25 Nursery Color Ideas

Colors play a big role in determining the mood of your nursery. When deciding on a palette for your baby’s first bedroom, you’ll want colors that are playful but also pleasant for grownups, since you’ll probably be spending many hours in the nursery.

We scouted around for popular nursery color palettes and noticed a trend toward warm colors that favor serenity and sophistication over cuteness or glamour. Saturated hues like marigold, burgundy and mauve are especially big, like in this nursery from Yond Interiors, where the rich burgundies and caramels are a nice contrast to the neutral grays. “Creating a cozy, calming space for those endless diaper changes and night feeding sessions is so essential, and I’ve found that comfort in a nursery is key,” says Julia Miller of Yond Interiors.

Many designers are also using color to infuse life and personality into the nursery, whether this means pops of happy colors or delightfully unconventional color choices. Traditional nursery colors like blues, purples and grays are also still popular, but designers are finding ways to break convention with even the most traditional or muted color palettes. Check out our gallery to get inspired by the latest nursery color trends.

The warm mauve palette in this nursery from Sire Design is as calming as it is modern. Watercolor hues throughout the room are both subtle and bold at the same time. “Its neutral undertones exude calm for the baby and parents alike,” says Eilyn Jimenez, founder of Sire Design.

Design firm Carbon & Bone took a less conventional route for this nursery by picking a soft olive and ivory striped wallpaper, with birch and cream tones for the crib. A periwinkle-blue rug covers the floor. “My client knew they were expecting a boy, but they wanted a room that had a nice balance of maturity and nursery,” says Talia Laconi, owner and lead designer of Carbon & Bone. “We felt that going the typical bright blue route wasn’t going to work, so we pulled in olive and gray tones instead.”

Hints of gold abound in this charming nursery from Jessica Nelson Design, with a stunning gold-foil ceiling to tie it all together. Mauve and brighter colors are sprinkled throughout the bedding, artwork and shelves. “I think people are leaning away from all the gray and going for happier colors, which I love,” says Jessica Nelson. “I am seeing bolder colors being incorporated a lot more.”

Jennifer Hunter Design picked a neutral base for this jungle-themed nursery and added subtle touches of blue and red throughout the wallpaper, bedding and rug. The antique hues bring a unique sophistication and whimsy to the space.

Linda Eyles Design picked gray as the base for this nursery to match the rest of the home, then softened it with a grayed-out lavender wallcovering in a modern butterfly design. The ceiling, painted in Benjamin Moore Hampshire Rocks 1450, also features the barest tint of lavender for warmth. “The window coverings have punchier periwinkles and peony tones to liven up the quieter colors,” says Eyles. “It all comes across as a clean, modern nursery that will still feel right for that little girl ten years from now.”

In this nursery from Jennifer Hunter Design, gold accents make a striking, sophisticated contrast to the deep navy blue of the dresser. The cream-colored walls and footstool soften the palette, while the blue patterned rug pulls it all together.

If you’re looking for a palette that feels both soothing and modern, you can never go wrong layering the nursery in powder grays and blues. The beige glider and woven basket in this nursery from Amy Peltier Interior Design & Home add a nice touch of neutral-colored texture to the space.

The blue-green wallpaper is the centerpiece of this girl’s nursery and served as the inspiration for the rest of the room. “A baby’s room should be a happy, comforting and serene space,” says Amy Peltier of Amy Peltier Interior Design & Home. “We decided on a minty blue-green, pale-pink palette with warm pops of coral so it didn’t overwhelm the nursery.” The framed dress matches the color palette and elevates the nursery’s unique charm.

Annie Elliott Design made a bold color choice with this black-and-white alphabet wallpaper and equally bold green and orange for the furniture and textiles. “We know that high-contrast patterns are easiest for babies to see, so a graphic black-and-white wallpaper is ideal at first,” says Annie Elliott. “When the baby becomes a toddler, you can choose something more age-appropriate, possibly with people or animals in the design. A few years later, you can give them a say in selecting the design.”

