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Let’s be honest—preparing for the arrival of a newborn is almost as much fun as actually meeting that tiny human. Whether you’re angling to create a haven-like cocoon of desaturated hues and ruffled everything or have considered giving it a minimalist, modern edge that is gender-neutral, dreaming up how your baby will spend his or her first precious years is a process that can involve many a gleeful ooh and aah.
But where to begin? For starters, choosing a soothing color palette is key to creating a calming environment, according to Homegirl founder and designer Erin Lichy. “Shades like soft grays, blush pinks, and light blues are perfect for a soothing nursery,” she explains. Once colors are chosen, think about furniture. Lichy advises parents-to-be to choose pieces that will be functional after the child leaves the nursery. For example, dressers can double as changing tables, or reading chairs can later work as accent chairs. Having this mentality when picking and choosing furniture ensures maximum utility and longevity of the pieces. Lighting, then, comes into play. Lichy is a fan of layered lighting, which means a mix of ambient, task, and accent lighting and a dimmable overhead light, a floor lamp, and a soft night-light to create the perfect atmosphere.
Once the foundation of the nursery is complete, it’s time to bring in accessories and add that personal touch. Decorating with artwork, photos, or personalized decor items is a great and easy way to add a unique element. Additionally, soft textures like plush rugs, comfortable bedding, throw blankets, and smaller accent rugs will give your nursery that lived-in feel. Finally, it wouldn’t be a nursery without toys. Mobiles, colorful wall decals, and tactile toys can be both aesthetically pleasing and stimulate the baby’s senses.
Ready to give your precious bundle of love the entrance he or she deserves? (If we’re being honest, this is as much for the parents as it is for the baby.) Below, we included our 35 favorite nurseries with a wide range of decor styles, color palettes, and aesthetics that will be a sanctuary no matter how sleep-deprived you are.
Pretty Pink Nursery
Are we seeing double? This twin nursery in Diablo, California, designed by Marea Clark, is a fresh take on the traditional pink aesthetic. The desaturated hues of the scalloped valances and taupe curtains over the gold oak cribs pair fetchingly with the bold yellow and white ceiling wallpaper that your little ones will inevitably stare up at before catching some zzz’s.
Safari-Themed Nursery
Decorating a nursery means you've been given liberty to push the boundaries of colors and patterns. Take, for instance, this fun nursery corner designed by Powell & Glenn in Toorak, Australia. A pair of rattan animals sit perched on a graphic wallpaper, overseen by an impertinent ape-turned-side table. If parenthood isn't its own expedition, your tiny human will be right at home waking up in the wild each morning.
Storybook Nursery
In the wise words of Beatrix Potter, “there is something delicious about writing the first words of a story. You never quite know where they’ll take you.” The same can be said of a nursery, and this chic space is straight out of a children’s book. A whimsical floral chandelier is overseen by a larger-than-life bunny portrait that simply can't be anything but the legendary Peter Rabbit. How could you say no to just one more story in this space?
Chic Nursery
For a less obvious take on the Beatrix Potter aesthetic, this London nursery is giving us all the storybook illustration vibes. Decorated in white curtains and a monochrome palette, its contemporary aesthetic is chic yet soft. Here, core memories are waiting to be made!
Colorful Nursery
Decorating a nursery can be a task, but more often than not, a fun one, so why not let loose a little with color? ELLE DECOR A-List designers Ashe + Leandro created this nursery with bold tones in mind. The custom color-blocked cabinets, Moroso rocking chair, and Cassina side table are giving us all the baby loving vibes.
Nursery Wall Art
Svetlana Tryaskina of the Toronto-based design firm Estee Design wanted to bring life and playfulness into this neutral-colored nursery. Installing pretty wall art and shelves is an easy and beautiful way to do that. In this case, Tryaskina opted for a tree-inspired wall installation and shelves with stuffed animals to decorate for a playful touch.
