starting points for figuring out what theme you want your nursery to follow.
Our wallpaper calculator is here to help you plan the perfect amount of wallpaper to purchase so that you can easily and seamlessly install your custom wallpaper once it arrives.
Decorative Accent Pieces
Accent pieces are the best way to tie the design of a room together. Adding pieces like custom throw pillows or throw blankets that match larger elements of the room is a fantastic way to bring the flow of the room together and make a space feel complete.
What Are Some Common Nursery Theme Ideas To Get You Started?
Baby Girl Nursery
When you think of a nursery for a baby girl, many think of the classic color pink that is associated with this gender. However, we like to take a spin on this trope with warm red hues rather than outright pink. For example, a luscious mauve fabric or a dark maroon fabric are great accents for a room for a baby girl.
Baby Boy Nursery
Similarly, a baby boy nursery can retain some of the classic styles of being related to blue without having to have every design element incorporate light blue. Cool tones, like blues, purples, and even greens can play a fabulous role in a baby boy nursery. We love to add a splash of yellow to brighten up and contrast with the cool hues.
Gender Neutral Nursery
Many people recently have begun opting for gender neutral nurseries. This is a great option for a few different reasons. For example, if you plan to have multiple children cycle through this nursery, you don’t have to worry about redecorating each child.
Also, some parents prefer to wait until birth to find out what gender their child is. Having a gender neutral nursery means you can prepare ahead of the baby’s birth without having to have a gender-related theme.
One of our favorite ways to decorate a gender neutral nursery is with neutral tones. Tans, whites, and light browns come together to create a minimal yet beautiful nursery. These hues help to brighten a room as well as relax the eye.
Preparing for Your Bundle of Joy
Getting a nursery ready for the arrival of a new family member is always so exciting. Not only do you get to exercise your sense of design, but you’re also reminded of the arrival of your eagerly awaited bundle of joy. With this guide, you can feel prepared when it comes to what furnishings you will need and what kinds of themes you can implement in this space!
Sources:
How To Rock A Baby To Sleep Safely And Easily | Fatherly
Why Reading Aloud to Kids Helps Them Thrive | PBS KIDS for Parents
Why Indoor Plants Make You Feel Better | NBC News
What Is Jute? Uses and Impact of This Sustainable Fabric | Tree Hugger