03 Nov 14 Tips To Make A Brilliant Baby Room – For Baby AND You
from Amy @wildandrosie.ie
- Get a comfy armchair
Why should babies get all the fun in this room? Considering you will undoubtedly be left on the floor otherwise, getting a comfy chair or armchair is an extremely wise idea, aesthetically and practically – if you have the space. Supervising play, night time settling, feeding, playing will all become infinitely more enjoyable. Just don’t go for a ‘cosy cream’ colour. Photographs like a dream. Followed by deep, deep regret.
Made.com, £599
Source: https://www.made.com/sofia-armchair-plush-indigo-velvet
Kave Home, €369
Source: https://kavehome.com/en/en/garden-rocking-chairs/thana-rocking-chair
- Use Textures
Shiny, rough, furry, smooth… babies love textures, and so do interior designers because it adds depth and visual interest. So, a win, win for your tactile little baby – and you. Think about introducing a mirror; a furry throw (on the arm of aforementioned armchair); a natural fibre rug; or, even some wall panelling.
Rugs.ie, starting at €169
Source: https://rugs.ie/border-sisal-rug-linen-with-aqua-border
Designer: Project Nursery
Source: https://projectnursery.com/projects/jungle-themed-gender-neutral-nursery/
Lamb Design, Pouffe €50
Source: https://www.lambdesign.ie/little-lamb/zuri-house-pouffe
- Consider gender neutral wall colours
The days of baby blue for a boy and baby pink for a girl are just so over. That doesn’t mean you shouldn’t use pink or blue on the nursery walls, but go for the restful, earthy versions of these colours. Farrow and Ball ‘Setting Plaster’ or ‘Light Blue’, are both wonderfully calm versions for either gender. Other colours I’d suggest are earthy greens, greys, and whites.
You could be playful on how colour is applied to the wall, painting the lower third in a stronger colour and light on top, for example. The wall colour is really for you. You’re going to spend many a long day and night staring at them. You may as well like them. Your baby won’t care. They care about milk, toys, TV remotes and electric sockets…
Farrow and Ball, Painted in De Nimes No.299, and Pale Powder No.204
Source: https://www.farrow-ball.com/room-inspiration/childrens-rooms-inspiration
Designer: Laura Butler Madden
Source: https://www.laurabutlermadden.com/nursery-tour/
- Sort your storage. And then, probably add more storage.
I mean, if this list was in any specific order, this would be at number one. But, putting storage at the top felt obvious and uninteresting. But, storage CAN be interesting. And, let’s face it – if you sort your storage, you are 90 percent of the way to sorting the baby room. So. Many. Soft. Toys…. Keep toy storage low and accessible. If you’re stuck for space, build upwards – for the stuff baby doesn’t need to get their hands on.
April and the Bear, €275
Source: https://www.aprilandthebear.com/products/the-lowdown-locker
@HouseByTheTrees
Source: https://www.instagram.com/ahousebythetrees/?hl=en
Nordic Nest, €19.96
Source: https://www.nordicnest.com/brands/iris-hantverk/knoppbrada-hook-rack-birch-wood/
- Repurpose second-hand or existing furniture
Kids’ rooms are an ideal place to flex your repurposing prowess. An old pine chest of drawers (everyone has one, right?), a little tin of chalk paint, a few fun new knobs… and boom – a bespoke nursery piece. Baby gets to marvel at their new, old furniture – or probably pay no attention to it at all. And, you get to be eternally smug about creating a beautiful piece for virtually nothing. Wins all round.
@OlliElla
Source: https://www.instagram.com/p/BurozUujtye/
Upcycle of an IKEA IVAR cabinet.
Source: Joanna Henderson (via Pinterest)
- Organic cotton bedding.
This is clearly nice for baby – breathable, and no nasties that might irritate their sensitive skin. But, it’s clearly nice for you too – organic cotton lasts longer than conventional cotton. And, you can feel good about saving the planet too.
Bella Baby, €18.95
Source: https://www.bellababy.ie/the-little-green-sheep-organic-cotton-cot-bed-70×140-fitted-shee.html
Smallable, Bedding set €56.80
Source: https://en.smallable.com/organic-cotton-bedding-set-pink-liewood-146046.html
- Put in some plants
Indoor plants are greatly under-used in nurseries and kids’ rooms. And, it’s baffling because it makes complete sense for a baby to be introduced to the natural world. It’s a welcome pop of primary colour. Plus, many have air purifying qualities. Some indoor plants can even (apparently) reduce faecal matter in the air. Maybe buy of a few of those… Enough said.