Pastel-Hued Nursery
The nursery of this Santa Monica home, designed by Natasha Baradaran, embraced pink with unabashed ease. The colorful mosaic-style rug by the Rug Company complements the rosy-toned furniture and paint throughout the room. If pink is not just a color, but a state of mind as Jessica Lynn once surmised, this nursery is brimming with attitude.
Colorful Nursery
Looking to latch onto current maximalist trends? In this Hamptons home, designer Alec Holland brought together Farrow & Ball’s dazzling Bumble Bee wallpaper in Stone Blue and a bold yellow paint. To tie it all together, he then added a thin line of red on the walls to match the kinetic sculpture by Jim Hunter and the chair by Knoll. In a room like this, baby is sure to know his primary colors well ahead of his peers.
Statement Nursery Piece
Decorating a nursery in neutral tones is a safe choice if you want it to feel timeless and enduring. However, if you're not afraid to take the road less traveled, a patterned rug—like this chic polka dot rug—can add an unexpected element of interest, making it more fun and lively.
Nursery Wallpaper Moment
Lauren Buxbaum Gordon created this vibrant nursery by mixing traditional wallpaper with colors that wouldn’t usually go together—but make total sense in hindsight. The room ties together beautifully, a combination of botanical prints, salmon-colored furnishins, and metallic accent mirrors and lamps. Slumber safe and sound, little one.
High-Contrast Nursery
The nursery of this airy Parisian flat is proof that a modern aesthetic can be cozy. To achieve this welcoming look, the owners incorporated warm wood finishes throughout the room, flanked by black and grey accent pieces.
Blue Nursery
A nursery needn’t be only kid-centric. In this very blue nursery, an adult-size couch offers seating to all who might want to join the little one in an imaginary adventure. Varying textures and patterns create added layering to this sweet boy’s room.
Neon Nursery
And you thought primary colors were bold. This cool cat nursery takes the color mantra one step further, packed with neon-colored decorative elements and trinkets against a midnight black wall. Designed by Michelle Gerson for her son in her New York City apartment, the yellow dresser, emerald green poufs, and skateboard wall decor up the energy in this stylish nursery.
Nautical Nursery
Opting for white and blue stripes is a great way to make your nursery feel on-theme. To complete the room, the owners added a skirt for the crib and a zigzag patterned rug.
Striped Nursery
For a more bombastic take on the stripe aesthetic, this orange and pink-striped nursery is giving us all the circus tent vibes. The room's colorful kid-sized furniture is further anchored by a thick stripe of fuchsia on the wall.
Dark-Toned Nursery
If you’ve given your soul to the dark side, this moody dark-green nursery, designed by Pappas Miron, is all the inspiration you need to commit to buying three cans of paint (if you really love this particular hue, it’s Benjamin Moore’s Dragon’s Breath). A fleet of pretty blue ceramic plates and a quizzical looking hedgehog add a sophisticated-yet-playful energy to the space.
Cloud Nursery
Are you the kind of parent who will support a little daydreaming? L’Objet founder and creative director Elad Yifrach’s home in Lisbon features a nursery that encapsulates the feeling of dreaming. The Fornasetti wallpaper of floating clouds complements the custom high-pile white rug and the white bouclé armchair. Proof that having your head in the clouds isn’t always a bad idea, no matter how old you are.
Contemporary Nursery
Many parents want their nursery to mirror the aesthetics of the rest of the home, which is why we had to share the nursery in this New York City loft designed by Ghislaine Viñas. Chic furniture (is that a black egg chair?) and fixtures make for a room that is seamless and contemporary. “A kid’s room can be just as modern and creative while still being fun,” says Viñas.
Imaginative Nursery
Chicer than a pillow fort, baby tepees are a great way to add color to an otherwise neutral nursery. This happy yellow tepee is the perfect place for afternoon play and story time.
Whimsical Nursery
Nurseries feel magical when they look like they were taken out of a children's book. Joyann King kept her nursery in Millbrook, New York, charming and light, covering the walls with a whimsical forest mural by Rebecca Rebouche, a crib by Restoration Hardware Baby, and a rug by Serena & Lily.
