In the design world, modern is all about simplicity, neutral or earthy colors, straight lines, and uncluttered spaces. It also can include accents or pops of primary or metallic colors. If this is the look you’re going for, we’re here to offer a few fun, modern nursery ideas!
There are lots of different aspects to think about when creating your baby’s nursery — decorating is just part of it.
In this article, we’ll give you a few ways to make your little one’s room both safe and cute. We’ll also let you in on a few tips for decorating a modern nursery if you’re dealing with a small space.
Tips For Creating A Safe Nursery
Safety is timeless. Whether your nursery is in the modern, contemporary, vintage, retro, or rustic style, safety is the priority!
The good news for your sleek, modern nursery is that in many ways, a safe nursery is also a minimalistic nursery. We’ll tell you more with the three tips below.
Choose A Safe Crib
Your baby will spend a lot of time snoozing, which also means they will spend a lot of time in their crib. And since the crib is the one place where you’ll leave your little one unattended, it has to be a safe place!
First, check when your crib was made. The American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) advises choosing a crib that was manufactured after June 2011. That’s when current safety standards were put into place, so a crib older than that may not make the cut.
Another way to ensure that your baby’s crib is safe is to check the distance between the crib slats. Grab a measuring tape to be sure that the slats are no more than 2 ⅜ inches apart.
You’ll also want to avoid cutouts in the headboard or footboard. Any sort of big gap in the sides of the crib poses a safety hazard.
Then, after you put the crib together, check to make sure all the pieces and parts are secure and everything is assembled correctly. Look for missing parts, loose screws, sharp edges, or broken pieces.
Choose A Safe Crib Mattress
The second part of making your baby’s crib safe is ensuring that it has the right mattress.
The American Academy of Pediatrics recommends that babies sleep on a firm sleep surface. Soft surfaces may be cozy for you, but they’re a suffocation hazard for babies. This means they should never sleep on the couch or your bed and always on a firm crib mattress.
The Newton Baby Crib Mattress provides the firmness necessary yet is more comfortable than traditional mattresses, which are often hard and wrapped in plastic.
And, to make your baby even more comfortable and give you even more peace of mind, the Newton Baby mattress is breathable, too!
Our mattress’s Wovenaire® Core is made of 90% air and 10% of the same material used in yogurt cups, making it 100% breathable. A breathable mattress provides airflow, meaning your little one can breathe straight through it if they roll over — and no more sweaty backs!
Keep The Crib Bare
We mentioned that a safe nursery is, in many ways, a minimalistic nursery. Here’s where that starts to come into play. For the safest sleep area, you should keep the crib bare.
What does that mean exactly?
In addition to the crib mattress, your baby’s crib should be outfitted with a fitted sheet and nothing more. No crib decorations, mirrors, baby pillows, stuffed animals, top sheets, blankets, or crib bumpers.
Simple, right? And perfect for modern nurseries!
When it comes to a fitted sheet, we recommend our Breathable, Organic Cotton Sheets. These cute yet simple sheets are 100% breathable (perfect for use with a breathable crib mattress!) and made with pre-shrunk, organic muslin cotton for a soft and gentle sleep surface.
Plan Furniture Placement
As you dream up your baby’s modern nursery, don’t forget to take safety into account when you plan the placement of furniture.
Since your baby spends unsupervised time in their crib, the important thing is to keep the crib out of reach of curtains, blinds, cords, lamps, and anything else your little one might want to pull on.
And, of course, if you hang a picture or painting above your baby’s crib, make sure that it’s securely attached to the wall. The same goes for a mobile above your baby’s crib.
Modern Nursery Decoration Ideas
Now that you know some of the basics of making your baby’s nursery a safe place, it’s time to move on to the fun part: decoration ideas!
The options are truly endless, but here are four basic modern nursery ideas to get you started. We hope you can take these ideas and run with them to create a nursery that fits your family’s style and personality.
Go Black And White
Black and white isn’t necessarily a typical color combination for a baby nursery, but we love it — especially for a modern nursery.
Use black and white in any way you want. Hang an abstract black and white painting. Use a black and white rug and design the nursery around it.
Go with black and white geometrical designs on the walls. Or opt for black and white but choose a pop of color as an accent.
Opt For Wood
Gorgeous wood can create a warm yet modern look that’s perfect for a nursery. Consider a wooden crib or simple, sleek wooden furniture. We love the idea of floating wooden shelves to store some of the baby essentials.
Use Stencils
You don’t have to be an artist to do some of your own painting in the nursery. Wall stencils are every parent’s best friend when it comes to nursery decoration!
The right stencil can help you create modern, geometrical patterns on a wall or a variety of designs with straight, clean lines.
Use Painter’s Tape
Painter’s tape is another lifesaver when it comes to modern ideas. It makes it so easy to create a design on the wall that perfectly fits your nursery decor.
Use painter’s tape to don the wall with geometrical patterns, bold stripes, a triangular mountain range, or anything else that fits your modern nursery dream.
How should you go about it? Start by painting the wall a base color and letting it dry. This will be the color of anything you tape over. Then, use painter’s tape to make your design and paint the exposed areas of the wall with your second paint color.
Modern Nursery Ideas For Small Spaces
Design is about function as well as appearance. If you’ve got a tiny space, take a look at these ideas that will jive with a modern nursery and also help you fit everything you need in the small room.
Downsize The Crib
Aside from the normal square shape, cribs also come in shapes like ovals and circles, but the two typical sizes of cribs are mini and standard.
While your baby won’t be able to stay in a mini crib forever (they will typically outgrow it by two years old, if not earlier), it can be a great temporary option for accommodating a small space.
Mini cribs measure 24 inches wide and 38 inches long.
Install A Curtain Instead Of A Door
Doors that swing in and out take up floor space. And when you have a small nursery, every square foot matters!
To gain some extra room, uninstall the door and use a curtain instead. A neutral-colored curtain will fit perfectly with your modern nursery theme.
Use A Wall Lamp Instead Of A Floor Lamp
Looking for another way to save floor space? Choose a wall lamp instead of a floor lamp.
A modern lamp that can be securely mounted on the wall will add a unique touch to your nursery and free up some space at the same time.
Be A Minimalist
Babies do require a lot of stuff. There’s no way around it. But there are also a lot of items on the baby market that simply aren’t necessary.
To fit everything in a small space, stick with the baby essentials and skip the rest. Check out our list of baby essentials here.
A Safe, Modern Nursery For Your Little One
If you’re going for a modern look for your baby’s room, we’ve got you covered with the above modern nursery ideas to make the space safe, cute, and functional!
Keep safety first with a safe crib, Newton Baby’s breathable Crib Mattress, and nothing more than Breathable, Organic Cotton Sheets.
Then get creative with black and white, wood, or your own wall designs made with stencils or painter’s tape. And for a small space, go with a mini crib, curtains and wall lamps, and only the baby necessities.
With the right planning, your baby’s modern nursery will be a safe, happy, and welcoming place for them to grow, rest, and play!
