Nurseries & Children's Themes

Today’s nurseries and children’s rooms— personalized, organized, and ever-evolving! If the emergence of Baby Gap, Baby Einstein, and gourmet baby food conveys anything, it's this: times are a-changing. Gone are the days when mothers and fathers were content to bring their bundle of joy home to a plain crib in a simple, white-walled room.

Today's parents are more hip, much craftier, and it appears they even manage to predict the future to some degree. Their nursery and children's room design choices communicate unique personality, offer as much functionality as charm, and can stand the test of time by evolving to meet their children's needs as he or she grows up.

Baby, it’s you!

The magic begins in a nursery.  Envisioning and creating a baby’s nursery is often an exciting and soul-nourishing experience for soon-to-be parents.

Angela and Rod Krause, owners of the Oh Baby! and Dilly Dally stores in North Raleigh, have spent the last nine years catering to the needs of those who are expecting.  Their unique inventory has evolved to meet the concerns and interests of young families.

“The most popular trend we see right now in baby nurseries is going ‘green’ – being more eco-friendly in every aspect of the room,” said Angela Krause.  “We offer a wide variety of ‘green’ products for a child’s room including formaldehyde-free furniture, organic clothing, organic crib sheets, organic baby products like lotions, even safe toys that aren't made with harmful chemicals."

The “green” theme can extend to every item in the room – cotton diapers, floor rugs with organic fibers, bamboo flooring and window treatments (bamboo is a renewable, eco-friendly resource) and cribs and other furniture finished with safe paints and minimal varnish.

Krause says that going “green” for a nursery begs some obvious color choices: “The color green can really bring out the organic, natural theme.  Earth tones and neutrals help create a natural look and complement different wood stains on the furniture.  Clean white is another one that is always a classic color for baby rooms.”

Parents find they have quite a few choices when it comes to nursery furniture.  Wooden sleigh cribs remain a classic piece, while round cribs are on the rise.  Round cribs topped with netting or a canopy work well both for making the room attractive and saving space.

Another popular choice is a convertible bed.  These pieces begin as a crib and later transform into a child’s first bed, serving the family for many years.  Oh Baby! sells innovative pieces that transform from crib, to toddler bed, to double bed.  Baby furniture can contain very versatile elements – some of their cribs feature a bookcase as one end, which later becomes separate from the bed, or a wooden changing table on top of a drawer which later flips up to be a mirror.



Making it special

The desire to personalize a child’s room usually begins very early.  Many parents are personalizing their nursery with the child’s monogram painted on the wall and embroidered on pillows and towels.  Some of the most popular combinations for monogramming are chocolate brown with pink, lime green, or aqua, as well as the more classic baby blue and white, or pink and white.

Other couples take cues from their own family history.  Terri Kemp, an interior designer for new Centex Homes developments in the Triangle, said a bit of family trivia gave direction to her nursery design.

“Being an interior designer, I had the hardest time deciding how to decorate our son’s room because I was exposed to so many great ideas,” said Kemp.  “I was six months pregnant and still couldn’t decide on a theme.  When on a trip, my husband happened to mention that his grandfather had worked on the railroads.  We decided to go with a train theme to incorporate that family history into the room.  It worked out well because our son’s interest expanded and he became a fan of Thomas the Tank Engine!”

A room that grows with the child

Yet that interest didn’t last forever.  Kemp’s son later developed a keen interest in dogs, and she transformed the room for a new era.

“The key to designing a child’s room is to start with a basic color theme when you have a baby, and then build on it from there.  You can change the bedding, add some artwork, and replace the accent pieces to create an entirely new theme.”

Kemp estimated that a child’s room changes every three to four years to better accommodate his or her age and interests.

As kids grow older, they’ll continue to find new ways to express themselves in their room.  Incorporating their name (such as painting it on the wall) or using bulletin boards for quick and easy display changes are two ways for kids to make the room their own.

