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Terracotta: The New Gender Neutral Color

When my husband and I found out we were pregnant, we knew we wanted to keep our baby’s gender a surprise until birth. With that, came the challenge of creating a gender neutral nursery! I decided I wanted to create a subtle, yet bold gender neutral space for our little one.
I found the sunset/mountain picture at TJ Maxx which became my inspiration.  There were a few things I had my heart set on… a white shiplap feature wall, the hems Ikea dresser with Hirsch and Timber knobs, the lolly 3-1 convertible crib by Babyletto, and some type of bamboo pendant light. I knew I wanted to keep it pretty neutral with creams and ivories but wanted to pull in the terracotta color where I could as my “something bold.” “You are My Sunshine” is a popular song in our household and we thought it was fitting to incorporate it in our new little bundle of joy’s nursery. This room has quickly stolen our hearts and we can’t wait to bring baby home to it.

Baby Boy’s Nursery

This is our first nursery that I created. I had a vision in mind of his nursery being a place of calmness. I knew that when baby boy entered this world, it was going to be a long and wild ride — especially in the first few months of his life with very little sleep — therefore, I wanted a place in the house that we could go to, to relax, where I found a peaceful setting to nurse Noah, and bring fond memories to come. I am so pleased with the outcome of this nursery, and it is so loved already!

Up Up and Away

The rest of our house is contemporary with clean lines and neutral colours. Our decor is minimal and simplistic. We wanted to carry this design into the nursery, so we used clean lines and natural wood tones to create a modern, gender neutral nursery. We chose a hot air balloon and airplane wall decal to go with our aviation theme.
I believe that it’s important to design a room that makes getting up (or staying up) every 3 hours a little more bearable.

Boho Neutral Nursery

We didn’t know the sex of our baby while I was pregnant, so we wanted a very neutral and relaxing space. I had an overall vision for what I wanted, but slowly picked out pieces at a time to slowly put it all together. Sometimes it’s worth waiting for the “perfect” piece! We also decided to have an accent wall behind the crib. We took on this very easy DIY by purchasing some wood moulding from Home Depot and some paint. Prior to putting it together we used painters tape to see what size we wanted the rectangle frames to be and how it would look in the room.

Organic Gender Neutral Nursery

I wanted a gender neutral nursery for our baby boy who is going to share this room with his older brother! That’s why the table with two chairs is a must have. I loved the calmness of the neutral colors and the bohemian vibes. Very inspired with hyacinth, rattan and seagrass details! The Babyletto Crib is probably my favorite piece in the room, along with the neutral tone giraffe plush!
I wanted a seagrass changing basket but had a changing pad from our first son’s nursery. Here’s a trick! We purchased an underbed storage basket, placed the changing pad inside and voila! No need to purchase a new changing basket.

Gender Neutral Nursery Ideas: A Sweet Room for Brooks

Who needs pink or blue?  This stunning gender neutral nursery is enough to get your creative juices flowing, and has more than enough inspiration for unisex baby room decorating ideas.  The soft color palette is the perfect backdrop for a well styled unisex nursery!

New mom Ally Ferguson designed a fresh space for her new baby, Brooks, that truly evokes a sense of calm.

Sweet baby Brooks sleeps soundly on his Washed Linen in Oatmeal Crib Sheet, made of eco-friendly lux linen.  The stripe design adds pattern to the neutral fitted baby sheet.  Our decorative Flax Linen Pillow, accented with cording, is personalized with Brooks’ monogram.  Washed linen baby bedding lends a tailored timeless appeal.

An abundance of natural light creates a space that is both warm and welcoming!

A small green wreath from Target over the farmhouse style crib adds just the right amount of color and a touch of nature to the room.  The charming framed name sign was hand painted by a friend.

White tones keep the nursery bright and fresh. The elegant white baby crib is a family heirloom, used by Ally’s niece and nephew.  Timeless furniture pieces give a nursery a refined edge that will always be stylish.  A tufted nursery glider anchors this corner space and adds a comfy spot for feedings and story time.  The darling framed wooden sign with inspirational message over the changing table is white washed for a rustic look.

White wooden floating shelves hold framed prints and favorite books.  Baskets are a great way to organize and store the multitude of baby things that need organizing in a nursery.  Darker toned wooden accents such as the dresser/changing table, floor lamp and curtain rods add contrast to the mostly white room.

