How To Pull Off A Neutral Color-Themed Nursery

Welcoming a newborn into your home is a time of celebration. It is also a time for creativity, especially with the design of the nursery. Do you want to keep the sex of your baby a surprise until the natal day? Do you not believe in gender-defining colors? Do you want to be cost-effective and create a space that is going to be timeless and also blend well with the rest of your home? Whatever your reasons are, working with neutral colors when crafting a nursery space is an interesting challenge.

Neutral colors don't have to be boring. Beige, gray, white, black, cream, and tan are all great examples of neutral colors, per Masterclass. The interesting thing about neutral colors is that they can form the base of your space, while you use other bold colors to draw out their different accents (via Romper), either by using colorful wall decor, complementing furniture, or other baby knick-knacks.

Working with neutral colors is definitely going to require a more intentional approach and may not be as straightforward as pulling off an ocean-themed nursery.

White is a color that represents purity and innocence, per Verywell Mind, making it a great color for your newborn's nursery. You could either keep the space all-white or you can incorporate subtle features like boho furniture, pops of color with wall hangings, or interesting decor and pieces of furniture and bedding that bring in other themes like animals, flowers, or the outer space (via Hunker).

An important thing to remember with going all-white, however, is to take into account all the little baby products that will have to call the nursery their home; they may not all fit your color theme so you'd either have to find creative storage ideas that keep them out of sight or work them into your all-white room in a fun way, according to Project Nursery.

You could kick it up a notch and go two-toned with your neutral colors, selecting the classic black and white, per The Spruce. You could either add each color in big areas within the room like the walls, floors, and ceiling (alternating between the two), or you can find fun ways to combine black and white in floral wallpapers or striped floors, finishing off with monotone furniture and other decors. However, try and be mindful of painting nursery walls while you're still pregnant.

Gray is a great neutral color to choose for your nursery, especially if you want the space to look stylish, modern, and soothing, reports The Spruce, but you may have to pay extra care not to make it look cold or lifeless. The first step would be to pick the right kind of gray, per The Spruce, because warm and cool grays reflect light in different ways making the room appear either cheery or glum.

Gray is also a color that goes well with most other colors; you could keep your base gray and throw in your favorite colors — green, lavender, orange, or gold — in strategic places with furniture, wall art, bedding, curtains, and mats. Or you could just go ahead and incorporate the many different shades of gray into your design, according to My Domaine, if you want to stay true to your neutral color of choice. Beige is another neutral color that can be easily weaved into a gray nursery to give it a snug feel.

Whichever neutral color you decide to go with, you'll have a lot of freedom to play with its many tints, pull from its tones for your decor and furniture, and also be left with a comforting space, per Masterclass, for your newborn.