Did anyone here do a non theme specific nursery?

[sbjf]

If you did, how do you like this? Do you wish you did a theme? Do you just have a little bit of everything thrown in as decorative accents?

Dh and I were all set to do a sailboat themed nursery, but I have to admit that I'm already getting sick of this theme, he's gonna kill me, lol. Really I'm a true Gemini and I just think I need a versatile room.

Maybe plain sheets/crib skirt/curtains with the occasional different bumper to spice things up?

For the rug I'm going with a braided rug which is nice and versatile. I like the one that is red/white/blue from Pottery Barn Kids.

Any thoughts would be much appreciated!

[egoldber]

Hmm. Well, I guess that's me! :) Personally, I could never pick one theme, since I like to pick up things as they strike me and wouldn't like to be limited by a theme.

But here's what we did. We moved into our house when I was 35 weeks pregnant and had DD at 37 weeks, so we had no time to really plan. While I was in the hospital after delivering, MIL painted a mural on DD's wall. We kept the existing wall color (a pale, sky blue) and painted a rainbow and a sun and then a funky flowery motif around the walls. Her crib bedding is an ocean blue that I got from Company Kids on clearance. Her quilt was from PBK in the Flutterbug pattern (again, on clearance). MIL gave us a beautiful watercolor print for her room.

And then I have various eclectic accessories that I have picked up along the way. It works for us and I have never missed not having a "theme". Since her overall nursery color is blue, I find that almost any color accessory works with it, including pinks and purples. Her furniture is a natural maple and is very classic looking.

To make it a boys room for the next baby, I would just need to paint over the flowers (or add bugs and critters to make it more boy-ish) and we'd be all set.

[JLiebCamm]

My original idea was to make the nursery look like the children's area in a bookstore, with a mixture of all the famous characters from children's literature instead of one repetitive thing. When I realized that it would cost too much to carry that out, I decided to do a loose theme based on the PBK crib bumper that I had picked out, which had frogs and dragonflies. I sponge painted dragonflies on sheer curtains and found a mobile (for the ceiling) with dragonflies. A few friends bought stuffed frogs. But that's where the theme stopped. We framed 4 large prints from various Maurice Sendak books for the walls and bought an area rug with cute stars on it. We found a whimsical lamp and painted a nightstand with fun colors to match. My husband put his artistic talent to work and painted clouds on the ceiling. It all pulls together well and looks like a fun kids room.

[crl]

We only sort of have a theme. I decided I wanted to make the room look like a sunny day. So the ceiling is sky blue with just a bit of a cloud effect, the walls are pale yellow and the rug is green. The curtains, etc are the Waverly fly away print which has dragonflies and ladybugs. And the crib sheets are just bright yellow. So, I guess there's a bit of a theme, but not a lot of repetition. . . .

[kfcboston]

I personally wasn't too big on the whole theme thing, either - was afraid I'd get sick of it, AND since we only have a two bedroom (and didn't find out the sex of the baby) I wanted to keep it neutral. So we did yellow walls, and I cut out sponges in triangles, circles and squares did a border with them in pink, pastel green and light blue. Have a neutral area rug we got at an outlet, and cherry wood furniture. The wall hangings are an eclectic mix of animal prints, photos, shelving and Red Sox stuff. :)

[hobey]

We never planned on a theme but just kind of fell in to a bugs & frogs theme for DS's nursery. The room we used was already "nursery-like" since it was one of the first rooms we did when we moved into our house. I was in love with wainscoting at that point and redid that room in a whitewashed blue wallpaper with white beadboard wainscoting.

When we started picking things up for the nursery, I just started collecting things that appealed to me starting with these white IKEA sheers with embroidered dragonflies. We got a white Babi Italia Tuscan crib. We have the blue/green striped Amy Coe skirt from Target on it and we use plain blue or green colored sheets. We customized our white IKEA dressers with these cute bug drawer pulls I found on line and the rug we're using is the blue Lance Armfrog rug from Land of Nod. It wasn't until we were done decorating that I realized that we fell into a theme.