Soft Pink Nursery
In this woodland-themed nursery, the magical forest wallpaper by Chasing Paper perfectly matches the pale pink ceiling paint and dark green trim (Pacific Sea Teal by Benjamin Moore). To continue with the theme, the golden willow leaf light by Anthropologie, tree stump floor cushion, and natural oak stool add an element of otherworldly enchantment.
Patterned Nursery
In this charming room designed by ELLE DECOR A-List Titan Alex Papachristidis, the hand-painted floor pattern takes inspiration from Pauline de Rothschild and the toile de Jouy wallpaper is by Manuel Canovas. What little person, once a bit older, wouldn’t want to spend hours in this delightful space, whether or not there’s a chic dollhouse in the corner?
Dotted Nursery
Inside Christiane Lemieux’s SoHo loft, this interactive nursery features lots of geometric patterns that jump out against the room’s neutral palette. It’s fun, cute, and anything but fussy.
Statement Nursery Ceiling
You went with gray, added a few fun prints, but something is missing. A bold orange-and-white striped ceiling will add the pizzazz any kid’s room needs, giving your little one more than one reason to look up when nestled in their crib.
Monochrome Nursery
When actress, director, and producer Lucy Liu designed her son’s room, she focused on toning down the color and making it uniform. Small pops of color, such as this navy blue rug, add points of interest in the otherwise even-toned space.
Retro Nursery
Retro is so in right now. And really, anything not 2024 goes. Taking that mantra to heart in this nursery, a designer brought in an avocado-green rug, a classic 80s crib, and your go-to blue walls. What year even is it? With a room this adorable, who cares?
Black and White Nursery
In this stylish nursery, simple geometric shapes and classic patterns combine to make the coziest of sleeping quarters. Accents of blues and pinks add additional interest to this serene space.
Purple Nursery
A bold and daring nursery can look just as fabulous as a minimal and neutral one. If you love one color, don’t be afraid to use it as much as you want. In this Upper East Side nursery, designer Alex Papachristidis went no-holds-barred on purple. Purple floors, purple walls, purple furnishings, and purple curtains—even purple figurines. As Seth Godin keenly commented, “be the purple cow in a field of monochrome Holsteins.”
Playful Nursery
The nursery in this relaxed and chic TriBeCa loft, designed by Nicholas Obeid, encapsulates the style of the rest of the home’s interiors. It features cool-toned colors, plenty of play space, and fun furniture.
A Verdant Nursery
Whoever said plant babies don’t belong with human babies? In this very pink nursery, a slew of potted plants bring the outdoors in. These cheery additions are not only good for the soul but also naturally purify the air for your very new little one.
Circus-Themed Nursery
If life with kids might feel like a three-ring circus, embrace it by giving your kid's room a circus-themed look. Designer Giancarlo Valle wasn’t clowning around when he designed this nursery, which features a custom red canopy, chic pinstriped bed linens, and a noble lion head by John Derian. This is your circus, and your monkeys!
Pink Nursery
This delicate nursery, made up of items of LoveShackFancy’s collaboration with Pottery Barn, is beautiful from all angles. If you like accent colors and accessories, keep the base of the furniture white and layer with colors and patterns. In this case, baby pink accents that are as soft on the eyes as your new baby.
Personalized Nursery
What better way to personalize your nursery than by displaying artwork created by your little one? Hanging a pinboard on an empty wall that can be filled with art is a fabulous way to add color and uniqueness to your nursery.
Nursery Reading Corner
Every nursery needs a perfect armchair for bedtime stories, and this nursery designed by Robin Henry is no exception. The pale-green chair beautifully complements the wallcovering by William Morris.
Nursery Window Seat
Doubling as a window seat and as extra storage space, this nursery designed by Pappas Miron is a perfect example of how to make storage look beautiful and organized. For a final detail, the cabinet handle, wallpaper, and curtains all match with a minimal aquamarine tone.
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