Having a baby boy and struggling to find inspiration for how to style something cute, transitional and fun? We've got you covered with our nursery styling hacks for a picture perfect gender neutral room which has just as much character as a girls room. Plus, you're guaranteed to be able to use and reuse elements for future babies or in other rooms of the home.
1. Start with a strong colour palette.
How you decide on a colour palette for the room will depend on whether you're starting from scratch or not. If you already have a piece of wall art or a cot on pre-order, use the rule of 60-30-10. 60% of your colour palette will be dictated by the wall shade or any large pieces of furniture, 30% will be your secondary colour (something complimentary and not too wild!) and 10% can be used on accent colours. If you haven't given the colour palette much thought, draw inspiration from the colours throughout the rest of your home to set the tone of the room.
2. Design digitally with a mood board.
Style like the pros and piece together your nursery with a mood board first! We love Style Sourcebook: a free online mood board design app which lets you browse thousands of on-trend products and create the nursery of your dreams. Creating a digital mood board is also the perfect opportunity to double check whether the colours you have chosen compliment each other.
3. We love a feature wall.
While painting is not necessarily permanent, it is time consuming and disruptive to your everyday routine: cue plastic sheets and having the kids bunk together in the spare room for a week! If the idea of committing to a block of colour is scaring you, opt for a feature wall using wallpaper and cut out painting all together. Go as bold as you dare and change it up as your little one gets older, or opt for a classic design like Pickawall's VJ Panel custom wallpaper. Injecting patterns and fun can also be as simple as purchasing a digital download and printing and framing at Kmart. Cha-ching!
4. Choose gender neutral furniture.
Basically, the more expensive the item of furniture is, the more gender neutral you want it to be. Gender neutral colours are beiges, whites, greys and muted mustard tones, so you want to incorporate staples which can be moved to another room or be used for future babies. The added bonus of not splurging on a bright pink cot means it is easier to resell or gift on when the time comes. Our picks for this Nursery were the Kaylula Bella Cot and Grey Cloud Rocker + Ottoman both from luxe nursery furniture brand Love Baby Cot.
5. Add character with colourful linen.
Fortunately, choosing neutral coloured furniture means adding colour and character through linen, bedding and blankets is cost-effective and oh-so easy! Brands such as Aden and Anais have tasteful, softly coloured blankets and throws to compliment any space while My Warren Hill have a selection of earthy Flax linen sheets perfect for a boys nursery. If you don't mind a little bit of DIY, an interiors canopy from Hope and Jade is a soft, colourful feature to hang from the ceiling which your little one will love for years to come.
6. Transitional decor.
The idea of personalising your little ones space is beautiful, until you realise they've outgrown that "style" and the decor can't be used for another baby! We love the idea of choosing one personalised element (such as a wall plaque from Timber Tinkers) and opting for gender neutral quotes with meaning, for other elements. Addison Wonderland do pre-made Wall Flags with cute quips, or you could draw inspiration from ours below!
You are my sunshine.
You are my sun, my moon and all of my stars.
A little love makes a big difference.
Of all the things my hands have held, the best by far is you.
Brave little one.
You will always have us.
7. Using storage creatively.
Kid's toys are notoriously colourful, bright and can make a nursery look cluttered and busy, very quickly. Take the stress out of styled play by choosing chic baskets, large toy chests and other stylish storage solutions. It has the benefit of matching the space perfectly (we promise it's much easier to find baskets, rather than toy trucks, to compliment a coastal theme!) while reducing clutter and mess. We've even found it makes tidying up all the more satisfying!
8. Skip the expensive and impractical.
Now don't get us wrong, we love nothing more than a plush, ultra-luxe rug for the living area, but it isn't always the most practical option for a baby nursery. We love the idea of Rugabub's playmats which look just as polished as a rug, minus the spills, stains and pilling! The perfect easy-clean, tummy time and play alternative, without compromising on the look and style of your nursery.
Our top Gender Neutral Baby Essentials picks!
Marsupi Australia and their 'think-outside-the-box' approach to colourways and patterns for baby carriers. We love the 'no buckles, no clasps, no fuss!' approach to this design making it the easiest baby carrier to throw on and rush out the door with cos #mumlife!
BabyZen's Yoyo2 stroller comes in a variety of gender neutral colours to make a statement. The lightweight, easy fold system makes this our top choice for everyday, small boots and of course travel! It literally folds up to the size of a carry on bag - we're impressed!
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