Tired of the same girlie pinks and little boy blues that dominate the nursery scene? It’s not easy to escape those tried-and-true gender traditions but with a little work and an eye on the future, you can introduce modern nursery color combinations that will still yield a soothing and nurturing ambiance for your little darling’s bedroom space.
Check Out These Modern Baby Room Color Combos & Design Ideas
Perhaps the single most poignant piece of design advice I can give to soon-to-be parents is: take the “long view” approach when decorating the baby’s room. What do I mean by “long view?” I mean that the time you have to put into decorating now will be virtually non-existent once you become parents, and that sweet little baby transitions into a busy toddler faster than you can blink your sleep-deprived eyes. The more you can do to create a room your child can grow into without the need for another re-design, the better.
For this reason, using a modern color palette makes very good sense. Modern colors can be easily added to via big kid furniture and accessories to serve as more mature rooms down the road, and they can also be transitioned into guest bedrooms as needed.
Here are some of my favorite modern color combos for baby rooms:
Turquoise and Tangerine. Together, turquoise and tangerine form a vibrant and energetic combination without being too busy. My recommendation: leave the walls a warm neutral color and then bring in the turquoise and tangerine via area rugs, rocking chair cushions, a painted dresser-slash-changing table (again, thinking ahead to the future), window coverings, and bedding. This is also a gender-neutral combination, which can be nice for parents who opt to let their baby’s gender remain a surprise. If it’s a boy, throw in some brown accents; if it’s a girl, you can add splashes of pink or purple.
Yellow and Gray. The pairing of yellow and gray forms a balance; yellow is vibrant and gray is calming. The brighter the shade of yellow you select, the more energetic the effect will be. Again, this makes for a fabulous gender-neutral color scheme or a fair selection for fraternal boy/girl twins. Greens and blues can be added to this combination to good effect as well for a little more diversity.
Primary Colors. Did you know babies are the ablest to perceive black and white to start, and then vibrant primary colors after that? They also like geometric shapes and patterns. For those reasons, I’m a fan of this bedroom with a big map of the world on the wall – full of happy colors and plenty of shapes to keep curious eyes occupied. Pick your favorite colors – or theirs as they get older – to build the rest of the bedroom’s design.
No Color At All. This modern nursery in Los Angeles shows how beautiful and cozy a nursery can be without any particular or intentional color combination at all. The warm hardwood floors, rustic rocker frame, and dresser add a sense of traditional homeyness. You can use area rugs of all shapes and sizes, accent pillows, art, and other accessories to add splashes of color as they pertain to your child’s gender, interests, and personality. This is definitely a room a child can grow into, a guest will feel comfortable sleeping in and prospective buyers will see as just another bedroom without any need for repainting or redecorating.