articles

Easy, Inexpensive Nursery Decorating Ideas

Wall decor that pops . . . for every budget

By Dana Hardek February 27, 2015
When my husband and I were expecting our first child, I spent hours poring over paint chips and wallpaper books, looking for the perfect décor. We decided on green, with a border of teddy bears and bunnies, and then spent an agonizing weekend getting the paint and border on all four walls, which was a lot harder than it sounded. When we moved less than a year later, I knew that I was done with time-consuming, costly decorations. My son’s room, and the room for my daughter, were decorated on a budget and looked fantastic, too.

I’ve learned that you don’t have to spend a fortune to create the perfect nursery. Here are some tips to decorate the walls that are affordable and will make your baby’s room look amazing. 

Paint? What Paint?
Repeat after me: You don’t have to paint (or re-paint) the baby’s nursery. If you’re happy with the wall color that’s in the room, then you can bypass that step and get right down to decorating.

One of the easiest (and most creative) ways to decorate is to use wall decals. There are so many decals available, you’ll spend a lot more time looking for the perfect scene or picture than you will actually applying them to the wall. Decorate a room with trees, rainbows, animals, stars, shapes, or TV or movie characters. Best of all, decals peel right off (and they won’t harm the paint on the walls), so when your baby grows out of a jungle scene and wants everything to be about sports, it’s a no-fuss change. (And if you really DO want some new color in the room, just paint an accent wall. Nothing says you have to paint all four walls.)
 
Not Crafty? Don’t Worry!
You don’t have to be crafty to decorate a nursery. Take a look at Pinterest for inspiration, and then get to work on creating your own decorations, the easy way.

Print out phrases and pictures and hang them on the walls. Just get a couple pieces of scrapbook paper, print out a message or your baby’s name, and slap it in a frame. There you go! Instant art. For example:

design.jpg

This is a picture that my friend Missy made for her son’s room. It looks like she bought it in a store, but she made it herself out of scrapbook paper, vellum, and printer paper.

I’ve also seen nurseries that were decorated with clothesline string and colorful clothespins to anchor decorative scenes. The parents used nothing more than scrapbook paper and card stock with pictures of animals, flowers, and toys.

Frames, frames, frames.
I love frames. You can put anything in them — wooden letters, pictures, fabric, paper, poems — and they can dictate a room’s theme and look: classy, whimsical, Americana, modern.

Paint Your Own Picture
. Even if you insist you shouldn’t get near brushes, let alone paint, you can make a picture from scratch. If you need some guidance, visit a paint-your-own place with your spouse or friend and make personal, matching canvas scenes that you can hang in your baby’s room.

Wooden Letters
. The wooden letters that are available at any craft store are one of the best ways to decorate a nursery. Use paint, duct tape, or markers to decorate them, and then hang them from the wall with ribbon, or surround them with frames.

Decorating the nursery is exciting and can be a great way to share some of your favorite images with your baby. Take some time to walk around your local craft store or discount center to find creative, inexpensive ideas.