If you’re expecting a wriggling bundle of joy to enter your life sometime soon you’ll want to provide them with their own special space that’s perfectly decorated with their needs in mind.
But where to start? Well, you certainly shouldn’t have a problem deciding on a colour scheme. If you’re expecting a boy then you’ll want your nursery painted blue, and it should be pink if you’re expecting a girl. At least that’s what tradition dictates, right? Well… no – not really.
You see, up until the 1940s it was widely accepted that pink, then being regarded as the stronger colour, was suitable for boys while blue, being decided as being delicate and dainty, was for girls. Times have changed and now there’s no need for tradition to limit your imagination, but time is definitely something that you need to take into account when decorating a baby’s bedroom.
Planning for the arrival
Firstly, you’ll want to make sure that all painting has been completed at least eight weeks before the happy event and that the room has been left with its windows open for as long as possible.
And before deciding on a scheme you’ll also need to decide where your child will be sleeping. Cots should be placed well away from anywhere that is bathed in direct sunlight in the morning or exterior artificial light at night.
There’s also another major extra benefit to knowing where they’ll be sleeping.
They absorb everything
Babies thrive on visual stimulation, and once you know where they will be sleep you’ll know what they’ll see when they are awake. Adding details across the top of walls is also a great way of providing 360 degree interest while a boldly coloured feature wall offers a flat background that just perfect onto which to further define an overall theme by adding stencilled images or illustrated wallpaper trimming.
Leaping sheep, sail boats, marching toy soldiers, red buses and green tractors, animals, castles, magical forests… there’s no end to how a room can be themed and as long as these additions are used sparingly then the effect can be incredibly engaging. By limiting a theme to a single wall or a few key areas you also will help keep your baby from entering that dreaded state of over-stimulation.
Themes don’t have to be based on images, of course. A strong theme can be created by choosing a toning palette that’s based on a few shades of the same colour or ones that are sympathetic to each other. Blue and green, as an example, can be easily adapted as your baby grows and their personality and own tastes begin to emerge. With a few added stencils such a colour scheme could easily be made more nautical or even more rural, or fitted with pictures that reduce attention on the colour scheme altogether.
As long as you don’t choose a look that’s overly ‘babyish’ you’ll find that the room can easily be adjusted with minor modifications, or just left, to suit your youngling as they grow. If you don’t plan on redecorating just because your child has reached a certain birthday, then a solid, classical but colourful look will last them until they are old enough to come up with their own ideas.
Here at Rob’s Decorators we offer truly expert decorating services and can paint, wallpaper and stencil your home to incredibly high specifications. Would you like to chat about your dreams for your baby’ first room? Then contact us and we can help you make those dreams come true.
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