Inspiring Ideas for Decorating a Gender Neutral Nursery

1. Choose a neutral color palette:

Picking a color palette will give you the design direction to move forward. For a gender neutral nursery pick two or three non–gender specific colors. Warm greys, turquoise, teal, white and yellows are muted yet warm for a baby nursery. Once the baby is born, you can decide to add touches of pinks or blues without making a lot of changes.

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#Gray and #Yellow are great #GenderNeutral #colors for a #nursery. pic.twitter.com/7VSYG4qjXz

— Women First HC (@WomenFirstHC) May 10, 2014

 2. Add personality with texture:

Texture can work wonders in adding depth and personality to the nursery. Look for a textured rug to lay by the crib and layer it with a smaller fur rug. When shopping for clothes or toy hampers, woven baskets are a great way of bringing in texture. Consider soft patterns for the drapes and crib bedding.

If you need a #nursery idea here’s a great #GenderNeutral #woodland theme! https://t.co/7rvqKXRu9o #JoyEverAfter pic.twitter.com/hFlT89OrC7

— Dendor Fine Homes (@DendorFineHomes) March 3, 2016

3. Pull it all together with wall decor:

Wall decals and framed art are a budget-friendly way of infusing character into the nursery. Choose gender neutral decals like polka dots, stripes, stars or animals. Use decals on one wall to avoid going overboard. For the rest of the room, collect a range of pictures that can be framed and used. Framed art is an easy way of introducing a theme and can later be easily replaced to match the personality of your baby girl or boy. You can also consider hanging a couple of family photographs to add a personal touch to the nursery.

When decorating a gender neutral nursery, remember that the baby does not care whether the room is pink or blue. Let your creativity dictate the way forward for you. Create a nursery that you like and will love spending time in.

For more kids’ rooms ideas on Stagetecture, click here.

Choose the Right Bed

Beds take up a lot of space and large ones can make small spaces appear cramped. If you have more than one kid, get bunk beds or trundle beds and create additional space in the room. Bunk beds are a good choice for a child’s room because they take up vertical wall space rather than horizontal floor space. A trundle bed is usually smaller than the main bed and slides underneath when not in use. You can pull it out at night and slide it in during the day.

Image by: Tereza Lundáková

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Saving Space in your Kid’s Bedroom:

Closet Organization

Kids have a tendency of cramming everything in their closets haphazardly. With an organized closet, finding things becomes easy and the place stays neat. Get totes in different sizes and help your child store different types of toys. You can put blocks in one tote, dolls in another, and action figures in another. Buy the right size of totes, label them clearly, and place them neatly in the closet.

Image by: Desi Rowland

Buy Multi-functional Furniture Pieces

In a small bedroom, storage becomes all the more important. The key to efficient storage is finding items that can perform multiple tasks. For example, you can buy a bench that functions as a toy box instead of buying a chair and a toy box separately. You can also get a hammock to store soft toys such as stuffed animals. Hang the hammock in a corner of the room and place all the stuffed animals inside. To save more space, get a bed that has a bookshelf at the footboard or headboard.

Image by: Ivy R

In a small bedroom, storage becomes all the more important. The key to efficient storage is finding items that can perform multiple tasks. For example, you can buy a bench that functions as a toy box instead of buying a chair and a toy box separately. You can also get a hammock to store soft toys such as stuffed animals. Hang the hammock in a corner of the room and place all the stuffed animals inside. To save more space, get a bed that has a bookshelf at the footboard or headboard.

Use Over-the-door Hangers

These types of hangers work well in small spaces. Hampers and shoe organizers are some of the things you can hang over the door. You can also use shoe racks for items other than shoes such as books or board games.

While saving space in your child’s bedroom might seem difficult, it can be achieved. Follow these tips and make the most of your kid’s favorite space.

For more kids’ room ideas on Stagetecture, click here.

For more bedroom & living ideas on Stagetecture, click here.

Today we continue Stagetecture’s feature ‘Olioboard Inspiration‘. Last week you enjoyed – ‘Festive Fall Outdoor Entertaining Ideas‘ from Adele Baumann Healey. This week I feature Alison Hayes who gives us ideas for planning the perfect nursery. She is a member of the Facebook Olioboard Fan Room and she helps you get ideas for your new arrival or helps you get inspired to help someone plan theirs!

If you’re interested in being featured see details here: How to be featured on Stagetecture’s Olioboard Inspiration‘ series.

To see all the past Stagetecture’s Olioboard Inspiration members on Pinterest click here.

Olioboard Inspiration #36

‘Planning & Designing the Perfect Baby Nursery’ –  Alison Hayes

Planning a nursery for your bundle of joy is an exciting wonderful experience, but it can also be overwhelming if you don’t know where to begin.  Here are some helpful tips to assist you in designing that perfect baby room.

