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?

http://www.bibzees.com Bibzees

I love the design…the sky blue with a touch of some grass green in the lighting and star bedding is perfectly neutral. How easy it will be to add a butterfly pillow on the rocker or decal in the the tree to “girly” it up for a possible gender switch next time around. Another great room ladies!!!
http://www.inspirationseeker.blogspot.com Alina

I think blue can be very gender neutral. That particular blue seems to be popping in boy and girl nurseries all over.

Personally, I’d lean for a blue with a little more green to it as they seem to go either way easier.
http://www.cheekymonkeymurals.com Holly Johnson

I definitely love blue for both genders. For girls I love it with coral/tangerine orange/raspberry and greens! It is refreshing to have the walls a cool color and then pops of warm or hot colors around the room that can lean towards boy or girl depending on the patterns and choices!
http://www.babydecorator.com Nancy

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!
http://mollymadonna.com Molly

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!
http://www.projectnursery.com Melisa

Molly,

Such interesting history! Love that you shared that. Thx!
http://www.nurserynotations.com Andrika King

Beautifully Neutral and fresh! Well done!
Anja

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.
Courtney

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

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