Gloss How-To: Create A Neutral Nursery

There are lots of great ways to build a dream nursery without relying on the old standbys, pink and blue. As an added bonus, it can give your nursery a more contemporary feel and opens up a whole world of possibilities!

Skip the pastels and embrace color.

While many parents prefer a softer palette, more and more parents are stepping out with a little more fun and color. I built my nursery around a circus theme using sky blue, orange, red and yellow, which would have been equally appropriate for a boy or girl. An easy way to decorate without a theme is Wall Candy Arts Dottilicious Dots easy-to-apply wall stickers that give you instant décor. And, as an added bonus, bright nurseries transition well into toddler rooms!

Who doesn’t love chocolate?

Chocolate brown has been a trend in nurseries, because it’s as cute for boys as it is for girls. It also goes great with both pink and blue, so you can build your foundation, then accessorize after you meet your baby! DwellStudio’s Chocolate Dots Crib Bedding Set has been such a runaway hit, you can now find all sorts of coordinating accessories. There’s also a clean, minimal look with the Jingo Set made from 100% certified organic cotton.

Decorate with love.

There’s no better way to welcome a newborn than a nursery decorated with the faces of the people who love them.  Black and white close-ups of loved ones are also developmentally friendly, since black and white caters to early vision and faces are among the most stimulating image for infants. Check out Wee Gallery’s Photo Mobile for an inexpensive way to turn photos into mobiles that hang above the crib or changing station.

Count on numbers and letters.

Some themes skew masculine or feminine, so how about a theme of letters or numbers? One easy idea is to visit a teacher supply store and pick up alphabet or number posters made for the classroom. Or try colorful wooden letters that can spell out whatever you dream up. If you’re a yard sale junkie, keep an eye out for vintage teaching posters and decorative letters!

Go au natural.

While we’re happy to report that going organic no longer requires you to prefer cream or beige, one upside of the more natural approach is that those natural colors work as well for boy as they do for girls.  From natural stained bassinets to lovely Moses baskets to creamy heirloom style bedding sets, the options are endless. One of our favorite finishing touches for the natural-looking nursery is Flensted’s classic crib mobile.

About the Author

Ali Wing is more than just the founder of giggle — she’s an advocate for today’s new parents. By offering smarter solutions, providing information and building a parenting community, Ali has made giggle a resource destination. In addition to smarter products, giggle offers customized services to help make it easier to become a new parent, such as giggle personal shoppers and giggle’s ultimate baby registry, offering parents a robust set of tools such as gear guides, starter checklists and a baby gear dictionary.