Choose a specific theme or style. Selecting a concept or specific idea will help you narrow your focus and create a more cohesive design. This will also save you time and energy making your shopping selections easier.

Choosing a focal point

Decide what your focal point will be. Most nurseries focus on the crib as the center of attention, but there are other options to choose from like a large bay window or a family heirloom, such as an antique rocking horse or painted dresser that draws your focus.

Choose furniture that will grow with your baby. When selecting nursery furniture, think about the long term. Choose cribs that can convert to a toddler’s bed. Instead of a baby dresser, purchase a regular functional dresser that will look stylish in a nursery as well as a kid’s room. For versatile storage buy a bookcase, in the infant years it serves as a convenient place to organize baby items and will transition nicely throughout your child’s growing years. Thinking ahead will ensure you get the most out your money and your space.

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Choosing the right decor elements

Choose a textile before paint color. It can be disappointing to finally find the perfect curtains and baby bedding that you are excited about, but later find out that it clashes with your painted walls. Keep in mind that there are numerous paint colors to choose from, plus you have the option of color matching any object; it is definitely easier to choose your textiles first then buy paint to match it.

Use different levels of lighting.  Install a dimmer for intense overhead lighting. Implement stylish ceiling lights such as chandelier with lampshade coverings. It is also a good idea to have a small accent lamp for a cozy restful ambience, and don’t forget the nightlight for safety and comfort especially during those late night feedings.

Don’t wait until the last minute. Get your nursery underway early, so there will be plenty of time to air our out freshly painted spaces and new furniture smells. Getting a head start with a good design plan will reduce stress and ensure that you will have enough energy to finish the job.

Alison Hayes is an Interior Designer based in Baltimore, Maryland. She has over 10 years’ experience designing commercial spaces. She graduated with honors from Parkville University in Missouri, earning a Bachelor of Arts in Interior Design. She often uses Olioboard in her professional practice and fun and relaxation in her personal time.

Kids’ rooms have come a long way! Do you remember being a kid and drawing on the walls, furniture and whatever wasn’t paper?  For some reason it was therapeutic to do stuff like that and it was another situation when our parents saw our creative expressions.  Those were some great times but now pay back has reared it’s ugly head and our children do it to us but there is a solution to this madness.  And that solution is let them do it to within their rooms.

Graffiti Room

Image via: Scrap Hacker

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Now this idea would have been perfect for our creative venture with the markers and walls.  Graffiti outlined walls without color are great for the kids to fill out in their spare time or when they feel like going out of the box and doing the unordinary. They will enjoy figuring out how to make the image look and flow in a way that expresses and conveys who they are on the inside.

Creative Writing

Image via: Pinterest

Chalkboard walls are a great compromise for everyone.  It is great for the child, if they are more visually oriented and like to creative write,
solve math problems, learn music (jot down the chords) etc. they can see everything that goes through their heads written down in front of them in a more inspirational way.  It is great for the parents because if the child has a forgetful side then you can easily put reminders up for them for the child to see daily.  In case you may not want things to be so permanent you have the ability to erase what you do not want.

Splatter Paint

Image via:  Pretty Inspirational

Now I know that this is not writing however it still would serve the purpose we are trying to accomplish here, which is freedom of expression. Spraying anything is fun, so splatter painting should be even better and it is easy to do.  Basically, all the child would have to do is choose the colors that they would want within the room, clean out the entire room and cover the floors so no paint will get on them, then take the paint brushes, dip them into the paint and flick the paint on to the walls to make a spotted blot look on the walls.

Scrap Book Walls

Image via: Quite Contrary

Now again this is not writing however scrapbooking can allow the child to mix and match different items together for their enjoyment.  Such as fabrics, photos from their life, nature (twigs, leaves, insects, etc.), CDs, label tags, etc. This helps them to pull out what things that describe their character and be able to display that publicly. Plus, throughout the years they can continue to keep adding things to the walls.  As they grow their interests and likes might change so it would be fun to see how their personality modified from the ages of 10 to 16.

Now that some ideas have been put together for how your kids can color outside of the lines and you can save money on the cost of furniture cleaning, try them out and see how they will work out for you!

For more kids’ room ideas on Stagetecture, click here.

A warm welcome to a new member in the family is a lot of fun. Caring for your new child should start with a comfortable and suitable room. Keep in mind that toddlers need a conducive environment for proper growth and a baby’s nursery is the perfect place to start. This will ensure that your kid is in best developing condition at home.

A lot of nursery designs are available for you to assess and see if it fits your preference. But you have to make sure that comfort and coziness are on top of your priorities. You also have to consider the longevity of the design to suit the needs of your child in the growing up years.

