Choosing the Right Color Scheme for a Baby Bedroom

So, you have a bun in the oven? Or perhaps your spouse, family member or friend does. And the due date is fast approaching.

One of the all-important aspects of preparing for the new baby’s arrival is to create a safe haven for the baby in the form of a bedroom of its very own. If you have the luxury of dedicating an entire room to the new arrival, go ahead! But you may find yourself having to answer the age-old question of what color scheme to go for, so below we have some tips to assist you in doing just that.

Baby Girl vs. Baby Boy

Gone are the days where baby girls all get little princess bedrooms in pink and baby boys get rooms filled with baby blues. In this increasingly gender neutral society, it is a great idea to keep things more impartial when it comes to choosing an all-round color scheme. In other words, forget all the stereotypes! Why not go for something unique yet modern like a grey boy’s nursery or a mint green girl’s room. Forgetting gender-associated colors will also assist you if you don’t know the baby’s gender or if you end up having twins or of different genders.

Stick with neutral furniture

When it comes to nursery sets, it is best to keep things as neutral as possible by buying furniture that is white-washed, wooden, grey or cream. This way, if you decide to change the color scheme for the room or pass them on to another youngster down the line, you don’t need to worry about it not matching the new color scheme. Neutral colored furniture will also be easier to sell if you end up doing that when the baby needs bigger furniture.

Choose just 3 main colors

It’s a known ‘rule’ in interior design to stick to just 3 main colors in your color palette. 3 is known as the magic number. In a baby’s room it’s advised that perhaps only one of these colors, if any, should be a bold or bright color. It’s been proven that babies respond better to soft or muted colors. Examples of great, simple color palettes include: lilac, grey and indigo; turquoise, cream and mint; fawn, mint and off-white.

Where to put the colors?

Since it’s advised that the furniture stays neutral, where else can you add your pops of colors in the nursery? Well there are many! Obviously the walls are a great space for color and since it’s a baby’s room why not have a little fun by doing an entire wall in wallpaper? It’s also a good idea to incorporate a cosy, colorful rug in one of the signature colors with accentuated pops of colors in the bedding and pillows.

Stay away from trendy themes

It’s a rule of thumb in design to stick with classic colors and themes rather than too-trendy ones. Fads can last as little as a few weeks and you may have an outdated nursery before the baby even arrives. Instead of cheesy themes, rather choose something like polka dots or a ‘rustic feel’ to be the theme of the nursery.

Written by Emily Green for Working Mother and legally licensed through the Matcha publisher network. Please direct all licensing questions to legal@getmatcha.com. Featured image provided by Eric Froehling