Raquel
Nathan's Mom 12/19/03

[Lucia]

You must be getting excited about your little one's arrival, congratulations! We did not have a specific theme. We were inspired by a Peter Max print that hung in my husband's bedroom when he was a kid and now hangs in my son's room. DS's room is mainly white and blue with accents of colors from that print...fun, bright colors and we have a rug that someone made for me when I was a baby. I like that the room has a mix of colors and things that remind us of our childhood.

I bought bedding that is very versatile...a bumper with patterns on both sides (gingham on one side, larger plaid on other), bed skirt in the same blue/white gingham of bumper, and a mix of sheets in different shades of blues, greens in solids and gingham patterns. I found some great storage baskets at Target...white wicker with blue liners(look similar, but much cheaper than Pottery Barn) and have them filling a large shelf on one wall so that continues the "theme" of blue and white. On the opposite wall we have another Pottery Barn inspiration that adds color and interest...a book rack. Our neighbor made this for us and it is pretty easy to do. We display some of our favorite books, my old stuffed bear, family photos,etc.

I think it will also be easy to have this room "grow" with DS. I anticipate that as he gets older and he develops specific interests (trains, dinosaurs, outspace, whatever..) we will incorporate that theme into the space.

Have fun creating the nursery and put things in it that make you happy and have meaning to you and your family.

[JenCA]

We did not do a theme in DD's nursery, either. I am just not a "theme" kind of person. That being said--we did chose crib bedding and a matching area rug from PBK, and the accents in DD's room match the bedding (i.e., valance, basket liners, etc.). But it's not really a "theme"--just pretty colors, :)

[KMommie]

We didn't really do a theme, either. We went with primary colors---mostly from PBK. We didn't know if we were having a boy or a girl, and figured, this would work for both. We're moving soon, and I'm thinking about theming DD's new room, though (cats and dogs)---and the playroom (children's lit), too! Not sure, if I have the time to design and paint, with a little one around now, though.

Jeannie
mommy to Kiki 4/18/03

[jamsmu]

DH painted the room green on the bottom and blue up top. (The green goes up to where a chair rail would be. Then I painted a wave in white about 1 foot to 1 1/2 feet wide in between the colors. We used green gingham curtains and basket liners from PBK and blue or green solid sheets (PBK). The bumper is one from 2 years ago that is soft and has sailboats on the inside of the crib (again, PBK). And the lampshade matches the bumper. The furniture is white and I got cute "tic tac toe" shelves from IKEA that are adorned with collectibles (my bronzed shoes, lots of gifts that are personalized with DS' name, oversized books, picture frames, etc.)

So glad I don't have any more of a theme than that! People kept asking me what my theme was and I just smiled and said "don't have one." They a lot of people were shocked, but I don't think they're used very much anymore. I think you can't go wrong on cute nurseries with PBK. Everything is meant to mix and match in their colors so it always works.

HAVE FUN!

[shishamo]

Hi,

I just picked the colors (in my case, red and denim blue) and tried to pick furnitures that are honey colored (with a red accent if possible) with a reddish rug. It worked great, even though there is no theme. For example, my DS's twin bed has a plaid (denim blue/reddish plaid) comforter set, and my DD's crib bedding is a red gingham with various old fashioned flower accents.

[Jeanne]

We didn't go with a theme either. We knew we were having a girl and wanted a room that would grow with her. I registered for and got the Waverly crib set. It's sage green, natural cotton, and burgundy. We painted the walls a pale yellow and I picked up a beautiful quilt, shams, and dust ruffle for the twin bed I also have in there along the same color lines. The room was very easy to decorate with normal elements as well as baby themed elements. All of the furniture is white with cute drawer pulls to highlight the color scheme. I was able to reuse the entire set for my second daughter as well and moved my first daughter into a new room with an entirely different look.

[sbjf]

It's been great reading about how all of your nurseries have come together. It seems like the thing to do is for dh and I to choose decor that seems to 'fit', without worrying about a 'theme', and it will work out.

