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Design Dilemma: Gender-Neutral Blue and Shelterpop Debut!

Let me just start off by wishing all of you a very Happy New Year! I spent mine at home with my husband and kids and another family of five. We let the kids run wild while the adults chatted in the kitchen and feasted on ribs and champagne. We happily toasted 2011 at 9pm as the ball dropped in Times Square and then we all called it a night not too long after that. New Years resolution numero uno is to stay up until midnight next year.

With a fresh year on the books why not start with some fresh design advice? Melisa and I made a resolution for PN to try and focus more on the core of Project Nursery, great design ideas for the hip and modern parent. So when Sara from Shelterpop, AOL’s design and lifestyle site, approached us for help with her son Sam’s nursery we were happy to chime in with our solution to her design dilemma. Don’t miss reading Sara’s take on Project Nursery and all the details on our design advice for Sam’s nursery on Shelterpop!

PN Reader: We’re just moving into a new townhouse after living in a rented apartment. In the rental, we weren’t allowed to paint or hang window treatments, so I’m really looking forward to creating a baby space for my son Sam (9 months old) that I couldn’t create in the old place. With that said, we want this new baby room to be somewhat gender neutral so that it can be our next baby’s room — whatever the sex! Also, because our house isn’t that big, it’s important to me that the room flow with the rest of the home. (In other words, no Disney characters on the wall!) Any advice? – Sara

 

What do you think about blue being gender-neutral?

Courtney

Tuesday 11th of January 2011

Congrats on your Shelterpop debut! It's another cool site to follow!

Anja

Sunday 9th of January 2011

More than two decades having the mindset that light or powder blue is for baby boys and pink is for baby girls...is pretty hard to erase or reset. But I think that this shade of blue will do. I'm just thinking if we can do the same thing about a particular shade of pink, too.

Andrika King

Wednesday 5th of January 2011

Beautifully Neutral and fresh! Well done!

Molly

Tuesday 4th of January 2011

Interestingly, I just came across a little tidbit on color as it relates to gender, and it opened my eyes to color possibilities for boy or girl. A long time ago, blue was actually associated with girls/women, because of Christ's mother Mary's garments. Pink was seen as related to red, and equated with masculinity because of it's bold hue--in addition to the ideas of bloodshed in battle, etc. I thought this was such a fun fact! We are expecting our first in May, and he or she will be a surprise. As creative and daring as people get these days, I think it's entirely up to one's likes and dislikes, home decor and plans for future use of the room, furniture and so on. I love the palate in this room--a perfect space for a girly or boyish twist when the time arrives. Beautiful!

Melisa

Tuesday 4th of January 2011

Molly,

Such interesting history! Love that you shared that. Thx!

Nancy

Tuesday 4th of January 2011

I respectfully disagree. Blue, whatever tone, whatever hue, has been forever considered the color for baby boys and it will be so forever. I'd advise other pale tones like a gentle grey used with white or a bright, like cherry red for contrast, for a neutral baby boy's room. Another choice would perhaps be a pale beige with orange or green trims and accessories. I recently did a nursery in sandy beige contrasted with lipstick red for a new baby girl whose mom did not want "prissy" and it is a knockout! Look at BabyDecorator.com to see more!