@BoysRoomInspo
Source: https://www.instagram.com/boysroominspo/
DIY in PDX
Source: http://diyinpdx.com/2019/05/08/orc-week-6-final-reveal/
- Window Treatment
Vitally important. ANYTHING to trick them into more sleep… Good for baby. Good for you. Obviously, get some black-out material in there. I’m partial to a roller or roman black out blind, with the added texture and softness of curtains. There’s that word again: texture.
Source: via Pinterest
- A changing table with closed storage
Babies have lots of little things. Little clothes. Little muslin squares. Little nappies. And blankets. And lotions. And, just lots of little things that will clutter the bejaysus out of any room. Get a changing table (or repurpose drawers) that will hold all these little things away from your eyes, but close to hand when you need them.
Bella Baby, €399
Source: https://www.bellababy.ie/nursery/nursery-furniture/dressers-changers/stokker-hometm-dresser.html
IKEA, €150
Source: https://www.ikea.com/ie/en/p/sundvik-changing-table-chest-of-drawers-grey-brown-50424006/
10. Lighting
For lighting in a baby room, give yourself options. A little night light, a cosy glow from a table lamp for story time, or decorative wall sconces. If you have the opportunity, install a dimmer on overhead lighting. Go for fun ceiling light or fixture, but perhaps choose interesting texture and shapes over something too gimmicky that won’t get you past about 5 years old.
D40Studio, €109
Source: https://www.d40studio.com/products/eos-pendant-white
Woo Design, €149
Source: https://woodesign.ie/product/wicker-medium-hanging-lamp
Lamb Design, Night light €69
Source: https://www.lambdesign.ie/little-lamb-lighting/joseph-bunny-lamp
- Art
Wall décor can provide pops of colour or a ‘theme’ without the commitment. Think prints, decals, or even frame a large piece of wallpaper for dramatic impact. These are all things that can provide plenty of whimsy, but can be changed easily. It beats peeling off elephant wallpaper in five years’ time…
@MaxMadeMeDoIt
Source: https://www.instagram.com/maxmademedoit/?hl=en
@AndThenTheyWentWild
Source: https://www.instagram.com/andthentheywentwild/?hl=en
- You don’t have to buy ‘baby furniture’
A coffee table you already own could be a low play table. A kitchen trolley for your changing station. Shelves, bookcases, blanket boxes… none of these have to be from a baby furniture shop. So, buy what YOU like, or shop the rest of your house and see what you could use in baby’s room.
Source: https://lovelaughmirch.com/tag/ikea/
Although, little kid chairs and armchairs are adorable (see below)
Josh and Jenna kids, Rattan chair €123
Source: https://www.joshjennakids.com/collections/kids-table-chairs/products/oyoy-rainbow-rattan-mini-chair
- Multi-purpose furniture
If you’re buying new, keep an eye out for furniture that will grow with your child. Buy clever, buy better, buy once. Good for your pocket and the environment. Like the Hugg Organic Crib, that can be converted to a beautiful mid-century style kids’ desk.
Source: https://huggorganic.com/hugg-organic-shop/
- Most importantly always… Do YOU.
If you’ve had a long-running dream of creating a magical, fairy-jungle theme in your nursery, then do it. They’re only this tiny once. And soon enough, they’ll be calling the décor shots. So, do what you want, while you can.
Similarly, if you’ve got a tiny box room for a nursery, don’t sweat it, you don’t need a big elaborate set up – babies actually don’t need a big room (just good storage). They generally only sleep there. Or don’t sleep there as the case may be… and they’ll most likely stay in your room for the first 6 months anyway. And trash the rest of the house for the rest of the time.
Amy x
Source: Wild & Rosie is a boutique interiors company in Donegal, designing with the well being of people and the environment in mind. We champion the use of natural materials, vintage finds, locally made or hand-crafted products, and eco innovations.
https://www.wildandrosie.ie/
https://www.instagram.com/wild.and.rosie/