Neutral Nursery in a Nutshell

Nestled in the heart of the Azalea District of Tyler Texas, this little nursery will hold this family’s first child, arriving in early April, Virginia Kay. Her mom and dad have dreamed of having children close in age, so mommy-to-be desired a neutral tone for the nursery, using colors of grey and cream. This traditional/vintage-style nursery includes a twin bed for mommy or Bella (her grandmother) to rest comfortably on nights when Ginny may need extra attention, as well as a vintage wardrobe handed down from daddy’s family and repainted by Bella using chalk paint and mild distressing on the cabinet doors.  The floral ring above Ginny’s bed was handmade using supplies from Hobby Lobby, and can be easily relocated, if Ginny has a brother in the future.  The Kangaroo, Wombat and Koala artwork is a nod to Ginny’s maternal great-grandmother’s homeland and will fit perfectly for either gender.  The crib and changing table were purchased in white and repainted to suit the room, so you will not be able to purchase it in the color shown.  This is a simple square room, but the use of all corners of the room make it functional and perfect for any little girl or boy. We hope you are inspired by our design and that it sparks some great ideas for your project nursery!
Love,
Bella (Ginny’s grandmum)

Beautiful Gender-Neutral Nursery

I wanted to share our nursery because so many people have expressed how much they love it. I was inspired by bits and pieces of designs on Pinterest and have always enjoyed designing and crafting. We are currently expecting our first baby July 3rd and we are going to be surprised with the gender. With that being said, we had to do a gender neutral nursery that would still be vibrant and exciting. I’m not a an all white and beige kind of gal, or a yellow/green kind of gal either. I searched and searched for gender neutral themes and really came to love the tribal and Aztec look that would be both exciting for a boy or a girl and could easily be dressed up one way or the other once the baby comes to further define the gender look of the room.
My husband and I came to a compromise on painting two walls a medium/dark steel gray and leaving 2 of the opposite walls the mint green that they already were. We decided to make the two dark walls our main focal point and star of the show. We highlighted the dark walls with custom made light gray and mint green vinyl triangles. We also put in homemade natural wood shelves with a very faint gray stain and mounted with gold/brass painted pipe brackets. To coordinate, my husband also made matching book shelves from the same wood and stain and embellished with gold painted cup pulls for accent.
From there, we added in all gray solid wood furniture with a lightly rustic/worn-looking finish. We sought out an etsy seller to make custom bedding with all of the fabrics of my choosing to ensure an equality of gender-specific type of colors. We featured mint green, navy, a hint of peach and a little bit of gold yellow in the fabrics, along with grays of course.  To finish the room, we used white linen curtains, canvas white teepee that I hand embellished for some extra flair and added a fancy electric recliner with Bluetooth plugs made by Babyletto.
Hope you enjoy viewing the photos as much as I did designing it and working with my husband together on it.

Otomi, Gingham, and Llama Drama (Gender Neutral Nursery)

My inspiration for this gender neutral nursery began with the otomi patterned wallpaper. From there I decided to add in some pops of color and whimsy with a few fun llamas as well as the gingham curtains, crib sheet and pouf. I decided to keep most of the furniture quite neutral in form and tone after finding this great dresser and side table pair on Craigslist. With some new hardware and a coat of cobalt lacquer they came to life and added some real personality to the space. Finally, I laid the multicolored rug at an angle and added a few toys, books, and decor pieces to the shelves and hooks. Our baby *BOY!* (Arlo) arrived a few weeks ago and we are so excited to watch him grow and explore his new room.

A Contemporary Gender Neutral Nursery

The room was previously used as a home office and we wanted to make it a place that would be relaxing and not too crowded despite the small space. We wanted the colors to be neutral. I personally do not like the when the nursery colors are too gender stereotypical (i.e. blue or pink).
The theme is a bit loose.. The nature of Utah (our home state) is the main inspiration although we departed somewhat from that in a few areas. We added some elements of my wife’s Peruvian culture on the shelves but kept the place tidy and the color scheme coherent without being too over the top with color matching.
The presence of natural wood throughout and sage green on the wall help convey a feeling of closeness to nature while the orange balances the color towards a warmer atmosphere.
I am pretty happy with the result. I think the place is very soothing, contemporary and practical.

Gender Neutral Safari Themed Nursery

This nursery turned out to be such a fun, bright and playful space for my client’s baby girl (but would totally work for a little boy as well)! My clients wanted to incorporate the kelly green crib and natural wood dresser they selected for the space by tying in those sentimental items with a few new pieces.
I knew right away that a gallery wall would be the perfect way to tie in the green crib by using prints with complimenting colors. For the gallery layout, I went with a mix of colors and shapes and then used a couple prints that had the same green from the crib. (Note: the gallery wall was hung with caution to ensure no frames end up in the crib and the clients are planning to adjust bottom row as needed when the baby can stand in crib.
I wanted to go with a rug that also tied in the green crib but was rather subtle and not too much of a statement.
The DIY display above the changing table holds a few supplies and pretty accessories, and I just love how it turned out! We went with a neutral rocker and pouf ottoman to balance out the bolder colors in the room. And of course no room is complete without an organized closet that maxes out storage and has plenty of baskets!

