LOTH Loves

Whether this is your first baby or your fourth, designing a nursery you love can be both intimidating and exhilarating. There’s something special about preparing the places your child will sleep, be rocked, read stories, play with toys, get their diaper changed and outfit selected, and imagining all the moments in between.


How do you create a space that you love, while also serving baby’s needs above everything else? You’re in luck, Mama. We’ve compiled 5 surefire ways to design the nursery of your dreams.

1. Choose a Theme

Bright Baby Nursery

Let’s be real here: moms today are inundated with options for baby room themes and trends. The process of designing the nursery can quickly shift from joy to frustration when presented with all of the options for baby registries, decor, and even diaper styles. Keep the following list in mind when making decisions about your nursery theme:


  • Paint the walls after you’ve fallen in love with your textiles (curtains, crib bedding, area rug, etc.). It would be greatly disappointing if you went through all that trouble to paint the walls, only to realize the curtains you ordered clash with the color you’ve committed to. Instead, wait to walk into the paint section of your local hardware store once you have your fabrics in hand. You’ll thank us later!

  • Stay true to your style. You don’t have to pretend you love Sesame Street if the thought of a bright, multicolored palette and animated puppets parading your child’s walls makes you unhappy. Instead, choose a theme that fits your personality and natural color inclination. Some popular modern nursery themes include:

    • Boho/Chic
    • Black and White
    • Vintage
    • Botanical/Floral
    • Safari/Jungle
    • Forest/Woodland
    • Global/Travel

  • Select a focal point. More often than not, nurseries end up spotlighting and centering around the crib. If that’s the case for your baby room, great! However, there are other options for nontraditional focal points, depending on the layout of the room. Consider featuring a dresser, rocking chair or oversized toy instead of the crib. 

2. Organization, Organization, Organization

It’s no secret: children will disrupt your life in the most beautiful and inconvenient ways. Everything seems to be thrown for a loop: schedule, events, get-togethers, body shape, memory, cleanliness... and the list goes on. If there’s one thing you can control in the chaos, it’s how well-organized the nursery is.


Finally, some good news!

Gray color scheme baby nursery

  • Functionality first. When arranging furniture in the nursery, ask yourself what you’ll need within arm’s reach at each location. For example, when you’re sitting in the rocking chair, you may appreciate books and a lamp (and a pacifier!) on a table nearby. Near the crib, you’ll appreciate extra sheets, blankets and the baby monitor. While changing the baby’s diaper, access to not only diaper-changing supplies, but additional options for outfit changes will be a must.

  • Containers, everywhere! To fight clutter, it’s important that there’s a place for everything, and everything is always in its place. Okay, that might be wishful thinking, but you can certainly make it easy on yourself by having baskets and/or storage containers available at every turn (preferably, labeled!). Luckily, today’s storage options aren’t anything like your mother’s organization tactics. Check out some of our favorites:

leather basket filled with blankets
    • Vintage Leather Baskets: ideal for holding diapers or wipes near the changing table, housing toys or ensuring easy access to teeny tiny shoes!
Banana leaf basket with plant inside

    • Banana Leaf Baskets: store blankets, dirty baby onesies destined for the laundry room, or a pretty plant (because babies need fresh oxygen, too!).
Sea grass wall baskets

    • Seagrass Wall Basket: the prettiest addition to your nursery walls… filled with your favorite printed burp cloths, childhood stuffed animals, vintage toys, etc!
Basket filled with throw blankets

    • Large Beldi Storage Basket: this one speaks for itself; place it next to your rocking chair to be filled with books, blankets, pacifiers and burp cloths, and anything else you might need during those middle-of-the-night cuddle sessions. 

3. Let There Be Light

Peach accent wall in nursery

Picture this: it’s 3am, your baby is crying in the nursery, and you “sleep-drunkenly” stumble into her room, tripping over blocks and stuffed animals. Yikes! Now, let us shed some light on the situation… there’s an easy solution. Ensure your nursery has ample (and baby-approved) lighting options.


