Modern & Whimsical Gender Neutral Nursery

Description

My husband and I didn't find out the sex of our baby so I needed to come up with a nursery design that was gender neutral and didn't scream yellow and green or gray.  I have a love for anything DIY, so adding some pine wainscotting, new closet doors, a fresh coat of paint and colorful decor was what made the perfect nursery for our sweet babe.  A few months after finishing the room, we welcomed a baby girl, Lyric, in September and she loves her slumber pad just as much as we do.  A gold letter "L" now hangs on the wall behind the glider and made the perfect final touch.

Design Inspiration

Although the room would serve as a nursery first, I wanted it to be easily transitioned into a bedroom for our babe as he or she got older.  So I kept with crisp white paint (Benjamin Moore's "Baby's Breath") and furniture pieces that would also work well in a toddler's room.  I gravitated towards simple, yet beautiful, wall art and decor like the gazelle and prints from Minted.  I think they're sweetly perfect for the nursery and will continue to add some whimsy to the room in years to come.

Decorating Style

My style is very much simple yet I love rooms that make a statement.  I tend to err towards white or grey walls and fill the room with colorful furniture and accents that can be substituted as the season, or my taste, changes. My plans for Lyric's nursery originally included cream, mint and peach colors on the walls/closet doors, but as I finished the wain scotting and slowly filled the room with furniture I ultimately loved the clean white walls.  Who knows though, in a few years I think a stunning wall paper would look beautiful above the wain scotting!

Project Details

This room once served as our spare bedroom so seeing it transform into a nursery was incredible! The bi-fold closet doors were upgraded to french-style doors (which made the closet so much bigger), we added a simple bamboo window treatment, upgraded the light fixture, filled the room with versatile furniture (ie Kallax storage unit vs traditional change table & a glider that we can use elsewhere in the house), and of course, my favorite addition to the room is the DIY pine wain scotting.  It gives so much texture and sophistication to the room without being too overwhelming and the white paint keeps the room feeling soft.

Used Crib: Bily

Gold Bike: Bought Used

Teal Ombre Art: DIY

Favorite Items

The area rug, change table, glider & wall decor are my favorite pieces.

Advice

Achieving a gender neutral nursery without succumbing to nothing but greens and yellow and grays was intimidating at first, but I followed my gut while shopping and bought anything that I loved, regardless of the color.  My advice when planning for a baby whose gender is a surprise is to welcome more color into the space rather than limiting all shades of blue and pink.  Before having the baby I thought the room was slightly boyish, but since bringing Lyric home, her room has easily gained the 'baby-girl's-nursery' stamp just with the purple blankets, ballet flats, pink plush animals and skinny jeans that hang in her closet.  Don't be afraid to design the room based on what you love, once your little one comes home his or her personality (and a lot of help from a plethora of gifts you'll receive) will help to make it just perfect for your baby boy or girl.