Creative nursery themes (or rather no themes)

I feel like we live in the “theme” era. From birthday parties to nurseries, everything seems to need a central motif. And I get it; sometimes, having a set theme can make things much easier, especially when we’re bombarded by marketing of millions of readily available products every day. We need some logic to help us get through planning and organizing so that we can pull off that big event we’re already nervous enough about (especially if that event is bringing a newborn home). As a busy, working parent, it might make the most sense to order a decor kit and call it a day. And if this works for you, that’s great. I have nothing against it.

But as an interior designer/architect, I’ve seen one too many Bluey products recently. There were even Christmas outdoor Bluey-themed decorations in our local Costco. There is nothing wrong with the most popular themes in recent years, like adventure, woodland, safari or jungle, boho, desert, dinosaurs, national parks, farm animals, balloons, night sky, ocean, space, rainbow, tropical leaves, and construction. But they have started to feel a bit…copy-paste and stale.

Back in time

Maybe I have too much time, but I want to propose something else: going back in time a little and ditching the “theme.” Perhaps it’s a remnant of the Soviet era, but in my newly liberated from Russia country, there weren’t any fancy decorating products in stores. I don’t recall having any particular “topic” for my birthday parties growing up. Still, I remember being happy, and everyone invited had fun.

My room was decorated with a childhood classic – fluorescent stick-on stars on the ceiling, simple pine furniture from the local store, and whatever else we could afford at Ikea. I was happy there.

Except for the fact that I had to share it with my sister. I tried to carve out some space of my own within in creative, if quirky ways. I built my bed out of leftover wood flooring my mom had installed. It fell apart every night, but I insisted on putting it back together daily. And I practically lived in a large cardboard box I decorated inside and turned into my “office.” My own cubicle, what a joy! I digress, but I think even an imperfectly designed room can be a good (if not better) canvas for creativity.

Why no theme?

It might be simply a little bit limiting.

Let’s say we decorate the nursery with a popular forest theme. But when our baby grows up a bit, in addition to animals and nature, they show interest in things like space, cars, princesses, or whatever it is. Does it mean our carefully curated design will fall apart? Do we prevent our child from putting any decorations that reflect their favorites and interests into their room? Do we arrange a big remodel that focuses on a new toddler favorite instead (knowing that it will most likely change a hundred times before the year ends)? None of this seems really right.

It might make things more difficult

Just because we purchase many things that align with our chosen theme doesn’t guarantee that they will work together. The color shades might be off. There might be too much branding on everything. Things might look too matchy-matchy. And furniture or decor sets make things quickly look dated and kind of…cheap.

A more eclectic approach that marries new and old and includes family heirlooms and flea market finds is a great way to inject a dose of soul into the space.

Of course, some things like cribs are best when they are manufactured up to date with the latest safety requirements. For example, an heirloom drop-side crib can be very dangerous to use, and it is banned in the US. But there is no shortage of crib design styles nowadays, even those vintage-inspired.

Hindering creativity

We all want our children to develop well, be curious, and be creative. A perfectly but a bit boringly designed kid’s room might be perceived by a child as “finished” and not stimulate any creativity. Having beautiful, interactive, interesting objects and artwork from different learning disciplines will, in my opinion, spark more curiosity and creativity. I don’t mean cluttered design, just one with multifaceted inspiration. Spaces that feel fluid and open to a child’s input can feel more inviting and validating. It signals them that they matter, can shape their surroundings, and helps build children’s confidence.

Children are no fish

I remember this awful phrase that was quite popular in my country’s society when I was growing up – “children and fish have no voice.” Adults used it to put kids “in their place.” It makes me very angry now.

Children are no fish, and they have a voice. And if we tell them it’s not important during their formative years, years of the most prominent brain development period, we are causing great harm.

Of course, parenting style and family life have the most significant impact, but I believe in the value of architecture and interior design in shaping our lives and affecting our moods, our creativity, and even our physical health (like ergonomic chairs, desks, and lighting design).

Focus on color palette

I love good product design, especially furniture, textiles, and lighting. But the key to pulling it off is always a color scheme. Well-coordinated textures, shapes, and colors, concurrently with good proportions, signal to our brain that things are just right. So, instead of focusing on one theme, I recommend picking and executing a specific color palette.

Have Pure fun

When we become adults, we often want our houses to reflect something tangible that our younger selves never cared about before. We might want our spaces to show our social status, signal group belonging, or seem elegant, wealthy, sophisticated, hip, educated, interesting, or whatever it is that we ourselves would like to be seen as by extension.

Designing a child’s room can be a fantastic opportunity just to ditch all of that and have pure fun once again. Create a space that brings comfort and joy. This is the best time for it, as maximalist design is trending, and a lot of fun, colorful products are readily available. Enjoy!

No theme nursery themes 🙂

1. baby with a Moma membership

Minimal but colorful. A simple space gets transformed by colorful abstract prints, patterned bedding, textiles, rugs and fun cushions. Don’t forget a funky table lamp.