Happy Camper Nursery by the DIY Playbook

Up until a few months ago, all things nursery were pretty foreign to us! We’ve seen lots of gorgeous baby spaces around the blogosphere, but beyond that, we were (and still are) a bit clueless.
But a few months ago when my sister recruited the DIY Playbook to help her prep her then office for the arrival of her little one in early July, we had no choice but to dive into all things baby (temporarily)!
We instantly started planning a space Katie, her husband, and their future baby would l-o-v-e. Of course we still have a TON to learn about baby decor, but we have learned one thing while planning this space — the world of babies and nurseries and products and research and reviews is a TAD overwhelming. Throw some pregnancy hormones into that mix, and we can imagine that designing a nursery can be a pretty daunting task for any expecting mother… especially with a DEADLINE looming in the distance (hello due date!).
Before baby, this space was a bit of a catch-all (we all have one of those rooms, right?). After Katie enlisted our help, the first thing we did was go visit the space (snapped a few pics) and sat down with her to chat about how her and her hubby envisioned the nursery. It was important for us to create a space that SHE and her hubby loved, not just a space that we dictated.
Here’s what she told us:
Katie’s Wishlist

Gender Neutral (they aren’t finding out the gender in advance, so the nursery needs to be ready for baby boy OR baby girl)
Colors flow with the rest of the house. She wants the space to be appropriate for a baby, but she doesn’t want it to scream “nursery” since this space is right off of their family room/kitchen.
Neutral Walls
Rustic
“Theme”: Outdoorsy-ish <— KT & her hubby love the outdoors, they are both very active, and love camping/traveling/exploring. I’m hesitant to give this space a specific theme, but the general outdoorsy word helps me identify what “vibes” she’s hoping to get in this space.
She liked this crib and wanted the design to work around it
Wood wall

It helped to get Katie’s insight before we started planning. Once she gave us that wishlist, we encouraged her to start a Pinterest board where she pinned ideas she really liked and we followed along to get a better idea of what she was visualizing. (<— It really helped, so much so that we added it as one of the first 5 steps in decorating a nursery post)
From there, the DIY Playbook got to work creating a space that Katie and her husband would be excited to bring their new happy camper home to!

Ellie’s Schoolhouse Nursery

We wanted a nursery that was gender neutral and would grow with our baby girl. I have always loved school supplies and thought a schoolhouse theme would be bright and fun.
We started with a neutral gray wall, a dark gray chalkboard wall, medium gray glider and white furniture. We then added color with rainbow bookshelves, multicolored ABCs, spray painted picture frames and awesome art work.
The ABC’s around the room is my favorite DIY project. My sister-in-law took wooden letters and decorated each of them differently using pretty paper, yarn, push pins, shells and pompoms. The giant E (for Ellie!) with rainbow pompoms is my absolute favorite.
I am a nurse and love the human body so I got a super talented local artist, Jared Cullum, to do a colorful anatomical skeleton. He also did the amazing family portrait. My sister-in-law spray painted the frames and drew the “my body” art. I wanted that wall to be colors and shapes so we added a painted wooden star and pompom heart.
It wouldn’t be a schoolhouse without books, so we hung some rainbow bookshelves on either wall.  The oragami shelves were decorated with blocks, knick knacks from travels, and bear and cupcake counters in glass jars.
The closet is the most organized one in our house. We used a 6-cube organizer from target and colorful bins to add functionality and more color.
Petit Pehr helped finish the room with the ABC crib sheets/blanket, pompom mobile/pillow, and painted dots hamper.
I love this room so much and it makes the 2am wake up calls just a little bit more fun :).
 

Gender Neutral Nursery (with pops of pink for a little girl)

I wanted this to be the nursery for all of our children, so I didn’t want the walls or any investment pieces to be gender specific. That meant along with the green walls, neutral rug, and off-white curtains, I would pull in white furniture. Once we found out we were having a little girl, I giddily scooped up soft pink accents (like a sweet blanket) and also received a lot of pink gifts that eventually found their home in the nursery. So there I had my color palette — dark green, white, and neutrals with hints of baby pink.

Woodland Nursery

Being a designer myself, I was so excited to get started on decorating the nursery as soon as I found out I was pregnant. Not knowing initially if I was having a boy or a girl I chose some gender neutral ideas & themes. The nursery I decided would be a woodland themed nursery featuring the mountains I painted on the wall. I chose a mid century modern style crib from babyletto & did an IKEA hack to the tarva dresser, which also acts as our changing table. The color theme came from the triangle quilt I made when I found out I was having a baby girl. I really liked having the contrast of neutral grey and cream off of the dark teal, pink and yellow-gold. Once we found out we were having a girl the room slowly started to become a little more feminine and bohemian. The 3 woodland illustrations above the crib are from Children Inspire Design. The dream catcher mobile is a DIY project I did inspired by a mobile I saw on Etsy. One of my friends sent the tee pee to us from Etsy seller BangarangBaby, which completed the room perfectly.

Black + White + All the Colors Gender Neutral Nursery

While I was pregnant, my husband and I decided early on to wait until our baby’s birth to find out the gender. Because of this, deciding how to decorate a nursery was a bit of a challenge. Neutrals are great, but being someone who loves color and lots of it, I knew an all white and gray nursery wasn’t for me. I decided to decorate the nursery in black, white, and grey with lots of patterns and textures and throw in the whole color wheel to brighten things up.