Mauve walls - a perfect contrast for custom So Soft Organic Crib Bedding made by Precious Bloom
A lot has been written on the subject of colour but I would like to offer some tips on using colour in your baby’s room, particularly your paint colours. The colours you choose will set the mood and the ambiance.
Colours can stimulate or soothe, and from my perspective at any rate, I think that when your baby is in his/her room, you will want baby to sleep, rest and repair.
So what does this mean for your colour choices?
There are a number of decisions to make:
- Do you know, or will you be finding out, if your baby is a boy or a girl?
- Are you planning to have more than one baby?
- If so, do you want to be able to use your baby’s room for all of your children’s early years?
- Or, will your baby grow up in this room?
- Decisions, decisions!
Creating a calm environment
According to June McLeod, a colour expert, “Babies are happier when surrounded by calming soothing pastel shades; these new little people have a lot of adjusting to do and thrive in a calming environment.” She goes on to suggest that busy patterns and strong colours will encourage hyperactivity, lack of sleep and restlessness.
So no matter your decision with respect to whether you want to know the sex of your baby, whether baby’s room will become a toddler room, child’s room, etc., sticking to calm pastels for your paint and introducing brighter colours with the use of toys, accessories and soft furnishings, such as our So Soft Crib and Toddler Bedding Line, will create a more peaceful and restful environment for sleeping.
Custom organic rod-pocket curtains and valance
Some pointers
- For a baby boy’s room, consider using any colour except shades of pink and purple.
- For a baby girl’s room, any colour, but blue and red in moderation.
- For a gender-neutral baby’s room, consider using any colour except pink or purple, and if using blue and green, use them in moderation.
- Simplify your colour palette and limit your colour choices to two main colours and perhaps an accent colour or two – obviously just a guideline!
- Add a little interest by including splashes of an accent colour. For example, use muted shades of blue on the walls and add splashes of bright red around the nursery in the form of bedding, curtains, cushions, lamp shades, toys, etc.
Colour categories
Colours are divided into warm, cool and neutral categories with each colour category setting its own mood.
- Cool colours include blue and green. They have a calming effect and give the perception of space making them a good choice for a smaller baby’s room.
- Warm colours include red, pink, orange and yellow. They have an inviting effect and give a feeling of coziness. This makes them a good choice for larger nurseries.
- Neutral colours include white, cream, ivory, beige and brown. They can be used as an anchor for bolder colours or to tone down an otherwise overwhelming colour scheme. Neutral colours also give the perception of space.
We’d love to know what paint colours you have chosen for your nursery, so please leave a comment below.