1. Colorful storage crates: HAY Recycled Colour Crates
2. Crayon vase: Ban.do Color Me Happy Vase
3. Art prints: Prints By Ka
4. Colorful Knobs: SimplyDecor7 on Etsy
5. Dresser: West Elm 6-drawer Scalloped Dresser
6. Multicolor throw: Verloop Pattern Patch Throw in Desert
7. Colorful Apple bedcover: Sage and Clare Bembe Bedcover
8. Crib: West Elm Elora Convertible Crib
9. Crib sheet: West Elm Painterly Grid Fitted Sheet
10. Blue Throw: Happy Habitat Wiggle Room Throw in Royal Blue
11. Green Throw: Slowdown Studio Vliet Knit Blanket
12. Green Checkered Rug: Moroccan Berber Goods on Etsy
13. Orange Checkered Lamp: Streicher Oransicle
14. Green Mushroom Lamp: Kare Lamp Mushroom Sage
15. Green Cylinder Lamp: Hay Turn On Lamp
16. White Mushroom Lamp: Kanyon Danish Mushroom Lamp
17. Pear Lamp: West Elm
18. Orange Translucent Lamp: Artemide Dalu
19. Graphic Dolls: Sophie Home Knit Buddy

2. Grandma’s sofa chic

Florals and soft fabrics, textures, warm wood. Maximalist aesthetic. Mix and match prints and cheerful ruffles. Vintage furniture, paintings, and prints, bows, gold metal tone frames, and accents. This one might be slightly harder to pull off if we want to include true vintage finds, but it makes up in timeless charm.

1. Rug: Ruggable and Morris&Co. Blackthorn Forest Green Rug
2. Glider: Namesake Crawford Pillowback Swivel Glider
3. Crib: Namesake Abigail Convertible Crib
4. Dresser: Crate & Barrel Jenny Lind Deep Brown Wood Dresser
5. Wallpaper: Chesapeake Spinney Toile Wallpaper Grey
6. Curtains: Anthropologie Gingham Curtain
7. Bedding: Garbo & Friends Percale Bed Set Baby in Fauna Forest
8. Ruffle cushions: Galia Tasarim Studio on Etsy
9. Bow hanger: Walmart Rvasteizo Copper Bow Hook
10. Lampshade: Alice Palmer & Co Scrunchie Lampshade
11. Goose Print: RobbinsNested Goose Print on Etsy
12. Vintage Prints: Etsy
13. Horse print: ShopRoseAndJulep on Etsy

3. Cherry & strawberry garden picnic

Bold, sweet, forever summery. Muted green and red color palette with natural wood tones and red accents. Red gingham check pattern. Cherries, strawberries, adorable animal prints.

1. Dresser: DaVinci Margot Dresser
2. Crib: Nestig the Wave Crib
3. Chair: Amazon Aoiy & Wifon Oversized Swivel Chair
4. Wallpaper: McGee & Co. Twine Wallpaper
5. Wall Decals: Simple Shapes Cherry Wall Decals
6. Lamps: Anthropologie Whitney Table Lamps
7. Letter Art Print: V. Happy Co Letter A Art Print
8. Cherry Pillow: PeTiArtisan on Etsy
9. Mirror: Ballard Hayli Scallop Mirror
10. Storage bins: Birch Lane Edelie Rattan Storage Set
11. Cherry Art Print: Dduendestudio on Etsy
12. Oval Frame: Matilda Goad Lacquered Oval Frame
13. Bedding: Linen House Kids Springsteen Cinnamon Bedding

4. Happy beige baby

I’m not an all-beige hater. If you want to keep your neutrals, do it. But consider adding one or two bold color accents, like yellow. It will instantly brighten the space and make it more child-friendly. I think yellow can be quite a difficult color in interiors, but when skillfully done, the results can be breathtaking. I like to opt for mustardy, muted yellows with a drop of black in them. Soothing oasis full of sunshine regardless of the weather. PS. Don’t forget the room’s lighting temperature. Try finding the general light fixture’s light bulbs at temperatures 2700-3000K. The ambiance light (like table lamps) can be even warmer.

1. Dresser: Urban Outfitters Kieran Dresser
2. Crib: Kalon Caravan Crib
3. Lemon rug: Maison Deux Lemon Rug
4. Bean bag: Wigiwama Corduroy Bean Bag Chair in Brown Sugar
5. Smiley Lamp: Mr Maria Smiley Lamp
6. Storage basket: Zara Home Circus Paper Hamper
7. Smiley art print: Wall of Art Annika Hultgren print
8. Cat art print: Naturel Noord Lying Cat
9. Leopard art print: Desenio Cheetah Pal Print
10. Walrus Cushion: Ferm Living Walrus Cushion
11. Crayon Pillow: HM Home Pencil Soft Toy

5. Mossy mid century modern

If Frank Lloyd Wright was a baby again. And had a space lot in the forest with a waterfall.

1. Crib: Stokke Sleepi Crib Walnut
2. Bed: Life Interiors Norah Rattan Single Bed
3. Storage tower: Kartell Componibili Bio Cream
4. Credenza: Urban Outfitters Tabitha
5. Play table: Nuage Leon Wavy Activity Table
6. Mobile: Double Date Garden Party Mobile
7. Mushroom lamp: Odin Parker Red Mushroom Lamp
8. Checkered bedspread: Curio Practice Navy Sailor Check
9. Bear play sculpture: Areaware Ursa Minor
10. Colorful statue: Malevich Sportsmen inspired statue
11. Swimming print: FarvePrints on Etsy
12. Red lamp: Hay Pao Portable Lamp
13. D-letter print: V.Happy Co. D Letter Print
14. Curtain: H&M Curtains
15. Green Area rug: CB2 Kole Green Area Rug
16. Pattern area rug: Schoolhouse Ashlar Handwoven Wool Rug
17. Vintage MCM globe
18. Blue Cushion: Annie Axtell Wiggle Pillow
19. Green coffee table: Wiggle Room Coffee Table
20. Green Chair: Norman Copenhagen Swell Chair