Five Color Schemes for a Girl Nursery

FEAR OF THE PRECIOUS PINK NURSERY

Last month one of my E-Decor projects was a nursery design for a fun mama of two little boys who is pregnant with her first girl. When I asked Chrissy what she envisioned for the room she said, “I’d like it to be clean, bright, and girlie … but NOT ‘pink’ girlie.”

I had to chuckle at this request, because I felt the same struggle of wanting my daughter’s nursery to feel feminine but was terrified of using pink.

I think girls who grow up in the 80’s have some unresolved issues with the color pink as a result of it being forced upon us as children. Oh, Matel. You ruined this color for an entire generation of mothers.

So what do we do when we become mamas of little girls?

We avoid it…like the plague.

Ok, 80’s ladies…let’s not throw the baby out with the bath water. Pink CAN work in a modern nursery.  If we follow some simple principles, we can allow pink back into our lives again in a fresh, modern way without it feeling overly precious.

5 TIPS AND 5 COLOR PALETTES

Today I’m sharing five tips to help you create a modern and feminine nursery. Also, I’ve come up with five color schemes that are perfect for a modern and fun baby girl’s nursery. 

FIVE TIPS TO CREATE A COLOR SCHEME FOR A GIRL NURSERY

1. Find an “almost pink” that you love.
Using coral, berry, poppy, fuchsia, or blush gives us the “girlie” hue in a room that we want without feeling like we are back in our ballerina themed pink bedroom circa 1989. (Uh, huh. I went there.)

2. Use your “almost pink” as a secondary accent color, but not the primary one.
This color can appear in small pops throughout the room, but shouldn’t be the dominant accent color. You’ll notice on Chrissy’s design board that the dominant accent color is actually black. This was an intentional choice for a couple reasons. It allowed me to use three other bright colors in the room without it feeling too busy or circus-like. Also, juxtaposing mint (a classic pastel color) with black felt fresh and modern.

3. Look for an inspiration piece that conveys the feeling you want in the room.
The starting point for this entire room was the “Don’t Worry, Be happy” print. (I mean, c’mon. How stinking adorable is that?) Yes, it uses pink. More than one shade in fact. This artwork became the jumping off point for my whole design not necessarily because of the colors, but because it evoked all the feelings I know Chrissy wanted in her nursery. Playful, cheery, modern and a little bold. A color palette is a great starting point for a room, but it isn’t the only one. Keep your eyes open for things you’re drawn to, and then take a closer look to how it makes you feel and why you like it.

4. Remember to layer patterns.
This is HUGE. So many of my clients struggle with this, thinking that they are limited to only using one pattern in a space. I had a sweet client who loved stripes and wanted to use only stripes and solids in her bedroom. She realized (with a little coaching) that the space felt flat as a result. When we began layering in more patterns, she was surprised to find that it actually allowed the stripes we did use in the room to stand out even more.

In Chrissy’s room, I wanted to use geometric shapes throughout the nursery. Between the rug, lamp shade, crib bedding, and drapes we used four different patterns, a couple of which are repeated throughout the room.

5. Pick a color scheme, but feel free to wander away from it at times.
Yes, it’s good to have a color palette. However if something isn’t a perfect match, don’t worry! Let’s say you find a pillow you LOVE that uses one of your accent colors mixed in with a bunch of other colors not being used in the room. Snatch. It. Up. If you think I’m talking crazy right now, just stick with me for a sec…

Do you love Anthropologie as much as I do? Of course ya’ do. Who doesn’t? Other than having rock star stylists, why do you think their stores always look so gorgeously decorated and perfectly eclectic? Because Anthro mixes colors like nobody’s business. Items typically have a common feel or style, but color is all over the rainbow. And it looks AMAZING.

I’m not saying to use a bag of Skittles as your starting point, but take a hint here…Veering a bit outside your chosen color scheme in small ways keeps things from feeling overly contrived. Mixing in a few other colors adds a “collected over time” vibe that I find most people really like as opposed to a perfectly themed room.

CHRISSY’S CHERRY & MODERN NURSERY

The color palette I eventually came up with for Chrissy’s nursery included lemon, mint, black, and pops of berry. Berry is the “almost pink” that I chose. Notice (on the first design board) how it’s used sparingly and less than any other accent color in the room, yet STILL it makes its presence known.

The major players in this room were:
-Cheery artwork
-Geometric shapes
-DIY touches

Basically she had a blank slate to start with. She was reusing a crib, shelf, and dresser from her older boys. Other than that, she had nothing for the space. I had so much fun coming up with this design and can’t WAIT to see how the room turns out once everything comes in.

PS: I’ll be back Thursday sharing a tutorial for a fabric mobile I made for the room. Wootwoot!

READY TO REVAMP YOUR NURSERY?
Check out “Decor Coaching” and get that room ready for your baby:)