Image via: Regan Baker Design

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Here are some ideas on how to create the perfect nursery:

Child-friendly wall designs

Your walls occupy a huge part of the room. These walls serve as the blackboard for your little child. The choice of design can set the tone or the ambiance of the room. Several studies have proved that the interior design affects the mood of the people living in it. Modern wall designs that are child-friendly are those with environmental themes, educational inputs and geometrical shapes.

Gendered theme

You have to be very careful in choosing your desired theme. It will affect, in a way, the sensitivity or acuity of your growing child. For instance, the color pink is always attributed to female. This color theme should be used accordingly to avoid misconception in the eyes of the child. This kind of strategy is more of intervention rather than perception.

Image via: Jennifer Bishop Design

Choosing the right crib

Almost every child experienced being in the crib. It’s the safe haven of every child during the developmental years. You have to make sure that the crib highlights the whole interior. After all, it’s your child comfort that matters. Modern crib designs such as adjustable mattress, integrated drawers and safe headboards are perfect for your child.

Your child deserves only the best. So, take your time and plan the perfect nursery for the newest member in the family.

For more nursery ideas on Stagetecture, click here.

Whether you have a newborn on the way or have friends and family members who soon will be inviting a little one into their home, there are certain elements you need to make life as a new parent a lot simpler. It’s important to do your research prior to bringing a newborn home and if this is your second child, then you probably already have a good idea in regards to what you need to have. However, there are always new supplies to discover that will make you or your friends feel at ease. If you’re not sure you’ll need some of the supplies listed, it’s better to be prepared than not. Then you’ll have these supplies nearby when getting used to having a new baby in the house.

Image via: Annie Schlechter

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Baby Bedding

Whether you opt for something stylish or something simple, baby bedding is important because it will keep your newborn comfortable and warm. Look for baby bedding that’s made especially for newborns so that it is extra soft on their newborn skin. Have fun decorating and making the crib look special and cozy.

Bouncy Chairs

This is a must-have accessory for a baby. Not only does it entertain them when they won’t stop crying, but it is also ideal for when a mom or dad needs to get chores done. Keep a bouncy chair next to you and keep your baby happy and smiling. Since they’re easy to position so that the baby is sitting right in front of you, it’s much easier to get things done throughout your day!

Bedside Crib

Since being a new parent means having to stay up late hours to feed and nurture a new baby, a bedside crib is recommended. Instead of allowing your child to sleep in your bed (which is not recommended by professionals), keep your baby within arm’s length and position a bedside crib right next to the bed until they’re old enough to place in a nursery in another room.

Bottle Bag Cooler

Since milk must stay cold, why not invest in a bottle bag cooler that will keep your milk cool, whether you are bottle feeding or breastfeeding. Do keep in mind that you will need to figure out the right-sized cooler so that it will fit the type of bottles you already own. This accessory is great for the road and works perfectly for a day trip.

Image via: Mark Ehlen

Baby Lotion and a First Aid Kit

Baby lotion is a must-have accessory for a newborn baby. It keeps their skin soft and helps when rashes appear. It’s also important to have a first aid kit because you never know what you’ll need it for. Band-Aids and thermometers are two items you’ll especially need as your child grows older.

Enjoy being a new parent and use this list as a great gift guide for friends too! It never hurts to be prepared when you’re a new parent; it will make parenting a lot easier.

Sierra is a freelance writer who loves to blog, too! She loves decorating and providing stylish gifts for friends with babies.

For more kids’ room ideas on Stagetecture, click here.

For parents,  children’s rooms are one of the top priorities. This room should be kept clean, comfortable and pleasing to your child. For some, the room design is based on what seemed to be interesting and attractive to their kids. But the most important thing is that your kids are comfortable with their room.

Image via: Design Sponge

To enhance the comfort of your child’s room, you have to brighten up the whole area. This can be achieved in various ways. One of the effective ways to brighten your child’s room is by using creative wallpapers. The wallpapers offer infinite designs and patterns that will surely match your child’s preference and your desire to make their room more lively.

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Consider an origami wallpaper design

This should be very interesting to your child. The art of origami is very much loved by kids especially when they saw creatures are formed by folding. With origami wallpaper, your child will definitely enjoy exploring their imaginations with the shapes and figures they see. This will surely brighten up their room.

Try some creative wall decals

Wall decals are so fun to look at and very attractive. It comes in silhouette or colorful designs that you can imagine. For your child’s room, it would be best to have it filled with colors, shapes and figures that will enhance the appearance and ambiance of the surroundings.

Image via: My News Desk

Choose a more vivid yet simple wallpaper design

If you want it to look lively for your child, choose bright colors like yellow, green, orange, and blue. You can have them in a patterned style or maybe a combination of colors. The important thing is that the colors are not so intense to distract the focus on your child.

Nowadays, several companies are offering customized or personalized design for your wallpaper. This makes it more interesting to consider wallpapers to brighten your child’s room.

For more kids’ rooms ideas on Stagetecture, click here.