It's a Boy! Best Finishes and Design Tips for a Boy's Nursery Room
The nursery room can be an exciting or stressful project for couples expecting their baby. The stress of how to properly design the room, the picking of the right colors, furniture, lighting, and decors starts creeping in, especially once you finally know about the baby's gender.
I can't speak about the experience of having a child because, at the moment, I have zero knowledge of that department. However, as a designer, I can tell you about design tips and the best finishes you can apply to your nursery room. Helping parents create a comfortable and stylish space for their newly born is something I'm delighted and excited to do. Maybe this is the universe preparing me for the time when I will be designing a unique room for my newly born baby.
Nowadays, couples expecting babies usually celebrate by doing a gender reveal party. It is an exciting party for the parents because they will finally learn about the gender of their baby. Once they know about the gender, it's finally time to start thinking and planning about the Nursery Room. I will focus on a bouncing baby boy's nursery room for this blog. But don't worry; I will have separate blogs for girls' and gender-neutral nursery rooms.
It's a Boy! Now what?
Yehey! It's a baby boy, and Daddy can't hide his excitement. The first thing to be put in place is deciding which room or space you want to convert into a nursery. It would be nice if it's a separate room from the primary bedroom to easily contain sound and everything that is only specific to the baby's needs.
If there is a room beside your main bedroom, that would be the best nursery room. Also, make sure that your chosen space has ample windows for natural lighting and is spacious enough to fit at least a crib, small cabinet, or baby changing table with storage and a comfy recliner or rocking chair.
Planning to Make it Organized
Now that you have decided on the room or space you want to convert to a nursery room; it's time to do the space planning. In my previous blog about redesigning or redecorating an existing room or space, I usually stressed that planning is essential. And having a simple floor plan sketch of the room with measurements can make all the difference when it comes to cost savings and buying the right furniture.
Most secondary room has a simple rectangular or squarish shape, so it would be easy to sketch the floor plan. First, measure all walls and draw that on your sketch pad or notebook. Then try to locate the door, windows, power outlet, and any existing closet, as well as measure the ceiling height. Once you have all this information sketched, you can quickly look for furniture that will fit easily in your space.
Deciding on the Theme
See, it's not that hard to do a sketch floor plan of the room. Moving forward, you can now decide on a specific room theme. It can be something to do with your dream career for your baby (don't get me wrong, but some parents have already decided on what their baby will be when they grow up), or it could be something to do with sailing, galaxy, stars, plants or dinosaurs. Honestly, anything can be a theme for the room; you need to decide whether you'll be comfortable with it in the long run because, aside from your baby, you will spend more time in that room.
On the other hand, you can also forget about the theme and go with whatever you pick during the process and the stuff available within your budget. It will be more cost-effective than sticking to a specific theme and spending lots of stuff the baby won't need to make the room theme straightforward. Your baby and you as the parent's comfiness are the most crucial goal for the nursery room.
Comfy Flooring
Floor finish is essential in designing a nursery room. Like any other room in the house, the material you selected on your floor should be conformable enough to walk on. Also, you might want to consider flooring with subtle patterns and colors to promote calmness in the room and avoid visual distortions that can trip someone stepping on it.
If the budget is tight, you can always retain the existing flooring, whether it's carpet, wood, or vinyl planks. Adding area rugs to spaces you usually stand or sit is a great option to introduce soft and comfy floor features. Below are some of my favorite floor finishes that might look great for the new nursery room.
Scottish Sett
The Scottish Sett by Flor is a carpet tile applicable to an entire room carpet or just an area rug. It has muted plaid rug features and a subtle color accent, which I like because it creates a classic yet modern feel to the floor. I also love how the carpet tiles don't align with each other creating random plaid patterns, which I thought looked playful and suitable for a nursery room.
Lykke
Another attractive floor finish is the Lykke from Scott Group Studio. It is part of their Basho collection, which means "place" in Japanese, that pertains to organic approaches to creating peaceful places. The flooring and rug are made of hand-tufted silk and wool. I like this carpet because of the organic pattern and texture, which looks soft and comfy.
Presta
If you're looking for a more subtle but playful pattern kind of flooring, then the Presta from Stark might be the best option. The carpet collection is available in various colors, but I recommend the Ash with white dot patterns. I like how soft the carpet looks; even with the busy print, it still looks subtle because of the combination of light grey and white colors.
Blogs that might pique your interest:
Calgary's Lilac Festival- Tips to a Successful Pop-Up Shop from an Interior Designer
12 Best Color White Finishes to Use in Any Rooms
How to Make a Rental Living Room Feel Like your Own?
Townhouse Backyard Makeover on a Budget; Renter-Friendly Ideas
Let's get Creative with Walls
Walls are where you usually want to reflect the theme of the nursery room; that's why picking the best wall finishes is one of the most exciting processes of the project. If you want it to be simple, you can opt for wall paint. However, the wallcovering is the way to go if you want to splurge a bit and be more creative.
There are tons of different patterns and colors for wallpapers that you can use in the nursery rooms, and it's up to you whether you want to stick with a theme of your choosing or pick a wallcovering that you love.
