One of my favourite things to dream about when I was pregnant with each of my babies was nursery design.  I’ve always had a love and penchant for interior design – girl, did I have fun planning and designing my in-home studio (an addition we put on to our home)!!  

Eight years ago with my first, we didn’t know if it was a girl or a boy so I went with a gender-neutral nursery theme.  Truth-be-told, I would have done this anyway.  I never wanted to imprint an idea of gender on my babies.  The walls were a blue-lavender colour with an accent wall of white wallpaper with black and grey tree silhouettes.  The furniture was all black and included grow-with-me furniture (think dresser, shelves and chair – no glider for this mama!).  I had a blast choosing custom prints from Etsy and hanging black and white maternity photographs on the walls (taken professionally – of course – by the talented Jenna of Jenna Faye Photography).  What’s so fascinating about this to me is that three of the following are seeing a resurgence now!  Or perhaps they just never went out of style…

Boho Textiles + Textures

Boho has been going strong for a couple of years now and I don’t think it is showing signs of slowing down for 2020.  The organic, neutral materials have continued to get more modern and some of the options for nurseries out there now are truly stunning.  From wicker bassinets and cribs to muted rainbows, natural wood activity gyms and fluffy vegan throws and mini rugs, it’s like comfort food for design.

Dark & Moody

Kind of the opposite of what you might think of when you think of a fresh new, little baby, but there is something in that very juxtaposition that makes this so appealing.  Couple this with the fact that the nursery is really for the parents for the first year, you can see why this trend is gaining momentum.

Botanicals

Not just for girls!  From leafy green live plants to stunning pampas grass wall hangings, you can add botanicals in as a primary theme or to accent any of the trends here.

Scandi

This is one style that I don’t think will ever be absent from this list and I am totally ok with that.  This minimalist, neutral coloured approach is a brilliant way to decorate for baby for so many reasons!  The first being that it will add a sense of calm to your world which generally tends to get turned upside down with children.  There is also a LOT of stuff that accumulates with babies (in particular) and with scandi, less is more.  In addition to that, Scandinavian decor is really versatile and can be used elsewhere in the home when it has served its purpose in the nursery.  My entire home skews scandi for all of these reasons and I generally like it’s bright and minimal aesthetic.

Gender-Neutral

I personally feel that when you are first bringing a baby into the world, gender-neutral is always best.  The fact of the matter is that this little life will choose to identify however he/she/they feel fits best with who they truly are.  It also makes it more pleasant for you as a parent because you are going to be spending a LOT of time in there 🙂

Graphic wallpaper/accent wall

When I re-made my original home office into a nursery for baby # 2, I went the opposite direction of the dark and moody nursery I created for baby #1.  I painted the dresser white and added little brass fox knobs from Anthropology.  Painted the walls an off-white colour (with a hint of summer peach) and put the most beautiful wallpaper on an oddly-shaped wall with a little book nook.  There were reclaimed wood shelves already in there and we added a white Eames rocker with graphic cushions for storytime and snuggling.  It was light and bright and inviting and I loved it.  Graphic wallpaper accents are so much fun in a nursery because they are often temporary so you can really let your imagination run wild.  I still love the wallpaper in that room and I actually don’t plan to change it any time soon 😊

I’m done having my own babies so I will have to live vicariously through your nursery design!  What appeals to you?  What are you dreaming up for your next nursery project?

xo Lisa