Blue, pink and even yellow colors in a nursery seem to be going out of style as black nursery decor takes off as the stylish, gender neutral alternative.
With two children under the age of 2, interior designer Lucy Sear-Barlow is all too aware that practicality is more important than beautiful aesthetics when it comes to exploring ideas for nursery decor. (opens in new tab)† However, the Creative Director at Barlow & Barlow Design (opens in new tab)believes that this doesn’t mean you should forgo your decorating style watch face while looking forward to the arrival of your new little roommate.
Black nursery decor
Credit: Pottery Barn
Skandi decorating ideas are always popular and trends like farmhouse and bold color schemes are making waves in backwaters. So it’s no wonder that striking black is currently the color choice of choice for nurseries among decorators and designers.
“While I would never use too many large blocks of black in a scheme, as it absorbs a lot of light, used sparingly on furniture legs, tablecloths, pillows and vases, it instantly sharpens schemes a bit. It’s a way to give an immediate attitude to a plan,” explains Lucy.
Black already has a following of famous parents. Jools Oliver (opens in new tab)Buddy Bear’s son has fun black pompoms and superhero garlands that highlight a cool Nubie Kids house bed, while Dani Dyer (opens in new tab) has seriously cute animal prints with black frames on her new baby, Santiago’s wall.
Stacey Solomon (opens in new tab)‘s son Rex has his favorite animals; pandas as a featured motif in his nursery. The fury and monochrome friends are combined with black and white bedding and a cozy Berber carpet.
Lucy Sear-Balow tips for styling the black nursery trend
Lucy recently teamed up with Norwegian children’s furniture manufacturer Stokke (opens in new tab) to share her top tips for introducing the color black into our family homes:
1. Use black as an accent color
We often gravitate towards black as an accent color for our home accessories. I have a bit of a taste for animal print and black accessories work so well with a bit of leopard print! I also love a gingham or large check; however this can look very two when done in color but a gingham in black will instantly look younger and cooler.
2. Black is a gender neutral essential
(Image credit: @winterdaisy)
Investing in children’s equipment that is in gender-neutral daycare centers (opens in new tab) shades like black ensure that you can reuse everything for every child. Just like your wardrobe you will have to stare at your kids stuff for a long time so investing in smart and timeless colors like black means it will last for many fashion cycles and hopefully you will never tire of looking at it!
3. Style up the storage
With all the kit and caboodle that comes with kids, some fun to look at and some not, the key to keeping it in semblance of order is an attractive black toy storage (opens in new tab) solutions.
Credit: Nubie Kids
For me, the easiest and most viable way to do this is through baskets. Whether cane, jute or cane, they are easy to obtain, available in multiple sizes and especially suitable for any style of interior.
As soon as you sweep up the chaos of plastic children’s tattoos and put them away in the beautiful basket, everything suddenly feels right again and your home looks orderly and chic.
In addition, if you choose something beautiful in a timeless color, such as black, it will look stylish in the nursery, living room or kitchen, regardless of the fashion that comes and goes and how often you repaint your cabinets.