Gender neutral décor is versatile, classic and inclusive. When my husband and I were expecting our firstborn, we did not find out the gender before our baby was born! To be honest, it drove me nuts because I’m a super planner. My husband, on the other hand, enjoyed the element of surprise! Together, we designed a gender-neutral nursery perfect for our little love. Three houses and three kids later, I’ve decided to compile a list of guidelines to share what I’ve learned about creating a balanced and functional gender-neutral kid’s space!
Below are my 5 simple guidelines:
1) Start with a monochromatic palette:
Cloud and Moon Beam Mural – Nursery featuring original Wallaby Walls wallpaper design. Photo courtesy of Decor Elle.
A monochromatic palette is one color represented in several different shades. Beginning your design with a simple monochromatic palette is a popular way to achieve a gender-neutral space! For example, the flooring may be a dark espresso brown, the walls a pastel beige and the furniture a mid-tone brown. The color psychology behind beige or gray decor lays the foundation for the feelings of stability, honesty, calmness, and coziness.
2) Add pops of color!
Adding complementary pops of color will elevate the space further and add to the overall feelings of youthfulness and whimsy. If you’re not sure where to start, consider using complementary colors in your design. Complementary colors are colors that are opposites on the color wheel. When paired together, complementary colors create balance and visual interest.
For example, a popular pair of complementary colors are coral and mint. You don’t have to pop with bright colors to make a statement! If bright colors are not your favorite, select softer pastels or muted colors.
The Dawn Horizon Ombre nursery is transformed into a magical and tranquil space by combining pastel shades of orange and blue and pairing them with a neutral pallet of brown, cream, white and gray.
Dawn Horizon Ombre – Nursery featuring original ombre wallpaper design by Wallaby Walls.
3) Include whimsy
Whimsy is all about playfulness, humor, fanciful ideas or even the unexpected element of surprise. Whimsy can be as simple as extra-large geometric triangle wallpaper or a silly framed print of an elephant riding a bicycle.
Vibrant Modern Triangle Wall Mural - Playroom featuring Wallaby Walls original wallpaper design.
4) Provide Child Friendly Exploration
Once you’ve established a color palette for your space, fill the space with functional furniture, toys, and decorative accessories which will encourage exploration through play. Exploratory play encourages confidence in young learners!
Small Elevated Black Lines – Playroom featuring Wallaby Walls original geometric wallpaper design.
I enjoy keeping staple toys like wood blocks, magna tiles and balls organized in labeled bins. For labels, I like to use a picture that corresponds to the word on the label. Using pictures with words helps early readers to understand and make connections! For example, the box that stores balls has a label with a picture of a ball next to the word “balls”. In kids spaces it’s important to provide a plush element like a shag rug or beanbag chair for lounging and a hard and smooth element like a play table to color against and zoom cars on. Children enjoy looking back on what they have created which is why a place to display art is a great idea!
Watercolor Birch Tree Mural – original wallpaper wall mural by Wallaby Walls.
Photo courtesy of Smart Playrooms and Jane Beiles Photography - Cielo Project in New York City.
5) Ensure Child Safety Protocol
Always follow safety protocol when designing for children. Every 45 minutes a child is treated in an emergency room due to furniture or a television falling on them. For a safer space, anchor furniture and televisions to walls and plug the outlets. Secure floating bookshelves with strong butterfly anchors if you are unable to directly screw them into a wall stud. Many childhood injuries caused by toppling furniture and televisions may be prevented with proper safety protocol.
Children learn through play: the more they play, the more they learn. Easy to access puzzles, books and toys will allow children to explore independently without getting hurt. Consider furnishings that are low to the ground and scaled for a child’s size. For example, a 2x4 cube storage unit, laid horizontal, is a great solution for playroom organization because it is low to the ground and provides a continuous flat top surface to display toys and books. I like to stand up several hard covered books on an easy to reach shelf to encourage exploration! I especially enjoy displaying special books for each major holiday!
A mom hack that I learned years ago is something I call rotational toy storage. It’s helpful to keep a box or two of toys stored away so that you can re-introduce “new” toys every couple of weeks for added engagement. For example, you may want to rotate out the puzzles and games to keep the playroom fresh and fun. Using a rotational toy method will limit the number of toys in your kid’s space which will naturally help keep the playroom organized and neat. As a bonus, cleanup time will be less overwhelming for kiddos and caregivers.
Rainbow Watercolor Splatter Dot Mural – original wallpaper mural by Wallaby Walls.
I wish you happy designing as you creatively plan a space to reflect the little love(s) in your life! Reach out to Wallaby Walls if you have a design vision that we could help bring to life!
