Skip to main content
  1. Home
  2. Inspiration

21OAK may earn a commission when you buy through links on our site.

Tips for designing a modern nursery

Kathleen Ostrander
By
updated nursery
Yuri-U/Shutterstock

Couples are opting out of the pink and white or blue and yellow gender-specific nurseries and going for a more modern option. But modern should not be interpreted as sterile, plain, or boring. It means having a chic nursery with clean lines and elements and a lack of clutter. Honestly, once your baby gets to the toddler stage, you will have plenty of clutter on the floor so take advantage of a clutter-free environment while you can.

There’s plenty of ways to design a modern nursery that still feels warm and cozy.

Recommended Videos

Color palette updated

If you are going with a neutral palette, texture will be your friend. With your creamy walls and natural wood floors, an area rug with nubby texture and small stripes or flecks of brown and tan will do the trick. Get a white wicker rocking chair with a soft, plush throw and a faux fur pillow. Put toys and small items in wicker baskets. 

Related

A white leather pouf or a fluffy pouf would be nice and get some big, textured throw pillows with tasseled ends for the floor.

Tweak the natural palette by using saturated colored throws and pillows instead of textured neutrals.

To go a little more into the boho-chic area, amp up the organic and bring in some nice, big green plants and more wicker. How about a big wicker clothes hamper? 

You’ll also need to increase the size of the patterned elements—like a bigger pattern on the rug, a patterned lampshade, and jewel-tone colors in the throws and the pillows.

Throw in something unexpected like a sparkly chandelier as a light fixture.

Pick an anchor

Anchor the room and the style with either an area rug or an accent wall. Choose a deep green or navy or even a black wall. No, a black wall will not mean your immediate arrest by the fashion police. A black wall, like a navy or deep green wall, adds depth to the room. You can use removable wall decor on the accent wall but use it judiciously—a spray of pastel bubbles across one corner of the black wall or maybe some stars. 

The wondrous thing about removable wall art is, well, it’s removable. As your child grows up, they might not want stars or bubbles, they might want flowers or trucks or sea creatures, and you can do that!

If you want to stay with neutral walls, get a patterned area rug that covers a good part of the center of the room. If you’ve decided the color palette is black and white, use geometric shapes on the rug to tie together the other elements in the room. Get a white crib and a comfy chair upholstered in white and black.

Larger removable wall murals can be used as your accent wall. Pick a theme like woodland, floral, geometric, rustic, or black-and-white, and you can find a mural to suit your taste and space. Woodland could be a green leafy forest and you can continue those colors into the other furnishings. Rustic could be branches with tiny birds. 

With any of the themes and color palettes, you can decorate with what you know you will have—clothes and toys. Put shelving in an area and put toys, including stuffed animals and blocks, out for color accents.

Hang clothing on hangers on pegs on the wall for storage and decoration. Use toddler-sized hats and the shoes you received as a gift that they are going to grow into.

nursery with wicker basketsBring on the color

For those who want the stimulation of color, go ahead; you can go full-on rainbow and still be contemporary. Use neutral walls and a neutral rug. Get a colorful shade for the lamp and stack colorful children’s books on the shelving along with blocks, trucks, dolls, pull-toys, and stuffed animals. As long as the shelved items have space between them, you will still maintain an uncluttered feel. Get a patterned, upholstered, comfortable chair with an ottoman. Pot your plants in colorful planters. 

Use negative space in your wall art to balance out the color. Frame bright pictures with large cream matting and use small frames. Black and white photos and framed reproductions of vintage ads featuring baby products are great additions to a modern nursery.

If your home decorating theme is modern or transitional, your nursery can be decorated to fit in, and still be a cozy space for your baby.

Editors' Recommendations

Topics
Kathleen Ostrander
Kathleen Ostrander
Former Digital Trends Contributor
Kathleen has worked for United Press International and she's written about everything from style to pets for newspapers…
These DIY Christmas garland crafts are bound to become tradition in your home
7 Christmas garland crafts to make with your family
Cozy winter porch bench and decor

The holidays are full of festive Christmas decorations and fun family traditions. So why not merge the two and create your own garland together? Here are six adorable DIY Christmas garland crafts that are sure to become a yearly tradition in your household.

Woven Danish heart garland
Take a page from the Danish book of traditions and create these paper hearts with red and green crafting paper. Watch this video to learn how to make them, and then teach everyone in your family how to do it, too. Make a bunch, and then hole punch and string them onto a thin line and hang them on the mantel.

Read more
King of Christmas trees – do they live up to the hype?
Looking for gorgeous artificial Christmas trees that don't look fake? Check out this brand
King Flock Tree

When mulling over the most festive Christmas decoration ideas to pursue, a lot of people shy away from the thought of using artificial Christmas trees - and for good reason: they look, well...fake. Historically, it has been pretty hard to find a tree that has any sort of semblance to a Fraser, Douglas, Balsam, or Noble Fir unless you are ready to invest a small fortune in a gorgeous Balsam Hill tree. However, over the last few holiday seasons, influencers have been sharing photos of their gorgeous, realistic-looking Christmas trees (decorated to perfection, of course!), attributing them to a brand called King of Christmas.

Let's talk about artificial trees
The artificial Christmas tree market traditionally branches off into two categories. The first? Incredibly high-end, high-quality, real-looking trees, at a price point that matches, with companies like Balsam Hill, National Tree Company, and Frontgate dominating the market. The second category consists of more affordable, but cheaper, looking and feeling trees -- the kind that inspire many to shy away from artificial trees altogether.

Read more
What a hardwood contractor says your wood flooring says about you
According to a hardwood contractor, the species, stain, and cut of your wood floors can say a lot about you
bleached light wood flooring in an entryway

The home is a canvas for your personality, and your interiors should reflect your personal aesthetics. A professional hardwood contractor on TikTok, @lumberjackwoodsupply, says your wood flooring may reveal more about you than you might have thought. Here is what the species, color, and style of your wood flooring say about you (though, of course, some of these are a bit tongue-in-cheek).

https://www.tiktok.com/@lumberjackwoodsupply/video/7296136450888846623
What your wood flooring species says about you
Pine
If you have lighter, slim, natural pine floors, this TikToker says you likely fall into one of two categories. “You definitely have an appreciation for old things,” says @lumberjackwoodsupply. Alternatively, “you most likely own an old house that had these floors underneath.”
Walnut flooring
Walnut flooring is classy, elegant, and often sold at a steeper price. The hardwood contractor says homeowners with walnut flooring “have taste.”
Red oak
“There’s a good chance you didn’t choose to install this. It was just already in your house,” says this TikToker. But if you did choose to install red oak flooring, “you are either on a budget or you like to go against the status quo.”
Brazilian Cherry
“You probably live in an upscale but slightly outdated suburban home,” says the hardwood contractor. “There’s a good chance you hate the red.”
Maple
If you favor the sleek light wood tones of maple flooring to curate an airy and uplifting aesthetic, “You either live on the beach, or you want to look like you live on the beach,” says this TikToker.
Hickory
Hickory flooring is well-known for its boldness. It’s a unique wood with a quirky grain and various hues. If you have hickory flooring, “you like unique things,” says the hardwood contractor. “You want to be different.”

Read more