If No Nursery Theme, Start With Colors

A theme is a popular way to plan a nursery, but using colors to inspire the design for the room is a practical alternative offering greater flexibility. By choosing the right color palette, letting one’s style and personality come through without adhering to countless thematic-driven elements provides a fun opportunity to plan the room’s decor, nursery furniture, accessories, and other key details.

Working with a favorite color may make it tempting to use just that one hue throughout the décor. This will only create a dull and artificial atmosphere. Far more appealing would be a palette of contrasting colors applied to the various decorative elements. The following examples illustrate just how versatile and creative such color palettes can be as inspiration for a wedding look – whether these use light color contrasts, warm color contrasts, or cool color contrasts. The results are startlingly distinct—both visually and emotionally.

(1) Light Color Contrasts
Base Color: Pink
Contrast: Yellow and Green
Pink is a sweet, feminine color, great for a girl’s nursery room. But it can also be too much of a good thing if you use it throughout the décor may make the room appear overly saccharine. A color palette with pink as the base color can use lemon yellow and lime green accents for contrast—instantly creating a light, cheerful look.

(2) Warm Color Contrasts
Base Color: Red
Contrasting Colors: Burnt Orange and Brown
Red as part of the color palette of a baby’s nursery certainly makes a bold statement for a little boy, but using a palette consisting solely of red shades may be overpowering. Thus, warm, earthy colors such as burnt orange, brown, and a muted shade of gold are recommended as contrasts in a red-based nursery.

(3) Cool Color Contrasts
Base Color: Light Blue
Contrasting Colors: Navy Blue and White
Light blue is a lovely, relaxing color for a nursery. However, if a room’s color palette is based solely on this hue, the setting may appear pale and washed out—not exactly befitting a happy baby. Nursery room decor with light blue as its base can be enlivened with touches of navy blue and white.

While a nursery theme may be an exciting challenge for many, planning a theme in the hope of ensuring a perfect room for baby can be limiting at times. The good news is that, in lieu of a theme, color serves as a wonderful unifying element that can be parlayed as a great source of inspiration for the nursery’s décor. After all, a nursery party is not about staging a theme. It’s about celebrating that once-in-a-lifetime happiness of a beautiful baby.