Painting Ideas for a Nursery
Niall Roche asked:
The nursery is one of the most important rooms in the house for new parents and their babies. Creating beautiful, inviting spaces is often as simple as repainting a room that used to be a study or spare bedroom in fresh, warm colors.
Colors
While some people automatically think a girl child’s room needs to be pink and a boy’s room needs to be blue, there are many other options. There is nothing wrong with a frilly pink or peaceful blue nursery for any baby if that is the parents’ dream. After all, mom and dad will be spending plenty of time in that room, too.
However, if you are looking for colors that are commonly considered boyish, blue, yellow, red, orange and green are all options. For girls, pink, purple, yellow, green and red are traditionally feminine. If you are hoping to avoid repainting for quite some time, tan or white walls can provide a blank canvas that can be made bright and lively with paintings, curtains and accessories.
Patterns
If you can’t decide on a single wall color, patterns are a great way to use several colors in one room. Stripes, checks, big squares and circles are all great pattern options.
* Paint stripes in two shades of the same color or use two completely different colors, like pink and purple. You can have stripes that are the same width or alternate wide and skinny stripes.
* Checks can be small or large. Since they can be overwhelming in an entire room, it is a good idea to paint them on just the smallest wall in the room and paint the other walls with a solid coordinating color.
* Big squares and circles can be painted on the walls in a rainbow of colors. A fun idea is to hang pictures in some of the squares or circles.
Once you decide on colors and patterns, you are ready to choose your paint. The most important thing is to look for paints that are child safe. While lead paint is no longer being manufactured in the US, there are other considerations.
First, be sure to paint the room well before the baby will be using it. You want to be sure that all fresh paint fumes are gone before you bring a newborn child into the room. Next, look for paints that say they are non-toxic, low odor, or fume free. Oil paints and enamel kitchen and bath paints are definitely not good choices. They may wipe down easily, but they can cause problems long after they paint has dried.
The nursery is one of the most important rooms in the house for new parents and their babies. Creating beautiful, inviting spaces is often as simple as repainting a room that used to be a study or spare bedroom in fresh, warm colors.
Colors
While some people automatically think a girl child’s room needs to be pink and a boy’s room needs to be blue, there are many other options. There is nothing wrong with a frilly pink or peaceful blue nursery for any baby if that is the parents’ dream. After all, mom and dad will be spending plenty of time in that room, too.
However, if you are looking for colors that are commonly considered boyish, blue, yellow, red, orange and green are all options. For girls, pink, purple, yellow, green and red are traditionally feminine. If you are hoping to avoid repainting for quite some time, tan or white walls can provide a blank canvas that can be made bright and lively with paintings, curtains and accessories.
Patterns
If you can’t decide on a single wall color, patterns are a great way to use several colors in one room. Stripes, checks, big squares and circles are all great pattern options.
* Paint stripes in two shades of the same color or use two completely different colors, like pink and purple. You can have stripes that are the same width or alternate wide and skinny stripes.
* Checks can be small or large. Since they can be overwhelming in an entire room, it is a good idea to paint them on just the smallest wall in the room and paint the other walls with a solid coordinating color.
* Big squares and circles can be painted on the walls in a rainbow of colors. A fun idea is to hang pictures in some of the squares or circles.
Once you decide on colors and patterns, you are ready to choose your paint. The most important thing is to look for paints that are child safe. While lead paint is no longer being manufactured in the US, there are other considerations.
First, be sure to paint the room well before the baby will be using it. You want to be sure that all fresh paint fumes are gone before you bring a newborn child into the room. Next, look for paints that say they are non-toxic, low odor, or fume free. Oil paints and enamel kitchen and bath paints are definitely not good choices. They may wipe down easily, but they can cause problems long after they paint has dried.