Ideally, a children’s nursery is a space that calms and nurtures your little one but can also adapt as they grow quickly from a baby to a tiny tot writes Anna Moss from Moss Living Interiors. In your baby’s early days, you are likely to spend a lot of time in it feeding, changing and kissing those little toes. At the tail end, there’ll be lots of nights singing gentle lullabies, trying to lull your little one back to sleep. So it’s important it works for the parents as well as the baby. At Moss Living we specialise in creating exceptional interiors through a unique use of colour, pattern, texture, scale and proportion that results in both functional and stunning design for years to come. We’ve shared our top tips when decorating your baby’s nursery.
Anna Moss
Moss Living Interior Design
At Moss Living Interiors, we specialise in bringing unparalleled elegance and sophistication to high-end residential homes. Delivering exceptional interiors with a unique use of colour, pattern, texture, scale and proportion, that’s seamlessly executed and always beautifully finished.
Where to start; The Colour Palette
We often suggest starting your design by selecting your main colour weather that’s a calming green or a soft rhubarb, and then building the colour palette out from there. Once you’ve got your main colour, think about adding in a contrasting colour. This is where you’ll add subtle nods to that tone through the use of accessories. If you’re unsure of which contrasting colour may work, refer to a colour wheel to build your scheme. A colour wheel’s segmentation is there to help you create palettes with varying degrees of contrast and most paint manufacturers now provide this information. You can browse colours online or on a paint chart, and they will suggest colour combinations for you.
Once you’ve determined your colours, you can start to build out your scheme with varying hues, textures and pattern through things like your soft furnishings, artworks, décor accessories like rugs, artwork etc.
Expert insights
Comfort
When designing a Nursery, it’s really important that it’s comfortable. If you have the space , we always recommend a deep-seated chair with arms that you can snuggle into with your little one, adding a cushion for extra support. As they grow older, armchairs are also great for bedtime stories too.
Calming
We’ve all been there, jigging, rocking and trying to get our little one to sleep, so it’s important that the space is calm. You can certainly still use bold colours, but we like to couple these with soft textures, ruffles and smaller patterns. Adding soft furnishings is really important: think about cushions with ruffles or fringe trims, using bouclé on a piece of furniture, a small printed fabric for your cot bed sheet or a felt mobile to hang above the bed. Layering these softer touches will add to the luxurious feel of the room.
Cot: Shop here
Boucle cushion: Shop here
Cot Mobile: Shop here
Light
We always like to pair soft roman blinds with curtains, and blackout lining is an absolute must. No one wants to be woken at 4am by their baby in the summer months because of light peeping in through the windows. Curtains are easy to draw quickly for privacy and a blackout blind will help with light pollution as well as being an extra space to bring in another texture. For a more luxurious feel we recommend interlining drapes to add an opulent thickness and interlining can make curtains and blinds more lightproof, temperature proof, and even soundproof when used correctly. For the crème de la crème, we love installing motorised blinds and curtains, so that you can open them at the touch of a button.
Window treatments are usually left to the end when decorating. However, we feel that they are one of the most important touches in a space. They finish a room and bring the whole area together, so we always suggest including a budget for these from the outset.
Space
The most important furniture you’ll need in a nursery is of course a cot for your little one. Think about using one which can be adapted as they grow; from lowering the bed height to eventually being able to remove the sides and turning into a bed once they’re a toddler. Setting up your changing table on top of a chest of drawers is a great way to save space. Not only can you use the drawers for all their tiny clothes, but the top one is perfect for holding nappies, creams and all those essentials in getting them ready or dressed.
If you really want to splurge, bespoke cabinetry is perfect for tight spaces and for maximising the space you have and we believe you can never have enough storage when it comes to kids! Most importantly, cabinetry can be designed with personality to make them one of a kind for your little one. Creating nooks and areas in unexpected places.
It’s all in the detail
Sometimes it’s all in the details. Putting the finishing touches on your nursery shelf styling is pretty and practical. As your baby grows, your use of shelving may change and it’s a lovely way to add personality to a space. Camilla Hampton’s wooden scallop edging options are an easy and affordable way to achieve the look. Whether used to edge shelving or frame a door, they can be painted in any colour to work with your space.
Convertible crib: Shop here
Chest of drawers: Shop here
Hampton Scallops: Shop here
Lighting
Lights add a finishing touch to a bedroom: they can add character or blend in elegantly with the overall décor. We suggest, where possible, having at least one low-level lamp in the room for a relaxed atmosphere paired with a pendant either installed in the centre of the room or above a special area such as a reading nook. Always have your lighting circuit on a dimmer so your little one can wind down at the end of the day rather than using bright spot lights which can shine into your baby’s eyes.
Tips & ideas
Budget Friendly Wall Decor
If you don’t have the budget for wallpaper, removable decals or murals are a low-cost way to inject a bit of your little one’s personality into a nursery. Nowadays, these are cleanly removable so when it’s time for a change you can redecorate in a matter of minutes.
Safety First
Above all, when designing your nursery, safety is paramount. Always think about what’s in reach of your little one. When finalising your nursery, check these areas:
Don’t place furniture or cots near windows where children can climb up and access the blind cords. Blinds should always be installed with a discreet little cleat or hook for the cord to wrap around, so there are no loose strings.
Cot bumpers can pose a threat to babies once they begin to roll and move around their cot.
Mobiles should always be placed out of reach of your child. If the items attached to the mobile have small parts and are not firmly attached, they could potentially pose a choking hazard should they come loose or be pulled off.
DIY & personal touch
Handmade Decor
We’re huge fans of adding a personal touch, whether that’s a homemade felt cot mobile like the owner Anna Moss of Moss Living made for her son’s bedroom or a patchwork blanket. These can add a beautiful finishing touch to a room as well as a sentimental story.
Personalisation
Your child’s nursery is the one room which can be very personal to them. Think about including a page from a favourite book as a print on the wall. Alternatively have their name hand-painted on the door or use their initial made from a fabric block on a shelf.
Personalised Door Plaque: Shop here
Personalised print: Shop here
Personalised fabric name garland: Shop here
Above all, designing your baby’s nursery is a very special opportunity to create a space that is personal to them as well as to you. It’s a place in which you will spend a lot of time and cherish life-changing moments with them, so enjoy the process!
Moss Living Interiors has recently launched an e-design service, an approachable and convenient alternative to a full interior design service. It’s for those who are looking for design direction but are happy to implement the work themselves in their own time. A fully virtual service which gives you access to our expertise all from the comfort of your own home.
Discover more from Moss Living here.
Related Article: The Ultimate Baby Sleep Routine: A Step-by-Step Guide