How to Create the Best Gender Neutral Nursery
Creating a gender neutral nursery doesn’t have to mean a boring yellow room. You just need the right decor to make your nursery perfect for any baby!
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Furniture Choices
Wood Tones
Gone are the days of white furniture for girls and dark wood tones for boys! Pick whatever color furniture you want for you and your new little one!
I wanted something in a lighter tone, as we have a lot of other dark toned furniture in our home. So, we went with a light grey/brown called Heritage Fog for our Larkin Crib and Dresser from Pottery Barn Kids.
And, you don’t need to have all your furniture be the exact same tone. Just make sure the coordinate well (a dark cherry crib may not coordinate well with a dresser painted red, yellow, and blue; but a dark cherry crib might look nice with an off white dresser and table).
Nursery Chair
I may have talked a little too much about how much I LOVE our nursery chair in Our Guide to Your Perfect Nursery. But, it’s true–I LOVE IT.
And, since we splurged on the chair, we plan on keeping it for years as a nursery chair. So, we wanted to make sure it would fit with any decor we chose in the future.
I love neutral colors, so we went with a nice light grey for our Pottery Barn Kids Comfort Swivel Nursery Chair (it has the beautiful name of Basketweave Slub Ash). Grey is obviously a great option for either a boy or a girl, and it’s a great option for my office in a few years too if I can steal it from the kids!
The Perfect Paint Color for Your Gender Neutral Nursery
Ok–time for the big reveal! The perfect paint color for your gender neutral nursery is . . .
Whatever color you want! Gone are the days that a girl can’t have a blue room. Choose whatever color you want.
Our house skewed towards neutrals, so I went with my favorite greige, Sherwin Williams Repose Grey.
One tip when picking your nursery space: make sure you get a scrubbable paint.
This room is going to go through the wringer. Maybe not when your snuggly newborn just comes home, but when your 3 year old is chucking toys at the wall and smuggling markers in to draw on the walls, you’ll be wanting to have the ability to wash as much of the dirt and grime off as you can.
And, make sure you note the color and type of paint you buy somewhere you won’t forget, so you can buy more in a few years and touch up the scratches you can’t wash away.
Lux Linens on a Budget
Like any first time momma, I wanted the perfect bedding for our perfect crib.
Yes, I knew the crib quilt would not be used as an actual blanket in the crib. (It did come in handy as the background for all our monthly photo shoots!) But, it was going to set the tone for the rest of the decor, so it had to be perfect.
There are 100s of adorable crib quilts that I spent hours pouring over and agonizing over as only a mom-to-be does. Then, I found the cutest print on Etsy from Hop and Pop that would guide the rest of our decor choices.
Isn’t he precious?!
I definitely put this on our registry and then got impatient and bought it months before our shower, so I knew it would be our baby’s.
That pretty much set our gender neutral nursery “theme” as animals, an old classic, which helped narrow my search down dramatically.
I ended up going with this super cute Crate and Barrel Safari Animal Baby Quilt. It fit the animal theme with a modern twist.
The Ultimate Decor Add-Ons for Your Gender Neutral Nursery
Wall Decor
Nursery wall decor can add a lot of character to the room. As I shared earlier, our giraffe pic was the reason we went with an animal theme for our gender neutral nursery.
I also found this lovely print of Steve and I’s First Dance song lyrics–Elvis Presley’s “Can’t Help Falling in Love With You” from Wandering Heart Signs on Etsy–which also seemed to fit perfectly with our feelings about our new little one.
So, we hung that right above her crib. It’s the perfect reminder of our wedding day and the love that brought E into this world.
Sentimental Pieces
Your baby’s nursery is such a special place. It’s their first room and one fo the first concrete ways your baby becomes part of the family.
So, it’s the perfect room for a few sentimental pieces.
My parents saved my nursery lamp (I think it just ended up in the attic and never got thrown away-lucky me!). It was the perfect addition to E’s animal themed nursery!
I added a framed bible quote that my grandmother gave me on my first communion.
And, I also received several figurines from loved ones, which needed the perfect home.
And lastly, don’t be afraid to add a few family photos if you have the space. We have family photos in every room in the house, and I didn’t want this room to feel different. I added an ultrasound pic, but I would have added maternity pics too, if I had more room.
The Finished Product: the Perfect Gender Neutral Nursery!
I’m so in love with E’s nursery! It’s the first room I truly designed from start to finish in one go, vs. just adding pieces in here and there over time.
It’s the perfect mix of our love of neutral colors, with some whimsy thrown in for our new baby and sentimental pieces for me.
And, if Emory had been a boy, it would have worked just as well for him!
What Do You Think? What’s Your Favorite Gender Neutral Nursery Theme?
Share with me and other mommas in the comments below!
Need More Nursery Ideas?
Check out our Ultimate Guide to the Perfect Nursery and our Nursery Closet Makeover!
And, follow us on Pinterest, Instagram, and Facebook for even more ideas!