I know that the options out there can be overwhelming, but remember that most of the time, your baby and you will be sleeping or relaxing in that room, so wallcovering with subtle and calming colors and patterns might be your best starting point. Also, you don't need to cover all walls with wallpaper. You can cut costs by creating a feature wall with your fave wallpaper and painting the other walls with complimenting paint colors.
Below are some wallcoverings that I think might look great for a boy's nursery room.
Chevron Stripe
The Chevron Strip wallpaper from York Wallcoverings is probably one of my favorite wallpaper for a boy's nursery room. It is a washable vinyl that can easily be installed by peeling and sticking on any surface. I like the pattern and color combination of blue and random yellow strips. I thought the installation could be vertically to create an illusion of a high ceiling or horizontally to make the room look bigger. However, the pattern can look very busy when installed on all four walls, so creating a wall feature on just one wall with this wallpaper can be the best option.
Star Wars
Another attractive wallpaper from York Wallcoverings is the Star Wars: Good Night Galaxy Wallpaper. It's the kind of wallpaper design that doesn't need to be blue to make it appropriate for a boy's nursery room. The wallpaper features different planets, galaxies, and spaceships that look like they were all hand drawn. I love this wallpaper because it's so subtle that you can incorporate it on all walls in the room. Also, it pertains to a specific theme in which you can align all other stuff you are putting in the room, such as furniture and toys.
Dog Days
Black and white wallpaper can be one of the last options for a nursery room, but the Dog Days wallpaper by Olivia + Poppy can be an exemption. It can be an option for parents who started their parenting journey with their fur babies and want to share that story with their newborn baby. I adore this wallpaper because of how stylish the dogs' prints are and how they are arranged, creating such an organized pattern.
Furniture, Lighting, and Decors
Now that your floor and wall finishes are installed, it's time to shop for furniture, lighting (if you're planning to change the existing light fixture), and decors. But before you do the shopping spree, whether online or in-store, make sure to list down all the things that are only missing, and that will fit in your room. Remember, you have the floor plan with measurements that you can use to shop for the right furniture.
Also, from what I heard, friends and families are usually generous when giving gifts for the baby, so make sure to open those gifts you received during the gender reveal before shopping for more stuff. You don't want to bring two cribs or changing tables in your nursery room, right?
For choosing the right crib, select the correct size (usually, the standard length is about 28" x 52", and there are also small sizes called mini cribs). As long as a double bed fits in your existing room, a standard crib size can also do as comfortably. The material and color also matter; select the most durable paint that will compliment your chosen wallcovering. Usually, white or warmer wood cribs can easily match any wall color.
There are many baby changing table options that also function as a dresser for storing clothes and other baby stuff. Most changing tables are 20" wide x 26" long x 36" high and made from wood available in different colors. Tables with HPL or high-pressure laminate finishing are more durable and can easily be cleaned.
Another essential furniture piece in the room is the rocking chair or glider for nursing. Make sure it is comfortable to sit on while holding the baby for extended periods. The cushions and fabrics should also be durable; there are also options for antimicrobial materials for these chairs.
Now that you have all the major furniture you and the baby will need in the room, it's time to look for other pieces such as additional lighting like floor or table lamps, side table, wall shelves, indoor plants, draperies, and other decors. Below are some items that I think might help you complete the finishing touches of your nursery room.
RD's Fave Picks of the Week
- Baby's Crib
- Baby's Crib
- Changing Table/ Dresser
- Changing Table/ Dresser
- Sconce Light
- Sconce Light/ Wall Shelf
- Sconce Light
- Décor Prints
- Play Mat
- Toy Box Storage
Babyproofing
One of the essential things to consider in a nursery room before you welcome your baby to his newly designed space is to ensure it is babyproofed. Wall shelves can be a great way to display stuff in the nursery room; make sure to install them far from the crib, changing table, and rocking chair. Ensure that the walls above this furniture are clear of anything to avoid accidents.
It is also lovely to have proper storage for all loose items, small stuff from toys. That's why a changing table that functions as a dresser is a great functional piece of furniture to organize clothes and toys for the baby. For existing and additional lighting, it would be great for the baby if these lights are UL listed, LED, and dimmable.
Last, install finger pinch guards and furniture corner protectors to avoid accidents when the baby starts to crawl or walk. Time flies fast, and it's better to be ready.
You made it!
Congratulations on creating an adorable nursery room for your bouncing baby boy! It's stressful at first, but I know you enjoyed the process, and you're super motivated because you're doing it for your baby, who you will welcome in your home and life any day from now.
A design project like this makes me love what I do for a living; it's not only to make spaces functional and beautiful but also to give meaning to the space. I firmly believe that a room should be designed personally for the users, and the outcome should reflect what they desire coming from the bottom of their hearts.
Thank you for stopping by and reading my blogs. I aim to impart more than a decade of design (primarily interior design) knowledge and experience through reviews, tips, inspirations, and DIYs. I hope you enjoy your time here as much as I enjoy writing my blogs; feel free to comment below, email me at info@rocabudesigns.com, or subscribe to our newsletter for fresh blog updates.
Together, let's create meaningful and beautiful spaces.
Ron
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1 comment
Congratulations!! Your blog is truly helpful
