Nursery Decor Inspiration & Tips

Guest post by OMC founder + Seattle family photographer, Meredith McKee Ruth!

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Nursery Decor & Inspiration

By specializing in in-home newborn photography, I get to see a lot of really adorable + beautiful spaces! I love seeing how my families have decorated their new baby’s space – from creative wallpaper, to personalized artwork, to curated bookcases! I put together some of my favorite nursery photos alongside some tips on how to make yours special, too! While it may be your baby’s “room”, you’ll be spending a lot of time in there too, so make sure you enjoy it!

I did of course also want to note that you absolutely do not need a Pinterest-worthy nursery to take at-home newborn photos! Some of my clients don’t have a nursery, or don’t have one decorated – and that is totally okay! At-home newborn photography is all about capturing & documenting the space you brought your baby home to – cute crib mobile or not! I have done entire newborn sessions in one room – and their photos captured their baby just as well. You can read more about how to prepare for your at-home newborn session here!

Tip #1: Go Bold with Wall-Coverings

Wallpaper & wall decals can really pop! Removable options can also be fairly low effort for big results (especially helpful if you’re renting). One of my other favorite recommendations for getting a wallpaper-like feel is showcasing large amounts of fabric on the wall – either framing them, wrapping it around an inexpensive stretched canvas, or hanging them like a curtain or fabric mural. Painting patterns like stripes, or murals are also great options!

Tip #2: Nature + Texture

One of my favorite details in nurseries is attention to bringing in natural elements. You can add greenery with fake (or real!) plants, soft lighting with a salt lamp, and natural texture through wall hangings and rugs. This helps bring a softness to the room, making it feel cozy and welcoming.

Tip #3: Showcase Baby Items

Display cute & useable items like swaddles, bows, hats, and books. I love how this family (below) hung sonograms & baby carriers like art in the nursery! The rustic details of the frame and hangers make these pieces look extra intentional, too! Another family (above) is big into travel, so including a globe was a perfect fit for them. They also had a ton of PNW themed books! There are lots of fun & creative ways to display books – and you’ll be reading them a lot!

Tip #4: Personalized Items

Make your baby’s room personal with their name, monogram, framed quotes, etc. It’s also always a fun idea to hang family photos in the nursery, especially maternity photos if you took them, and baby photos as they grow! One of my favorite details I ever saw was dad had their wedding vows printed on a baby blanket for the nursery – how sweet is that?!

Tip #5: Choose a theme

Sometimes it’s fun to center the nursery around a particular theme & let that influence your design choices! This doesn’t have to be an overt theme like it used to be back in the day (although it can be if that floats your boat!) but it can be more subtle, or even simply a color pallet. Both nurseries above & below chose a loosely rainbow-themed decor, and it came across in different ways!

Tip #6: Artwork

My biggest recommendation with artwork is: go big! Embrace taking up that wall space with something fun that you love! One of my favorite places to shop for unique artist created artwork (besides Etsy!) is Minted! They have a huge variety of inspiration, and even wall murals! Check it out! Or, if you’ve got some creative bones in your body, try doing-it-yourself like Karin (above)!

I’ll be sharing a blog post on how to create a gallery wall soon, too – so stay tuned!

I hope this post encourages you to think creatively about how to make your space your own! What did you find inspiring when decorating your nursery or home? If you’d like some more tactical advice on *utility!*, check out this Nursery Organization Tips post!