Themes for Baby Nurseries

Classical Elegance

A classical nursery lends itself to a luxurious, timeless style. This gender-neutral theme features antique style furniture and fine linens. Clean, crisp white baby bedding works well in a classically elegant nursery, and classic toys such as teddy bears or porcelain dolls make great accessories. A chandelier is a perfect lighting fixture to finish off the look.

Mid-Century Modern

A modern nursery is another option for those who love a clean, elegant style. Think bold lines and Scandinavian design. Modern can also be surprisingly affordable, as the simplicity of the designs facilitate mass production. The obvious choice for furniture is Ikea, but even Target and Wal-Mart now carry mod style furnishings. Or, look for mid-century modern flea market finds. Those retro 50’s style console television cabinets make excellent changing tables.

Whimsical Themes

A nursery is the one room where you can really cut loose as a decorator, and even parents with sophisticated personal styles may enjoy more whimsical themes for baby’s room. So if you are looking for a fun, playful feel to your nursery, there are lots of different themes to consider.

Girly Girl Themes

Flower themes are wonderful for little girls and not just for those named Rose or Lilly. In addition to floral bedding, floral murals can be enchanting. Other girly themes include ladybugs and butterflies, or an overall romantic theme, with features such as toile curtains, and satin pillows.

Baby Boy Themes

Airplane, race car and spaceship themes are wonderful ways to get lots of color into your baby boy’s room. Other great boy options are the classic cowboy room, or the sweet wholesome farm and barnyard look.

Gender-Neutral Themes

Yellow, green, brown and red are all considered gender neutral colors. Some themes that work for both boys and girls are the jungle theme, which can be easily implemented with stuffed animals and animal print fabrics, and the castle fairy tale theme, with knights and dragons as well as princes and princesses. For another, creative gender-neutral option, consider a nursery themed around the vintage toys of your childhood, or even your parents' childhoods, such as Lincoln Logs, PlayDoh, Etch-A-Sketch and Slinky. The toybox residents of yesteryear can make your baby's room come to life.

Easy Mural Painting

One of the easiest and least expensive ways to create a theme is to paint a mural on the nursery wall.  Everything from trees and flowers to ponies and monkeys can be rendered on the wall with relative ease. If you are not a skilled artist, use find an image out of a magazine or story book and project it onto the wall. You can trace the outlines, or even keep the projector going while you paint.

The most important factor in choosing and implementing a theme for your nursery is the degree of excitement and joy you feel when pondering your creation, so remember to have fun with it. Happy decorating!