As first time parents, designing a nursery can be an exciting experience. However, with the amount of products and nursery inspiration on the internet you can quickly become overwhelmed with the process.
Melissa Lee, children’s interior stylist and director of children’s décor store, Young Folk Store, knows this process all too well and shares her top 5 Baby Hints and Tips for designing a nursery for less.
Tip 1: Make your money go further by investing in versatile furniture.
Babies grow incredibly fast and you will be buying a lot more than just room décor and furniture in the next few years. When designing your nursery invest in quality furniture to avoid replacing them in the years to come. When purchasing staple pieces of furniture for your nursery including a cot, a change table and a drawer set, opt for versatile and convertible furniture such as cots that convert into toddler beds or change tables that can be used as a drawer set beyond the baby years.
Tip 2: Take your time decorating the nursery.
Decorating your nursery can be exciting and although you might want to jump in and quickly decorate it, sometimes waiting and giving yourself time to find the right pieces can allow you to have a balanced and well thought out room. Add things slowly and work with a vision of less is more. Also think about the months and years to come. How can you cleverly update the room without spending too much more on re-designing the space?
Tip 3: Use toys as decor
When becoming a first time parent you can easily accumulate a lot of toys. Instead of storing the toys, use some of your babies more decorative toys as décor for their room. This can help with clutter and also give the nursery a feeling of child-like playfulness. Just choose a few pieces that work well on shelving or hung on the wall and work with your design, not against it. This works especially well with lovely wooden or decorative toys.
Tip 4: Be brave and try something new.
Nurseries don’t need to be all-neutral nor gender specific. Think outside of the stereotype colours and come up with a design that is your own. Just be clever about how you use colour and what colours you use. Paint is a great, cost-effective way to freshen up a room; however, you are not limited to one colour. Have fun with patterns on one wall in complimentary shades.
If you are renting or don’t want to commit to paint, or want to add colour that can be easily changed later on, then you can’t go past wall decals. They are great for adding a cost-effective splash of colour and style to a nursery.
Tip 5: Invest in natural.
Tip 5: Invest in natural.Natural fabrics and materials such as organic cotton sheets, responsibly sourced timbers and organic dyes can help to counteract any plastic pieces in your nursery. Whether it’s linen, furniture or toys, products made from natural materials are often high quality, last longer and better for the environment. Adding small pieces of wooden furniture or toys can help to balance out the room and give it some warmth.
About the Author: Melissa Lee is a children’s interior stylist and director of online children’s décor store, Young Folk Store. Drawing on her previous knowledge as a professional interior stylist for well-known Australian magazines and television shows, Melissa understands the complexities of getting the right look for a room, and working with colours, patterns, shapes, prints, furniture and textiles. Melissa offers a number of styling services to suit the parents’ budget and requirements from complete room makeovers using her e-design or onsite design services, to product sourcing to find that one-off statement piece. To view Melissa Lee’s portfolio of work visit www.youngfolkstore.com.au
Image credits from top: Young Folk Store, Inside Out Magazine, Young Folk Store.
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