Forget the cutesy teddy bears, and ditch the washed-out pinks and barely blues. Nurseries are going chic.
Pervasive matchy-match newborn nursery themes are being replaced with more modern and sophisticated motifs, while traditional pastels have morphed into bold brights and geometric patterns.
And parents-to-be are now opting to create a longer-term decor, one that not only blends with the rest of the house, but also will be suitable as their newborn grows into toddlerhood and beyond.
“Parents are finally growing up when it comes to decorating for baby,” said Angelo Surmelis, host of HGTV’s “24 Hour Design.” “They are looking down the road.”
“It’s about finding a sense of style that is practical and affordable and not traditional,” said Tina Barkley, creator of a line of nursery products called Babylicious that is carried at a variety of baby boutiques, online and at Target. “Parents want to reflect their own sense of style through their babies. And nurseries have become part of that style.”
Dual-purpose changing tables with removable tops grow with babies, thanks to features such as bookcases, drawers or cabinets that become bedroom staples once the changing top is no longer needed. Cribs that can be reconfigured into toddler-sized beds, and storage units and shelves that can hold baby powder and stuffed animals one year and building blocks and books the next, turn baby’s room into one that changes along with the child.
And then there is the color: Bold raspberry, orange and lime green are popular, as are modern earth tones with splashes of red, vermilion or turquoise. Plaids, stripes, polka dots and geometrics make yesterday’s pastel teddy bear-covered patterns so yesterday.
“The first thing we thought of is that we wanted something that was not real babyish,” said Rebecca Stewart, a weekend TV anchor in Hartford, Conn., expecting her first child, a boy, any day now.
Bead board was installed on the walls and ceiling of their son’s bedroom in their Cape Cod-style house in West Hartford. The soft yellow color provides the subtle backdrop for all-about-the-jungle accessories, including a repurposed wardrobe that Stewart updated by painting 6-foot-tall “Gerry Giraffe” on the front.
A jungle-themed clothes-tree – home to a hanging stuffed monkey – wood blinds on the window and a zebra-print area rug share space with a dressing table. A felt jungle diorama on the back of some built-in bookcases and a black crib complete the decor.
“Yeah, there were some people who were like, ‘A black crib? You’ve got to be kidding,’” said Stewart, who, with her husband, did most of the painting and decorating. “But it actually looks good and works well with the jungle idea.”
At the Hartford home of newscasters Dennis House and Kara Sundlun, daughter Helena may be bunked in what sounds like a traditional pink-and-white nursery, but it’s not the kind of pink-and-white room of days gone by.
Bubblegum-pink custom bedding with grosgrain ribbon, awning stripes, plaids and polka dots, provides the eye-catching, bold wash of color in this chic baby’s room.
A design that includes starfish, flamingos and ducks create the wall border. A hot-pink princess phone, hot-pink model 1958 Buick, and pink, white and turquoise letters spelling out the baby’s name are just some of the accessories in the room.
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