I did some flipping through catalogs and magazines last night and I'm thinking about using PBK's corduroy navy blue panel curtains with the red star 'hold-backs' & red star curtain rod and the white sheers with blue stars underneath. I am happy with this choice and I ran it by dh and he likes it too, so I am pretty certain that our window is 'done'.

http://ww1.potterybarnkids.com/cat/pip.cfm?src=shpab%7Ccwrgpan%7Cda%7Crshop%5Fb%2Fshp ab%7Ccwrg%7Cda%7Crshop%5Fb&pkey=cwrgpan%7Cab&gids=pk120

http://ww1.potterybarnkids.com/cat/pip.cfm?src=shpab%7Ccwrgpan%7Cda%7Crshop%5Fb%2Fshp ab%7Ccwrg%7Cda%7Crshop%5Fb&pkey=cwrgpan%7Cab&gids=p459

http://ww1.potterybarnkids.com/cat/pip.cfm?src=shpab%7Ccwrgwhd%7Cda%7Crshop%5Fb%2Fshp ab%7Ccwrg%7Cda%7Crshop%5Fb&pkey=cwrgwhd%7Cab&gids=pk430

I like this rug a lot... http://ww1.potterybarnkids.com/cat/pip.cfm?src=shpab%7Ccwrgshp%7Cda%7Crshop%5Fb%2Fshp ab%7Ccwrg%7Cda%7Crshop%5Fb&pkey=cwrgshp%7Cab&gids=pk417 but I worry that it will 'clash' with my bumper, the bumper has sailboats on one side and plaid on the other, will this 'theme' rug, blend with the sailboat bumper? Here is a link to my crib set. http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=2384180991&category=20420#ebayphotohosting

So I may just get the braided PBK rug or one like it http://ww1.potterybarnkids.com/cat/pip.cfm?src=shpab%7Ccwrgaea%7Cda%7Crshop%5Fb%2Fshp ab%7Ccwrg%7Cda%7Crshop%5Fb&pkey=cwrgaea%7Cab&gids=pk138

Since we have the sailboat bumper and quilt I'd like to still have them in the nursery, dh would be happy about that, but since I don't want it to be a theme-theme, maybe I'll put the sailboats facing inside the crib (plaid on outside) and the crib skirt is the matching plaid so that's good, then for the quilt I can just fold it over the rocker or something, instead of displaying it on the wall.

What do you think?

[loewymartin]

I bought the Country Safari crib bedding (it's beige tones with jungle animals). We hung the quilt on the wall over the changing area and my folks bought a giraffe from Ikea that has pegs to hang clothes off of. That's it on the walls. The crib skirt has rust and beige colring and we have 2 different crib sheets that work with it. The bumper (which is now off) matches the quilt.

For her new room I'm planning on red sheets as she likes Elmo, Pooh and ladybugs. I purchased some Elmo and Pooh fabric that has red in it to make pillow cases. Other than that I'm painting letters in her name red to hang on the wall. Very minimalist, but I can mix and match things later. And I know Alia will change things as she gets older :-)

Michelle - Mom to Alia born 5/16/02 and #2 due 8/12/04

[amp]

We don't have any theme in DS's nursery. First, we didn't know his gender until he was born, so we had to keep it really neutral, and I could't pick a theme since we weren't buying a whole bedding set. We painted the walls two shades of a neutral color (they are like light mocha and cream colored, or ice cream) w/ a white chair rail. All of the furniture is white. MIL made a yellow and blue quilt, which hangs on the wall & a blue gingham checked valance for the one window. No bumper. I have several sheets in various prints or solids that look fine in a room w/ no particular theme. Some are just blue or yellow, some have animals, etc. We painted letters in his name in blue, yellow and green and they are above his changing table, along w/ some blue and yellow stars. Lamps w/ white and blue. White wicker toy basket on bookshelf w/ white and blue checked liner. I just add stuff that I like. I could easily go w/ anything animal, star & moon, vehicle, bugs, etc and as long as I kind of stick to the general color scheme (yellow, white, blue) it works. I prefer it that way in this particular room.