If you’re committed to white but want to add a bit of warmth, ivory is the way to go. Linda Eyles Design layered this nursery in ivory patterns and textures to create a serene and cozy space. You’ll find touches of pastel in the toys and decorative items to add a hint of play.

This sunny nursery from Sarah Jefferys Architecture + Interiors is awash in cheerful blues that serve as a nice alternative to traditional baby blue. The blue tones have a retro vibe that feels refreshingly unexpected for a nursery.

Sarah Jefferys Architecture + Interiors goes all-out with primary colors in this exuberant nursery. From the whimsical blue-and-yellow wallpaper to the colorful arrangement of books, trinkets and art, the room brims with cheer and color.

Punch up a traditional cream-colored nursery with gender-neutral earth-toned accents. These cotton rope bins from The Container Store x KonMari are trimmed with colors like marigold and moss for subtle but high-impact pops of color.

This ethereal nursery from designer Anne Sage is filled with luscious green hues, from the deep forest green of the crib canopy to the minty greens of the wall and rug. “The client’s typical style was classic midcentury, but for her daughter’s room she wanted to create something that was a total departure — a space full of wonder that still felt very sophisticated and design-savvy,” says Anne Sage. “Tempaper’s Canopy print was the perfect starting point for us, since it’s playful, luxe and magical all at once.”

This nursery from Mel Bean Interiors includes every color of the rainbow, but the colors are so muted and artfully dispersed that it never feels busy or overwhelming. “This nursery was designed with texture and pattern at the forefront,” says Mel Bean. “I incorporated tone-on-tone wallpaper for the ceiling, a textured pompom garland for the wall, black molding to frame the ceiling and the windows, and a textured chair with ottoman and a Moroccan pouf for seating options.”

If you prefer vibrant over muted, then splashing bright rainbow colors throughout a nursery is always a safe bet. The lively colors in this WallPops wallcovering, designed in collaboration with Marimekko, bring instant cheer to the room and are also gender-neutral. A simple white dresser and woven baskets balance out the rainbow colors.

If you’re looking for a dramatic and unconventional color scheme for your baby’s nursery, consider black and white. Add variety through contrasting patterns such as stripes and florals, like in this bedding from Pottery Barn Kids.

Blue nurseries are forever in vogue, but the nautical blue in this Pottery Barn Kids nursery stands out for its easygoing vibe. Combined with white, this cool shade of blue strikes a coastal vibe that’s perfect for babies and also relaxing for parents. The rope mirror and woven basket add a nice neutral touch that works well with the nautical theme.

It’s hard to go wrong with neutral tones when it comes to a nursery. Designer Fanny Abbes with the New Design Project dressed up the off-white tones in this nursery by adding mauve- and peach-colored rugs and a dramatic black-and-white wallpaper. “For nurseries, I like to stick with neutral paint colors that work for both boys and girls, like an off-white, and then add a touch of wallpaper,” says Abbes.

This cheerful nursery from Think Chic Interiors goes bold with an all-pink ceiling plus bright rainbow stripes that inspire play. “Clients often ask for pink bedrooms for their daughters, as did these,” says Think Chic founder Malka Helft. “Yet they did not want a soft, baby pink. We all loved this shade — bold pink with a coral undertone.”

Design Lines Signature picked lavender with a hint of lime to create a dainty color scheme for this girl’s nursery. “Our clients knew they didn’t want a traditional pink nursery, so we used the lavender and lime floral embroidery for the Roman shades as the inspiration for the space,” says Judy Pickett, owner of Design Lines. “This fabric is feminine but doesn’t scream pink bows.”

Handsome hues of gray and blue adorn this nursery from Mel Bean Interiors, complemented nicely by the warm woods and sepia undertones in the wallpaper and artwork. Mature color palettes like this one will grow with your baby long after they’ve graduated from a crib.

The jungle-green textiles of the bedding and Wovn Home shades are a pretty contrast to the black-and-white accents in this nursery. A speckling of bright colors throughout the room heightens the playful palette.