  • Plug-in night light: save yourself from a stubbed toe
  • Reading lamp: you know as well as we do that story time could last for hours
  • Soft overhead lighting: make sure your main light fixture bulb has been exchanged with something non-fluorescent (think warm, soft light, halogen)
  • Black-out/light-blocking curtains: you (and your baby) will thank us later!

4. Furniture Matters

Gray nursery furniture with white rocking chair

Selecting furniture for your baby’s first room can feel like a nearly impossible task. There seems to be a million different versions of the same rocking chair, crib, dresser, changing table, and so on. The opinions are overwhelming, the prices are confusing, and the selection seems to be growing by the hour.


Stay calm, Mama. Here are 5 questions you need to answer before adding that piece of furniture to your baby registry:


  • Is it safe? Thankfully, the United States has stepped up its game when it comes to standards for safety (especially for cribs!). Thoroughly check the product you’re interested in against the most recent protocols, which can be found online. You can even check your crib for any recent recalls by doing a simple search on the Web. If you’re intentional to do due diligence now, you and your baby can rest easy later.

  • Will it last? Think long-term when you’re purchasing baby room furniture. Will it last for the next child, if you choose to have one? Will it grow with my little one (there are a ton of great “convertible” crib options available these days, to last until your peanut is a teenager!)? Is the color/finish gender-neutral?

  • Does it truly fit my style? While there are some things you might have to compromise on, you may find it beneficial to make note of other design choices throughout your home to best inform your nursery furniture selection. If you’re struggling to pinpoint your home decor style, we can help!

  • Is it in my budget? If you’re opting out of a baby registry and purchasing your own baby gear, you may find it valuable to create an itemized budget so that you don’t run out of money to spend on the essentials when your baby arrives (all those boxes of diapers really start to add up!)

    • What are other parents saying? Let’s face it: sometimes, a product’s reviews speak for themselves. Check out what other moms and dads are saying about that vintage-style rocking chair you have your eye on. Is it comfortable? Does it make a lot of noise? Is it worth the money? Is the brand’s customer service reputable? You don’t have to be in the dark about nursery furniture purchases. In this instance, following the crowd might actually be the best case scenario. 

     

    5. Decorate Like a Mom Boss

    Black nursery decor with yellow pop of color

    Finally, the fun part! Once you’ve chosen your nursery’s theme and main pieces of furniture, it’s time to find decorations that tie the whole room together and create a space you (and your babysitter) actually want to be in. This is where you get to let your imagination run wild!

  • Get inspired. You know the drill: Pinterest, Instagram, online baby stores… the sky’s the limit.
  • Color me “new here!” Even if your style tends to take on a muted/minimalist vibe, the nursery is the perfect place to let the rainbow have some say. Your baby needs to be visually stimulated, and you might appreciate the vibrant pop of color while you change your baby's third blowout of the day.
  • Stay focused. It might be tempting to begin incorporating animal prints when you’ve decided on a theme of cars and locomotives for your baby boy, but you may end up regretting a hodgepodge of decor selections when all is said and done. Stick to your theme and color scheme so that midnight rocking sessions don’t leave you feeling dizzy.

  • Loth & Co is proud to be a go-to source for new moms seeking to design the best nursery on the block. Our selection of baby items is classy, unique, and beautiful. Come see some of our favorite pieces!

    Stack of nursery throw pillows

     

    • Cloud Pillow: so many snuggles to be had with this soft cloud-shaped pillow, perfect for baby's bed!
    Cotton Printed Floral Flag Garland

    Baby Bear Plush Toy

    • Baby Bear Plush Toy: one of the easiest ways to decorate a nursery is with the very toys baby will love! This soft, cuddly bear is sure to be the perfect addition to any nursery theme.

    Designing a nursery for your coming little one is bound to be one of the most exciting things about your pregnancy. Take a deep breath, Mama. It’s going to be beautiful.


    Come on over to the comments section and say “hi!” We’d love to be a part of the journey.