A child’s nursery can serve many functions. It’s an important space where the baby sleeps but it can also be a place for many exciting milestones. From their first steps to their first words, a child’s nursery is a place for them to grow. This room is a space for you and your family to celebrate life together. Whether you do not know the gender of your child or you want to eschew traditional "boy colors" and "girl colors," there are many ways you can design a nursery in a gender-neutral way.
One easy way to make a gender-neutral nursery is to use neutral colors. Depending on your preference, you can use warm beiges or tans, or cool grays and whites with cool undertones. You can also continue this theme to create a monochromatic nursery. An advantage of using all neutral colors is that everything from the nightlight to the baby mobile can coordinate fairly easily.
For a natural aesthetic, select an earthy green as the accent color. Green evokes a sense of growth, which reinforces the idea this nursery is a place for your child to grow up healthy and strong. For this style, you can paint the walls or the crib green. To continue the theme, you can also have a couple of nursery-friendly plants. If you only want a bit of color in the room, go neutral and have a green fitted sheet in the crib or decorate with green baby blankets
An easy way to style a gender-neutral nursery is to have a beautiful but simple mural. Pick an art style that inspires you. You can choose to have an abstract painting with distinctive shapes and colors or a detailed natural landscape. Depending on which landscape you choose, you can use the mural to teach your child about the different animals that live there.
If painting isn't your bag, permanent and removable wallpaper murals abound these days.
For a natural, gender-neutral nursery, decorate with wood. This versatile material can be used as wall paneling, furniture, and decor. A wooden rocking chair is a quaint and comfortable place to breastfeed and soothe a fussy baby. You can complete the nursery set by having a crib and changing table made from the same type of tree. This furniture will stand up to the wear and tear of daily use from you and your baby, maybe even being eventually passed down through the generations.
Framed art can change the feel of your nursery quickly and easily. If you have many ideas of how you want to design the space, a gallery can be a good option to combine them all. Create a gallery wall by framing multiple photos, prints, or images that inspire you. These can be photos of family, inspirational quotes, and art that you like. Mix and match the size of the pictures and frames for an exciting gallery wall.
Using typography to decorate your nursery gives you almost endless options. You can have fun with it by having an inspirational or motivational quote on the wall: one about family, maybe, or your favorite line from a children's book; something to make you feel optimistic about your new journey in parenthood. Typography can also be used for educational purposes. You can help your child learn letters as they grow by having a wall decorated with a visually attractive alphabet.
Hoping to raise an adventurous, eco-conscious child? Why not choose an outdoorsy design? If you think you will miss being outdoors because you are spending more time indoors with your child, you can bring a bit of the outside world into your nursery. Paint the walls to look like a forest or a meadow. You may also choose to have some nursery-friendly plants to complete the look. Having an outdoorsy design can inspire your child to be a trailblazer as they grow and forge their own path in life.
Nurseries don't need to be exclusively white. Bright and bold pigments can make the nursery feel fun and youthful. Consider having a mobile hang above the crib for a splash of color. By decorating the nursery this way, you can easily teach your child about the different colors. Another option is to feature only a single bold color, against a neutral or otherwise subtle background.
You can expand the gender-neutral theme with the toys in the room. There are lots of gender-neutral toys that you can incorporate into the decor. Giving your child the option to choose from whatever strikes their fancy — be it dolls, construction trucks, or stuffed toys — will make their safe space truly gender-neutral. Other items, such as mobiles and playmats, can work for any gender.
You can always choose to not abide by tradition and decorate however you want. Whether that means pink for your little boy or blue for your little girl, you can decorate the nursery using any color you prefer. Have a distinctive nursery for your unique child. Combine any colors, themes, and toys that you think your child would enjoy, regardless of gender, or let yourself soak in the nostalgia of your own childhood.