Nursery Color Board

Our friends are buying a house AND having a baby girl (congrats you two!). They’ve asked for some suggestions for the nursery, according to these guidelines:

1.  The crib, dresser, and changing table are black.
2.  They’re moving a red bookcase into the room.
3.  They don’t want too much pink.
4.  They’re not into “the typical teddy bear borders and stuff like that”.
5.  They want modern with a bit of traditional, to keep it comfortable.
6.  They want to incorporate a music theme.

Below are my thoughts regarding color schemes and patterns, to give us some direction.  (Click on any collage to view it larger.)  This first collage shows ideas to incorporate SOME pink without making it the main color. Pink and red can work together well, especially if cooler colors like light blue and pale green are used with them to tone down the look. I think the light blue or pale green would look great on the walls, accented by the pink and red in fabric and accessories.

Collage info, clockwise from left to right (ending in center):
1.  etsy baby blanket
2.  from Young House Love
3.  quilt from etsy
4.  etsy apples & pears crib sheet (I believe this fabric is available at Jo-Ann Fabrics)
5.  Amy Butler Fabric swatch (not sure what it’s called)
6.  Bella Baby Quilt from etsy
Center:  from Young House Love

This next collage shows ideas for eliminating the pink altogether, yet still tying in the red from the bookcase. In this case, I still think the pale green walls would look great, or you could also look at a soft yellow.  Or, if you wanted it to look less cutesy and more modern you can just use white or light gray walls. I love the middle color swatch of Pear Green, Chili Pepper Red, and Peacock Blue from Benjamin Moore (Pear Green for walls). But I also love the Amy Butler fabric swatches and crib skirt design at the bottom that use only robin’s egg blue, red, and white.

Collage info, clockwise from left to right (ending in center):

This next collage puts together some miscellaneous concepts. When it comes to the music theme, I suggest keeping it relatively simple. Rather than wall decals, I might recommend using frames for album covers, music posters, sheet music, or a collage of concert ticket stubs. And I KNOW you guys have a great graphic designer in the family who could do something wonderful that’s music-related and worth framing, and will be much more meaningful. You could even just print out album covers in black and white and frame them in colorful frames. One of the images below also shows a vintage record player, which I think is a great touch.

Collage info, clockwise from left to right:
1.  from Design-Crisis (album frame idea)
2.  from Little Green Notebook (playful nursery design scheme with red)
3.  nursery from 6th Street Design School (frame gallery wall, vintage record player)
4.  source unknown (album wall)
5.  from Sprout Gallery (crisp and fun red, blue, green color scheme with white backdrop)