14 Children’s Room and Nursery Trends to Watch in 2021!

We’ve never been more excited for this post—like ever! Typically, we linger and reminisce about the previous year before we look ahead. Well, sorry 2020—not gonna miss you, #buhbye. We’re looking forward to starting fresh and sharing our top 14 children’s design and nursery trends to watch this year. They are really fun, span a variety of styles and offer something for everyone. And, if you really must take a look back, you can see our 2020 design trends post here. Okay, 2021, don’t let us down!

Abstract Everything

Whether it’s circles, arches or off-kilter lines, we are loving the sophisticated appearance of all these oddly cool shapes in nurseries, kids rooms and playrooms.

Wood Accent Walls

Our dark with dimension trend from last year’s nursery trends is still going strong, but we are also seeing another new use of wood accent walls with these multi-colored plank walls. We’ve seen everything from ombre to full on rainbow, and we’re a fan of this cheery new trend on the scene. Whether you go dark and moody or bright and airy, we love the creative use of wood paneling, board and batten and shiplap to achieve this effect.

Woven Accents

Woven changing baskets came on the scene hard in 2020 and don’t seem to be slowing down. This year we will see the addition of more woven elements in the nursery like caning, wicker and rattan furnishings and accessories.

Playroom Meets Classroom

Adapting to school at home was definitely game on in 2020. The ignitor may have been circumstantial, but we believe the playroom doubled as learning center is here to stay. Well-organized playrooms with super functional layouts, which often need to accommodate children of different ages and stages, will continue to be a trend into this next year, and we are totally here for it!

Rust as a Neutral

While this nursery trend is not everyone’s cup of tea, we have to recognize the return to those reddish/brown tones, which we haven’t seen in years. From layette and swaddles to nursing pillows and even up on the nursery walls, rust is having a major moment.

Earth Mama

Natural and neutral is such a natural fit for the nursery; it’s no wonder an earthy vibe will trend strong in 2021. Creamy white, soft blushes and muted earthy colors will be the popular palette of choice for parents of both baby girls and boys. So, if you see a pampas grass bouquet at Trader Joe’s, grab it while you can!

Rainbow Reinvented

We love when we see a new twist on a previous trend. We called out the Muted Rainbow trend in early 2020, but this year’s rainbow will be reinvented in new ways. Super oversized murals (even hand painted like below!), teeny tiny or mixed in with pattern, let’s face it, rainbows are happy, and happy never goes out of style.

Decals on Repeat

Wallpaper, you’ve got some competition. Wall decals have always been popular in our nursery trends, but this year they are gaining speed as total wall transformers. Installed close together to form a pattern that has the look of professionally installed wallpaper with the ease of decals is a design trick we are all in for!

Enchanted Fairytale

Think more along the lines of Hansel & Gretel (minus the dark and scary bit) than movie princesses. Make haste and move into a dreamy castle or a fairy forest for make believe fun.

Celestial

Calling all stargazers, this is one of our nursery trends that you’re going to want to watch. Deep inky blues and blacks paired with metallics will have you seeing stars.

Dots for Daysssss

There’s something about a simple circle that’s absolutely perfect. Perfectly round, washed out or with uneven edges, we’ll be seeing dots done right all year long.

Glow Up, Bathroom Edition

2021 is going to be all about kids bathrooms. Fun shower curtains, bold and graphic wall decals and even wallpaper are jazzing up these functional spaces.

Explore More

The pandemic era has us all on pause sadly, but it doesn’t mean we can’t bring the great outdoors into the our kids rooms. Bring the adventure to them with national park or cityscape accents. Make them a deal that you’ll take them IRL, real soon, and stick to that promise.

Sophisticated Safari

Yes, we agree, safari-themed nurseries have been a thing since well, the beginning of the nursery design era. Today’s version is more modern and sophisticated than cutesy and juvenile. Neutral tones or even black and white are the safari nurseries we’ll see this coming year. They will definitely have you dreaming of the Serengeti.

Got a trend you think will play out in 2021? Tell us by commenting below. Don’t forget, we LOVE seeing all your beautiful nurseries, playrooms, big kids rooms and more. Upload to our Project Gallery, and we might feature your space!

See past years’ nursery trends: 2020, 2019, 2018, 2017, 2016, 2015.