(Photo courtesy of Evertte & Soule. Room Design by Kay Green)

A theme cool enough for your kid

Kay Green, the owner of Kay Green Design in Orlando, FL, and a designer for K. Hovnanian Homes in the Triangle, said that design choices for a child’s room should take into consideration that most kids see themselves as older than they are.  Design choices shouldn’t be too juvenile or kids will pick up on it.

Perhaps that’s why so many kids are not only having a say in their room design as they grow up, but also choosing dynamic, room-encompassing looks.

“As a model home designer for new developments, my job is to know the market and be aware of everything kids are exposed to,” said Green.  “We incorporate the hottest trends in movies and TV into children’s rooms.  Right now some of the popular themes are pirates, Disney’s Hannah Montana, and Spiderman.  We also use some timeless themes like princess/dress-up, ballet, and nursery rhymes.”

Indeed, a look at some of the best-designed kids’ rooms might seem like a survey of pop culture.  Kids are incorporating Nascar, Dora the Explorer, Harry Potter – whatever is capturing their hearts and minds at the moment.

Plenty of classic themes are also appealing, including for girls, butterflies, flowers, leopard/zebra prints, ponies, and cats; and for boys, cowboys, dogs, and all the standard sports (baseball, football, basketball, etc.) as well as newer extreme sports like skiing and rock climbing.

Kay Green has seen the eco-friendly, ‘green’ theme extended into older kids’ rooms.  “We see camping themes are very popular, sort of the Boy Scouts appeal.”  Some children are enjoying a hint of nature with rock texture on the wall and even a camping tent in addition to their bed.

Kids are taking advantage of not only personal design, but also personal technology.  More and more furniture lines offer audio hook-ups.  Kids can plug their iPod into a headboard, listen to video games with special in-chair speakers, and access computers in or near their room.

(Pirate Room designed by and photo courtesy of Kay Green)

Keep it organized

Besides being attractive, the furniture in children’s rooms can also go a long way toward keeping the space organized.
 
Terri Kemp noted some helpful throwbacks to the 60s and 70s are popping up again: “Platform and storage beds are big right now.  These beds let parents put baskets below the bed, or fill drawers with toys and other belongings.”

Bookcases can also be key to organization and neatness.  Kemp continued, “One good idea is to get bookcases for the baby nursery and fill them with baskets to store diapers and bottles.  Once the child gets older, the bookcases can actually hold books or toys and grow along with the child.”

In general, the furniture trend in children’s rooms is toward contemporary looks.  Much of the furniture has a European, ‘clean lines’ appeal.  Painted furniture is also popular, as evidenced by popular store catalogs such as Pottery Barn. 

Involve the kids

If there’s one major thing that’s changed in the design of children’s rooms, perhaps it’s the rising volume of the input of… the kids themselves!

Terri Kemp attributes this to changes in kids’ lives.  “These days, kids travel much more.  They are also exposed to lots of design ideas on TV and in movies.”

When you’re ready to transform a child’s room – unless it’s a nursery for a newborn – solicit input from your kids.  Chances are they’ve already started picturing the room of their dreams.

“Or, decorate the easy way!”

Shopping for vintage items, restoring furniture, and painting walls is sure to create a unique effect in your child’s room, but sometimes the time or the resources just aren’t available.

Thankfully there’s another option for the average parent who wants an exciting room theme but can’t break the bank to accomplish it.

Fathead is a company that sells, well, Fatheads!  A Fathead is their signature product – a life-size, photo-quality image of sports starts, entertainers, and other characters.

The advantage is two-fold: first, Fatheads are made of a high-grade vinyl that sticks directly to the wall and can be easily removed and reattached somewhere else, and secondly, they’re hundreds of dollars less than custom murals and other more costly treatments.  At an average of $79 - $99 each, you can’t go wrong.

Younger children will enjoy Fatheads of the Disney Cars characters, Pirates of the Caribbean, and coming soon, Fairies.  Older kids might prefer Disney’s Hannah Montana, High School Musical characters, and of course an extensive line of professional athletes and their team logos.  Superheroes like Batman and Superman, Star Wars, and the Simpsons are also available.

(Photo above courtesy of Fathead, LLC)

Jenny fredette is a freelance writer