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.”