Designing a nursery for your child is always exciting. In that design, you imagine the future of your child as they learn and grow in the room. You consider the colors and shapes your baby will see as they look up from their crib. You consider the furniture you'll need and the toys your baby will enjoy the most. You think about learning and playing. Most of all you think about the future.

Modern parents are embracing the idea that nursery design isn't just for infancy. The room you're decorating and furnishing today will shape the childhood experience of your little one as they grow from a baby to a toddler to a child in elementary years. You naturally want a room design that is both perfect for the baby and ready to grow up with your child as they tackle each new stage of childhood development.

Modern Nursery Trends

Stylish and functional nursery trends today are veering away from strong themes like cartoon characters. Instead, modern design methods can be applied to make a nursery beautiful, functional, and the kind of bright room that delights babies.

Start with clean lines and purposeful furnishings. The minimalist and boho styles are both popular right now, but both design trends favor having exactly as much furniture as you need with plenty of adorable storage cubbies. Clean lines keep your nursery feeling tidy and simplistic. 

Instead of busy designs, parents today are favoring hand-painted murals of mountain ranges or lakesides. Nurseries are more likely to have a mixed color palette - favoring pastels and dusty hues with warm undertones. 

Creative Nursery Themes

Themes are a wonderful way to design your nursery for both fun and soothing aesthetics. Many parents today are favoring nature themes over cartoons or castles. You can paint a simplistic misty mountain range on one wall of a blue nursery or paint trees reaching up the walls of a forest themed nursery. Some parents pick a delightful neutral theme like air balloons in the clouds or fish underwater to pull the room design together.

Geometric or a single repeated shape are also all the rage. A bubble-swirl of circles around the nursery and a concentric circle theme can make a stylish playroom. While a theme of triangles and arrows can add new, fun lines and a maze-style theme for a toddler who loves puzzles.

A single feature wall is the hallmark of modern nursery design, whether you paint mountains, shapes, or an aquarium wall of fish. If you are not a mural artist, you can find wonderful wall-sized decals or stencils to make your design just right.

The Upward View

When building a nursery for an infant or toddler, remember the upward view from the crib. Young children spend a lot of time lying on their backs looking up, so take a moment to lie down where your crib will be. Consider the stretch of walls and ceiling above you. Consider the light fixture and whether the current light glares in your eyes.

This is where parental forethought can really shine in nursery design - and why so many nurseries have decorative trim and painted ceilings. Consider how to make your ceiling and walls a part of the design.

If necessary, replace your nursery light fixture to a soft frosted design that won't glare in your baby's eyes when they look up.

Stylish and Functional Nursery Furniture

Choose your nursery furniture with function and style in mind. Minimalism is the watchword for modern nursery design, prioritizing well-built nursery furniture and thinking ahead on how the room will be redesigned for a toddler in a few short months. 

Everything starts with the crib. If you already have a crib, use it to help define your theme or make it a stand-out centerpiece. Remember that cribs can be repainted to fit any color palette you want – be sure the paint is sealed and baby-safe. If you don't have a crib yet, look for one that is highly rated that fits your nursery theme beautifully.

Changing tables can be made from any properly heighted surface. A very popular option is to choose a dresser and add a changing table topper that can be removed as the child grows up. Consider dressers that are baby-safe for now but might be helpfully toddler-accessible when your child is old enough to start dressing themselves.

You might also enjoy a little clever closet-redesign with a lower bar and extra cubby space.

Stocking Up on New Baby Products

Now that you've got furniture and the closet sorted, it's time to stock up. Modern design trends advise having a cubby or cabinet in which everything can be tucked away. Avoid the junk-drawer scenario with sub-organizers - little cloth-and-cardboard boxes that slide right out and keep categorized small items separate.

Have one organizer for diaper change supplies, another for spit-up rags, and a collection for assorted baby clothes. Make use of cube storage for cubbies with the same technique. Use cloth-lined cubes, baskets, or plastic bins to keep everything both organized and out-of-sight when not in use.

Ways to Elevate Style in Nursery Design

Want to make your nursery especially stylish and still the perfect place for baby? Pay attention to the details.

Change out the light fixture for a pendant or flush light that will delight your baby to look at from below. Starburst patterns are especially fun in a nursery along with shielded chandeliers that mirror your nursery's themed design.

Add trim to the top and bottom of each wall that makes your design theme pop - whether that trim is fish, dancing shapes, or curling vines.

Remember to be clever about maintaining your color palette. Find rugs and blankets and baby-friendly pillows in your favorite accent colors. Repaint furniture that doesn't quite fit so that it becomes the perfect addition to the room. Great interior design often involves some clever tweaking, so it all comes together.

The Latest Nursery Tech

Last but certainly not least, don't forget your tech. Today's wireless technology makes nursery design so much more fun and worry-free. You can install smart bulbs into your light fixture for voice-controlled nursery lights. You can add a wireless thermometer in the baby's room so that your smart thermostat never lets the nursery get too hot or too cold. Not to mention your vast options for audio and video baby monitors. Install baby monitors into the room and crib or create mounting-points for a portable baby monitor set.

You can also add smart entertainment for your baby. Smart lights will slowly brighten when it's time to wake up. You can program timed music or for shows to play or make it easier for yourself to set up baby media on demand. There are even smart baby toys and hanging mobiles that will activate from mobile commands to soothe your baby when you are not in the nursery.

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Modern nursery design involves some serious consideration and a fun application of style. Remember the upward view of your baby in their crib and why parents love the vivid feature wall. Focus on themes that make the nursery come to life for a young explorative mind. Most of all, maintain the balance of practicality, beauty, and useful nursery technology. Once the nursery is designed, think about ways you might incorporate a new farmhouse sink for washing everything from bottles to baby. Contact us today for more information.