[caleymama]

We built the nursery around a small quilt that was made for me by my MIL (for college graduation, while DH and I were still dating). I saved it thinking it would be a perfect baby quilt someday. We also didn't find out the gender of the baby, so I did a neutral nursery. I mixed and matched with stuff from PBK, Target, BRU. I liked not having everything "go" and it's been easy to adapt it to our needs as DD grows.

[McQ]

I don't know if this counts as a theme or not, but here's what we did. The walls are a pale green and the bedding is the PBK Animals which has a lot of colors in it. We also have the PBK Animals rug which is mostly blue with animals around the edge. The lamp shades and curtains are blue. I have the matching stuffed animals from PBK that go with the bedding/rug. It sounds like a lot but it really isn't. Once the crib bedding is out of there it will all go nicely into something new.

Allison
~ mommy to Declan 3.24.03

[blnony]

Audrey's nursey doesn't have a theme, per se.
I've decorated it in a light pink/yellow/light green and white from PBK and I have matching pastel letters from Rattle and Roll and "kiddy" stuff like that on the walls. I did the ric-rac bedding from PBK and I like it. I don't get tired of it, and I can add things to walls (I've started putting up different size white frames with different colored pastel matts in them. Whenever I want to I change something without having to go with a theme or worry about it.
I prefer it and after 18 mo. I'm still happy with it. :D So, I think you will be okay.

[nyc mom]

We were originally planning to do just blue and white. One of our friends had a nursery with just those two colors and it was very calm and neat. Also, we frequently stay at a vacation home where the bedroom is all white and blue - very restful. HOWEVER, the blue paint we used on the wall turned out to be a bit brighter than I anticipated (think the color of roofs in Greece) and when we looked for a blue & white striped couch to put in the room we couldn't find anything we liked - until we spotted a lime-green very modern looking micro-suede one. Needless to say the blue and white scheme went out the window. We might have just stuck with general bright colors if it had been a boy, but once we learned we were having a girl a slight "surfer girl" theme emerged. It's not a super-intense theme, but we got a rug shaped liked a surboard that matches the blue color of the wall, the bedding for the white crib is hot-pink with hibiscus flowers and surfboards on it, the lampshade is trimmed in bright pink and has pictures of palm trees and hula girls and there is a yellow "road sign" on the wall that says "Surfer Girl Crossing." Other than that, the wall art consists of framed pictures I took in Hawaii. It's mostly about the colors. (BTW, we received as a gift a Tiny Love mobile that has three main colors - bright blue, bright green and bright pink - that goes great in the room.)

Generally though, I see no reason to approach the "theme" of a baby's room any differently than any other room in your house. If you have coordinating colors, it will be lovely.

[JulieL]

Right now I am doing most of DS's room in primary for a toddler room, taking out the pastels of his nursury look. I did moons and stars in his nursury. So now I want to add cars, trains and planes. So I am painting a plac that says "Flying by day, driving by night" to incorporate the two themes. I themed it but just added a little twist to a new theme.

[HoneymoonBaby]

In February's CHILD magazine, there was a feature on nursery safety that showed the most beautiful, sophisticated nursery I've ever seen. We are basically copying it exactly, except for wall color (in the article, the walls are a subtle, soft peachy-pink for a little girl).

We're painting the walls a very, very pale blue, and all the furniture will be white and contemporary/clean-lined. The crib linens will be plain white with pale blue accents. We bought an upholstered chair with matching ottoman in a nice, soft blue/white pinstripe and will have other simple, blue/white touches placed sparingly around the room. The overall effect is hopefully going to be serene and minimalist, yet still baby appropriate because of the soft, plush fabrics we'll be using. But since I'll be spending a lot of time in there, I couldn't bear to have it look too childish or cheesy. The rest of my house is sophisticated and pared-down, and until Ian can express his own preferences, I see no reason to have his room reflect something different.