How To Design A Gender Neutral Nursery
Perhaps you’re keeping the baby’s gender a surprise. Maybe you’ve never been a fan of pink or blue. Or you could be looking at using the same nursery for more children in the future. More often, parents are opting for nursery decor that doesn’t favour a boy or girl. Here’s everything you should know to design a useful, gender neutral nursery.
Start with your essentials
The easiest way to design a genderless nursery is to make sure the foundations of the room are neutral. There are a few things that no nursery should be without. Start off your nursery design by finding the essentials for your room in muted tones like cream and beige or natural woods. Here’s what you’ll need:
– A crib
– Change table
– Comfortable chair for nursing
– Side table for water or a lamp for easier night nursing
– Storage shelves for baby toys
– A chest of drawers for baby clothes
Once you’ve found all the essentials for a functional room you’re halfway done. But filling it up with only beige is a recipe for boring. Next step is adding other decor to bring the room to life. Shop a huge range of neutral furniture by MyDeal and browse safe nursery furniture to get the foundations of your room sorted in one sitting.
Look for natural materials
Finding products that are all natural is great for your child and adds more interest to your design. Adinkra Designs baby baskets are the crossroads of function and beauty.
Founder Kelly Boateng shared with us why they’re a top choice:
“When looking for feature pieces for your gender-neutral nursery, consider products that are made from naturally sourced materials for a warm and organic feel. Our baby moses baskets are made from dried grass, hand woven by artisans in Ghana. Complete your gender neutral nursery for your little nature lover with our cane rocking stand and change baskets.”
Follow on Instagram for more.
Include personal family touches
Skip the gendered artworks like ballerinas, princesses and firemen. At least until your child is able to decide for themselves how they want their walls to look. Instead focus on family-oriented artworks. Bring in elements that feature mum or dad’s favourite animal so they grow up with a close connection to something you love. Or design a family photo wall featuring parents, siblings, grandparents and any other family you want in your baby’s life.
Choose a complementary base colour
If your plan is to incorporate more gendered design once your baby arrives then choosing a base colour that complements many others is ideal. Belinda Nihill is an interior designer from Nest Design Studio who specialises in children’s spaces. Here’s how she begins a genderless nursery:
“When you are creating a gender neutral nursery, grey is a great colour to use as a neutral base. Adding in touches of blue or pink once baby arrives will then bring in pops of colour.
If you wanted to keep it light and neutral, add in lots of texture. Leather, brass, wool etc are the perfect addition to a neutral nursery without making the room look bland and dull.”
Follow on Facebook and Instagram for more.
What are other non-gendered colours?
Every colour has certain connotations and some are better than others for bedrooms. If you decide to incorporate a lot of colour you should first consider what feelings it’s going to create. Red, orange, yellow and bright greens tend to encourage activity and prevent restful sleep. They’re great for a pop of colour in the decor but should be avoided on the walls. Pastel greens, teal, lavender and other muted or earthy tones are more interesting than grey or white, but don’t stimulate your brain as much as brighter ones.
Throw out the rule book and design a nursery that makes you happy. Start early and you’ll have months to pull together the finishing touches before bringing baby home for the first night.
