Top Tips for Styling a Nursery that is both Calming and Functional

April 30th, 2024
DesignProduct

Planning a nursery for your new bundle of joy is an exciting time. Our blog this month is one we can definitely relate to, and it is very personal to Alle Interiors – as we are delighted to have just welcomed our first grandchild into the world. With interior design obviously our area of expertise, we were keen to get involved with the planning of the nursery design; and even more excited to see our new grandson in his nursery space for the first time. To help expectant parents awaiting their new arrival, we thought we would share our Top Tips for Styling a Nursery that is both calming and functional.

Getting ready for a new baby is a busy time with so much to research, plan and put into place that sometimes it can be a fight against time; especially if the new arrival comes earlier than expected! With so much to choose; from the colour scheme to the furniture, it can become very overwhelming and stressful and even more so, if it is your first baby. Therefore, we thought we would help with advice and styling tips to help you create a calming space to bond with your child – as well as ensuring the practical needs of changing, feeding, sleeping and storage are met. It is also essential that the space grows with your child so, you are not having to constantly re-design the room and keep purchasing new furniture.

Choosing Furniture

Cot bed – Babies grow rapidly and before you know it, you will have a curious toddler moving around and into everything. Therefore, when considering furniture, look at options that can be adapted as your child develops. Cot beds are great, as the sides can be changed in height and when your child is ready for their first toddler bed, the sides come off. This then gives them a little bed that is not as big a jump as moving to a standard single bed – which can be very scary for a small child!

Wardrobe & Chest of drawers – If you have the room, go for a standard size single wardrobe and chest of drawers to avoid buying more further down the line. This also helps when it comes to needing more storage and finding the range you originally bought is no longer available. The top of a chest of drawers can also be used for a changing facility, or you can buy cot top changers that fit snugly over the cot.

Nursery Chair – a cosy armchair or a rocking chair is an essential in a nursery, as you will spend many hours soothing or feeding your child. Try adding textures and blankets, to make it look and feel warm and cosy; especially when it is cooler in the middle of the night.

Choose Storage that grows with your child
Alongside the main nursery furniture, it is useful to incorporate other smaller storage options to help organise the space.

Storage Baskets – baskets are great for all the items that need to be accessible but kept tidy, including nappies, wipes, vests, and muslins. There are so many colourful or neutral designs out there depending on the style you prefer, and if you buy assorted sizes, these can then be used for toy storage as your child grows.

Book Storage – incorporate either a bookcase or shelves into the nursery design, as this will hopefully encourage your child to have a lifelong love of reading from an early stage.

What Colour Scheme to Choose?
This all comes down to personal preference, and of course if you know the gender before they are born. Neutral colour schemes tend to be popular for that reason, but also can then be used for the next baby. However, if you find neutral too bland, it can help to add pops of colour and bring texture in via accessories and furnishings.

Paint Colours – although paler colours are a great option to create a soothing space, alternatively, it is also your opportunity to have fun with bright colours. Grey and white are also popular colour schemes and work well alongside warmer shades for a pop of colour. Make sure you also consider how much natural light you get into the space when choosing a colour scheme.

Wallpaper – this can be by papering the whole nursery or by just wall-papering a feature wall. One of our favourite suppliers for wallpapers and matching fabrics is Harlequin presents Little Treasures, which is a playful collection of 33 wallpapers and 36 fabrics – https://harlequin.sandersondesigngroup.com/media/fqtbsml4/harlequin_2020_book_of_littletreasures_final.pdf

Murals – adding a mural can look fantastic, especially if you have a theme for the nursery and it creates a feature wall. Work out the basic design on a piece of paper and then scale it up for the walls, using good masking tape to create crisp lines. If you do not feel confident doing it yourself, there are artists who would be happy to help, or you can buy mural decals that you just stick onto the walls, and they usually peel off easily further down the line.

Patterns – why not try having fun with patterns, colours, and geometric patterns to create an exciting and interesting space?

Consider your Soft Furnishings
This is an important aspect of styling a nursery, as although they can add cosiness and warmth to a space, you need to make sure they are also practical when it comes to light filtering. A great supplier for fun fabrics, wallcoverings and accessories are Villa Nova, who have collaborated with three talented children’s picture book illustrators to recreate the joy of children’s books in their Picture book collection – https://www.villanova.co.uk/collections/prints/picturebook

Blinds/Shutters/Curtains – this comes down to personal preference and you may find you need a mix of both a black-out blind to help your baby sleep, and curtains to add texture and make it cosy. Alternatively, you could opt for shutters which not only look great, but help you control light, temperature, volume, and privacy and are safer as have no cords. If you opt for a black-out blind, always choose one with no cords or make sure the cords are fixed securely out of reach of your little one.

Accessories – this ranges from finishing touches like mirrors, curtain ties, coat hooks or plants through to the decorative accessories like cot mobiles, bunting, or a cosy rug on the floor.

Choosing the all-important Lighting
This is an important aspectto create the right atmosphere, but it can help to have a few different options in the nursery from a main light when you need it, through to a dimmable lamp by the nursery chair for when you are feeding or a night light and perhaps even add fairy lights to give a cute and cosy feel.

We hope our nursery styling tips have inspired you and if you would like Alle Interiors to help you with an upcoming new arrival’s room, please do get in touch. From redesigning a particular room in your house or helping with the overall style and feel of your home interior, we would love to advise. Also please check out www.alle-interiors.co.uk to view our products and collections and the services we offer.

Notes: –
Alle Interiors is a small creative team providing a one-stop-shop for all your interior design and soft furnishing requirements with customer service their utmost priority.

Image Credits: Jonathan Bond; Pau; Massy; Romain Ricard; Dan Duchars; Bellibambino; Harlequin sanderson design group; Romo Villa Nova; alle Interiors