Bringing home a precious little one calls for a nurturing space that radiates tranquillity and simplicity. Minimalist nursery styling has gained popularity for its clean lines, uncluttered aesthetics, and focus on essential elements. When planning our nursery, we wanted to focus on raw materials, handmade items and a neutral colour palette that could easily transition for future children. We wanted the tones and textures to create a feeling of warmth and serenity, and we didn’t want an excess of unnecessary toys and gadgets. The consumerism of having a baby whilst enjoyable, is also expensive and there is no end to the number of things you could buy, that you really don’t need. We wanted to keep it simple with high quality essentials, and none of the excess.
Colour Palette: We started with a blank canvas. The room has off white walls that have a slight creamy warmth to them, light silver carpets, and dark block out curtains. We tend to lean more towards beiges and creams than greys so wanted to bring those warm tones in with furniture and styling items. We stuck to light timber, white and off-white soft furnishings and incorporated browns and peaches. These colours not only enhance the sense of space but also provide a timeless appeal.
Functional Furniture: As our room isn’t huge, we didn’t want to include unnecessary furniture which would cause clutter. So, we opted to forgo a change table and instead chose a dresser that could double as a change table. It’s the perfect size and our drawers are organised as follows:
- We use the top drawer for nappies, wipes and other essentials.
- 2 x drawers with current clothing.
- 1 x drawer with clothing that is the next size up, this allows me to plan what we’re missing (and buy on sale in advance so we can have a Country Road baby on a kmart budget)
- 1 x drawer with all other larger clothing (mostly gifted)
- 1 x drawer with cot sheets, wraps and knitted blankets.
We made sure our cot would transition as our little girl grows and we love that ours has a replaceable open front with rails. The rocking chair was an essential item and I’m so glad we got the one we did. It’s beautiful and very comfortable, and whilst many people choose to feed on the lounge or in bed, sitting in a proper chair and developing good feeding habits as recommended by our midwives was a gamechanger when it came to breastfeeding. Our little smoosh is 7 months old and I still do most of our home feeds in the rocking chair.
Simple Decor Elements: We chose to keep our wall décor minimal and purposeful. We have an ocean inspired items in the room and our wall print really ties it all together. I found the most beautiful custom-made mobiles, and had one made with colour tones to match the space. We wanted to incorporate some greenery that was out of reach of curious hands, so have added an urn with olive leaves on top of the drawers.
Decluttered Storage: When it comes to storage, we have to slimline wall shelves for books. We put these out of reach with the thought that we could always add a lower shelf. I’m glad we’ve done this though as we can easily rotate books within her reach to keep her interested, but we are not constantly cleaning up mountains of books. We added a large basket with a lid as toy storage. It holds a surprising amount and will allow our little one to learn how to put things away as she grows. If the toy basket ever becomes full, we plan to store the overflow that is no longer age-appropriate in tubs in our garage for future children or donate.
Natural Materials: We have integrated natural materials including wood, linen, terracotta, and natural woollen knits.
Thoughtful Lighting: We wanted our nursery to be illuminated with soft, diffused lighting. The room has a single non-dimmable down light and, while functional, it wasn’t practical for night time wake-ups and creating a calm environment. We added a beautiful linen lamp to our timber side table for feeding. We also predominantly use this after her evening bath as part of our bedtime wind down. While the lamp is beautiful and soft, we also have a small rechargeable egg lamp that is dimmable and touch operated. It can also be set to a very low lumen setting which has been perfect for functional light that allows you to see, but is so low that no baby will wake up from its use.
While we don’t have all of the gadgets, we have found that we didn’t need any of them. We have been lucky enough to be gifted most of the books and soft teddys we have, and we have kept the rest of the toys to a minimum. If you would like any more information, feel free to drop into our DM’s on socials and I will answer any questions.
Drawers: Isola 6 Drawer Dresser
Change mat: Nova Change Mat
Touch lamp: Vava Baby Night Light
Wall shelves: Picture Ledges
Toy basket: Doanne Basket
Cot: Zali Cot
Cot sheet: Blue Daisy Wares
Blanket: Hand made - contact for pattern/fibre details
Mobile: The Great Grandchild
Rocking chair: Cloud Rocker
Side table: Venezia Teak Stool
Lamp: Cora Table Lamp
Wall print: Poster Store
