Having a baby is a new and exciting time in your life, but decorating the nursery for a newborn infant can be a daunting task! So much to do before baby arrives. However, it does not have to be so daunting. Approaching each aspect of the design process as an individual task can make it fun. The design process is a creative one, but it helps immensely to be organized. Writing down ideas and drawing little sketches can go a long way towards channeling your ideas into the actual expression of those ideas.
Incorporate safety considerations into your design plan. Once infants begin crawling and then walking, they want to explore their world. But their level of motor coordination does not always match their thirst for adventure. As a result, accidents are quite common. Bumping heads and rear ends is not uncommon. As adults, we see things at our level. One way to see things the way children do is to physically go down to their eye level and look at objects from their perspective. All of a sudden, a perfectly normal flower pot on the floor can become an object filled with loose soil that can very easily find its way into a child’s mouth. Light objects (glass, ceramics) which can easily tip over, the sharp corner of a table, or exposed sockets could all pose potential danger. When designing the nursery, it is important to keep this in mind.
As suggested earlier, the way to approach the design process is by breaking it down into smaller and more manageable steps.
Step 1: Walls
Deciding on the perfect color for the nursery can be quite overwhelming.
The more traditional approach is pink for a girl and blue for a boy. While
there is nothing wrong with that, you might want to consider a new approach.
Picking a more neutral, non-gender specific color works just as well for
a boy or a girl. One major advantage to this choice is that when the next
baby arrives, you do not have to repaint the walls. Another way to go
is to pick more than one color for the room. Possibly two or maybe even
three cheerful colors can be applied very creatively.
Yet another option and current trend is to have a mural painted on one or more walls of the nursery. Murals provide visual stimulation for baby’s constantly developing senses. It could be a favorite character or animal or maybe a little scenery. Murals provide a platform for learning as children are able to identify objects painted in their own personal space.
As an alternative to a mural, you could choose a form of decorative painting: faux finishes, stenciling, or stamping. Faux finishes originated several hundred years ago before the invention of brushes and rollers. Paint made from vegetables dyes was dabbed onto walls creating patterns. Technology provides us with brushes and rollers, but to create interest in any room, dabbing, sponging, rolling, ragging and other techniques of faux finishing have been refined to produce amazing effects. As you can see, the options for walls are endless.
Step 2: Flooring
This is another area where neutral tones are the way to go, as flooring
tends to be more permanent. The choices most homes have today are carpet
or wood floors, and both choices have their pros and cons. While carpets
are comprised of fibers that can be harmful for breathing and provide
a home for dust particles, they serve as an excellent cushion for heads
when little ones lose their balance. On the other hand, while wood floors
allow for easy clean up and no carpet fibers, they cannot protect against
possible head injuries when your child falls. A way around both these
options is to use play mats, painted canvas rugs, or rubber mats in the
room. This way, when your toddler’s motor skills are adequately
developed, you could choose to put away the rug or mat. It is also a way
to add a splash of color to the room. Remember, infants can only see bright,
primary colors initially (red, blue and yellow).
Step 3: Furniture
Picking the right kind of furniture is important. Furniture stores offer
a range of designs and prices. When selecting furniture for baby’s
room, consider how long you intend to use the item and whether there are
coordinating pieces that you can add on as baby grows. You might want
to invest more in a permanent piece than you would in an item that will
only be used for a short period of time. Cribs, cradles, and bassinets
will soon be outgrown. You might want to consider a convertible bed, which
is a crib that converts to a toddler bed that converts to a teen bed.
This way, you get more mileage from the same piece of furniture. When
choosing furniture for the nursery, look for items with rounded corners
at child height. One important principle often adhered to in interior
design is that form follows function. In other words, while an object
might be aesthetically pleasing, it must primarily be useful. When selecting
an area for the diaper changing table, make sure you have diaper changing
accessories (wipes, creams, diaper genie, etc.) within easy reach. A great
deal of time will be spent changing diapers for a couple years at the
very least, so make this area accessible and convenient!
Step 4: Window Treatments
Explore fabric options and several designs before making your selection.
Try to come up with something different that coordinates with the rest
of the space.
Step 5: Accessories
In this situation, accessories are almost synonymous with toys. Kids tend
to acquire a large number of toys as they grow. Factor into your plan
the organization of space for toys in the form of shelves, toy chests,
boxes, etc. Accessorize the containers in creative ways to blend them
into the design.
Step 6: Lighting
The stage is set. The nursery is ready. Now all you have to do is to bring
it to life. Lighting does that brilliantly. Soft lights and lamps in strategic
locations can really make the room come to life.
In conclusion, designing and decorating can be fun and personally satisfying. You could choose to address every step of the design process yourself or seek professional help in certain areas. Should you feel overwhelmed by it all, a decorator or designer could step in to do the job. Just give it your best shot and have fun doing it!!
Editorial provided by Beverley Shenoy of Murals for Kids in Collegeville, Pennsylvania.