If you’re adding to your family this year, congratulations! It’s an exciting time with lots to look forward to.
As in other areas of the home, baby nursery décor preferences change and each year, it’s out with the old and in with the new.
We’ve scoured the internet to learn from design experts what you can expect to see when you shop to outfit your baby’s room.
Going with a theme?
Look to the night sky for inspiration for a theme in the nursery. According to Rated People’s Nursery Trends Report, stars are all the rage in the 2022 nursery.
You’ll find star-themed nursery ideas on Pinterest.com.
Woodland-themed nurseries are popular this year as well, with “… rainbows, sunshine, and forests” following close behind, according to the folks at ratedpeople.com.
Check out baby nursery color trends
Wall color sets the stage for the rest of your design choices when decorating any room. This year’s hottest trend is “bold monochromatic,” claim the pros at thebump.com.
“This trend allows you to play with multiple tones of a specific base hue to create depth and dimensions throughout the nursery,” Elizabeth Rees, founder of Chasing Paper, tells The Bump’s, Nehal Aggarwal.
When considering which base hue to choose, how about blue? “This year’s scene stealer will be our girl, blue,” suggests Pam at Project Nursery.
“From dusty blue to midnight to just a little bit french [sic] country, we think the right blue can make a statement while also lending itself as a versatile neutral,” she concludes.
If your notion is that blue is for boys and you’re expecting a little girl, consider Pantone’s color of the year for 2022, “Very Peri.” It’s a lovely “… periwinkle blue that toes the line between blue and violet perfectly,” according to the editors at babyaspen.com.
Furniture trends for the 2022 nursery
Parents will love shopping for the nursery’s furniture this year. Pinterest predicts that curvy furniture (in all parts of the home) will dominate in 2022. If this style appeals to you consider cane nursery furniture.
“Whether it’s cane nursery furnishings or small nursery accessories, they’ll have a modern edgier look . . .” than the 70s throw-backs and “. . . will fit right into most nursery design styles with its rich texture and neutral color,” according to the designers at nurserydesignstudio.com.
Nursery safety
Whether you spend way too much time on Instagram or don’t even know what it is, the social media platform has its good points and those that are so wrong that they’re being called out for them.
Last summer, Today’s Parent wrote an article claiming that many Instagram influencers are posting images of nurseries that are “…actually dangerous for babies.”
Alana McGinn, goodnightsleepsite.com’s sleep consultant, agrees.
“We are forgoing safe sleep spaces and including obvious sleep hazards all for a pretty Instagram picture,” McGinn tells Melissa Greer at Today’s Parent.
In reality, infants require a flat surface free of everything other than a swaddle blanket wrapped securely around them.
Do yourself a favor and read the article at todaysparent.com.
Next on the list of safety concerns are all those toxic compounds emitted by paint, rugs, carpeting, and new furniture.
Choose low-VOC (volatile organic compound) paint. When it comes to deciding on flooring, many experts recommend anything but carpet.
New carpets go through a process known as “off-gassing,” with the largest release of gasses happening in the first 72 hours of installation.
Dr. Joseph Mercola, however, claims that the carpet will continue off-gassing, at lower levels, for up to five years of installation. The gasses released cause eye and respiratory tract problems and may also impact your baby’s central nervous system.
“The adhesive used to affix the carpet to the floor typically contains benzene and toluene, some of the most harmful VOCs,” Mercola cautions.
While other flooring choices aren’t as warm and cozy as carpet, with carefully-selected throw rugs you can get awfully close to that feeling.
Learn more about volatile organic compounds in the home from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency.
