Decorating a child's nursery can be great fun. However, there are plenty of disgruntled parents who think lush pink or baby blue are ideal shades, only to find that the child soon outgrows the colour scheme. Furthermore, these traditional nursery hues often don't match the rest of the home, leading to an odd disjoint.
If you want to ensure your child's nursery is going to stimulate their curiosity and imagination, without clashing with the rest of your home's interior design, here are a few ideas to get you started.
Look beyond the walls
It's easy to think that the walls are the only place to start in order to inject child-friendly colours into a space.
However, that's simply not the case. Instead, you could focus on picking the perfect curtains and a colourful, fluffy rug in order to embrace colour without going overboard. When selecting curtains, why not try something like Resene Abstraction in Flame? With a grey background, the design is sure to match a range of neutral wall colours. However, the curtains have a quirky abstract print, with pops of Resene Tweet, Resene Windfall and Resene Kombi.
When it comes to selecting a rug, make sure it's super soft, so babies can explore their surroundings comfortably. Rainbow-like prints are always a winner, while block shades also look stunning and add a great focal point to the room, without leaving a permanent mark. Why not pick a rug that embraces one of the bolder hues in your selected curtains?
Keep the walls a simple shade, such as Resene Whiteout and add touches of paint colour to furniture and frames.
Go nautical
Themed nurseries are a big hit. But how do you take on a trend for young ones' bedrooms without allowing the space to clash with the rest of your home's carefully planned interior design?
One answer is to go nautical. You can add temporary fixtures, such as artwork of ships or a world map, to create a playful environment.
However, the key colours of a nautical-themed room – navy, red and white – are still incredibly sophisticated.
The result is a room that kids love for its creativity and parents adore for its practicality. It's a win-win situation – and it's a theme that won't outgrow kids as they get older. Keep walls navy or white and any ocean-inspired accessories can be removed as children want a room that's not so obviously themed.
Think about sunshine
Yellow is a winner for little ones' bedrooms. However, you don't have to coat the walls in insipid pastel yellow.
Instead, opt for a classy shade such as Resene Eighth Masala. However, it's far from yellow – it's actually a smoky grey.
But don't be disconcerted, as there's still plenty of time for the colour of the sun. Instead of slapping pastel yellow paint all over the walls, pick out a vibrant shade such as Resene Spotlight. Using builders' tape, you can create a single horizontal stripe or a zig-zag pattern with this powerful shade, on top of the grey basecoat.
This way, you get a sprinkle of sunshine in the room, without creeping into the territory of totally traditional pastel yellow.
You could even paint the crib a bright yellow shade for an extra dash of colour. Alternatively, paint it neutral green-white such as Resene Half Thorndon Cream and invest in bright yellow bedding and a hanging mobile for unobtrusive yet vibrant pops of colour.
Be sure to pick curtains and flooring that complements the grey and yellow hues. White floorboards look great, but carpet is more comfortable for young ones learning to crawl and walk. Invest in curtains with thermal lining to keep the room warm during cooler seasons, too.
Get inspired ! 
