The NEW Way of Decorating Nurseries

It's in the water......it seems that right now all of my friends are either pregnant or have brand new, cuddly newborn babies.  This has been great news for me - I have had so much fun already in 2012 decorating nurseries!  It is one of my favorite places to decorate - bright happy colors, printed fabrics, and fun prints on the walls.  There are so many ways to make a happy and stimulating room for your little one to spend the first years of their life in.

Boy and Girl's Twin Nursery I just completed last month

There are a lot of things to consider when decorating a nursery - sex of the baby, childproofing, washable fabrics, where to hang and not to hang things, 1st or 2nd (or 3rd, or 4th....) child, and, of course, budget.  The most important thing is safety first - finding items that are cute, but safe for your baby.  The latest recommendation from the American Academy of Pediatrics in regards to nursery bedding is to discontinue the use of crib bumpers.  As a decorator, this is such a disappointing new development - one less place we can use fun fabrics, colors, ruffles, and bows, but definitely not worth the risk of your child's life.

So instead of buying a huge $200+ bedding set from a store that contains a bumper (now not recommended), cribskirt, and quilt (another not recommended item from the AAP), I have been making custom crib skirts for my clients at a smaller cost.  It gives me the opportunity to add extra prints, colors, and bells and whistles to the standard old cribskirt to give that now "bumperless" crib some life!  Custom bedding also opens up a whole new opportunity to make a truly one-of-a-kind nursery with an atypical color scheme, print, or pattern that you can't find at Babys 'R Us or Pottery Barn Kids.


Baby Anna's cribskirt and "breathable" bumper in Charlotte, North Carolina

For this little girl's cribskirt, we needed to find a fabric that worked in both pink and blue to match an existing blue glider from the older brother's nursery.  I love the Premier Prints fabric line - reasonably priced cotton prints that are washable, and available in so many different colors and patterns!  I offer their line to my clients at a 15% discount off of their online prices.  We were able to use the pink and white striped fabric from Premier Prints and pink paisley fabrics throughout the nursery in pillows, prints, and a lampshade to tie everything together. The pink bumper you see is the new "breathable bumper" available at most baby retailers.

Custom pillows with baby's name and applique flowers in fabrics to match cribskirt

Custom prints with fabrics to match pillows and cribskirt

Custom lampshade for Baby Anna's nursery

Another nursery that I just completed was for twins (a boy and a girl) and finding a color scheme that works for both sexes can sometimes be challenging.  The mother selected this fresh palette with orange and baby blue that works great with the grey-beige walls and pale aqua ceiling. 

The glider and the cribs were given to her, and I was able to update these with new washable cushion covers and custom cribskirts.


New orange cushion covers and cribskirts are washable for any baby messes or accidents

Linen and appliques are a huge trend right now, and I incorporated these with this custom feather lumbar pillow (also washable) that can be adjusted and smushed as needed while nursing.

Stenciling and wall decals are becoming a huge trend right now, and these decorations are inexpensive and safe ways to decorate the walls behind your crib without the fear of something falling off the wall into your baby's crib.  Here is a picture of my own son's nursery (custom bumper included before AAP's new recommendation) with the art that my husband painted on the back wall.  Stencils are decals can easily be found online, but one of my favorite stenciling sites is Cutting Edge Stencils, where they have a large assortment of reasonably priced stencils for all types of decor.

Stencils, wall art, and decals are great ways to decorate the expansive wall behind a crib

For prices on custom bedding, pillows, and other items, please visit my website at http://www.newsouthdesign.com/.  I would love to help anyone make a beautiful and one-of-a-kind room for their upcoming arrival!