Rainbow Nursery

in Interiors, Our Family, Our Home on 01/30/18

Color is so powerful in a room and especially in a child’s room as they are learning about the world and exploring it every day. That’s why we created a rainbow nursery for our son with a bright white coat of paint and every color you can imagine layered on top.

From the second our son came into our lives, I’d been dreaming and scheming about his room. I knew exactly what I wanted it to look like and I could picture every detail. I wanted it to be magical for him. I wanted it to be full of color, culture and items created by people we love. I’m so proud of it, and so beyond excited to share ALL the details with you today in case you’re looking to create a rainbow nursery of your own!

Ok but first, can we take a look at this before and after….

A Meaningful Gallery Wall

Art and gallery walls are a great way to add color to a room, and to include sentimental pieces you’ve been collecting, too.

This room has an amazing ledge that we knew we wanted to incorporate into some sort of gallery. After much debate, we decided to hang the artwork above it, and use the ledge to display some of our favorite colorful items.

Each piece on the wall either carries meaning for my family, or was created by an artist or photographer who we know or admire. I wanted to be able, in a few years, to point to each piece on the wall and tell our son all about how that person is chasing their dreams.

When creating a gallery wall of art and sentimental pieces, you can have as many colors and styles as you like, but try to repeat colors at least once to tie them all together. I have an entire guide on how to select and layout a gallery wall if you’d like more tips.

Rainbow Bookshelves

Get the best bang for your buck by using books as decor!

Children’s books come in every color of the rainbow, and building up a collection allows you to have a library of books to read with your little one and fill up your walls with color!

Rainbow bookshelves can by DIY’d with love with my tutorial or you can buy them already made.

Once you have them up, sort out and organize your books by color. You can even, eventually, swap in holiday books during the season!

A Nursery Reading Nook

Along with rainbow bookshelves, a rocking chair that doubles as a reading nook is key! We sit here every night to read bedtime stories. I honestly got this mint leather rocking chair solely because I loved the color but I’ve been SO happy that it’s leather. Arlo LOVES to scratch at furniture and if it was fabric, I’m afraid it would be torn to shreds like our couch currently is. This just looks better with age, so that’s been awesome. I paired it with a colorful foot stool which was made from Guatemalan and Mexican textiles.

Using A Dresser as a Changing Table

There is absolutely no reason to have a separate changing table. Instead, use a piece of furniture that can grow with your child, like a dresser!

We decided to put this dresser right below the gallery because our son loves to look up at all the art and play with the stuffed animals. It’s this Jenny Lind dresser and I love how whimsical it is!!!! (And it fits a lot!)

Add color with accessories or charms hung on the drawers.

Craft Projects for A Rainbow Nursery

Ahhhh and then comes my DIY projects!! This rainbow latch hook took me about six or seven months to complete. And honestly, it was totally worth it. It was definitely a labor of love but I really enjoyed having a project to work on gradually and I knew it would look SO GOOD above his crib. (Side note: we also got this organic mattress for him which we really love.)

You can learn how to make the rainbow latch hook here.

And right next to it, the giant five foot plush cactus I made!!!! This was another one that I just had a vision for and knew I had to make happen. I really love how it turned out!!

You can learn how to make the giant plush cactus here.

I chose this rattan animal head to tie in to some of the natural elements, like the changing basket, in the room. I added a little pom pom crown and garland to him for a pop of color!

Also, can we give a round of applause to this light fixture. ZOMG! It was the very first thing I bought for his room, actually. And what an improvement from that ceiling fan!!!

Of course, his room wouldn’t be complete without one of his dad’s photos in there! This balloon car one greets you right as you walk in his (yellow) door.

Photos by Jeff Mindell

And there you have it! I really poured my heart into every detail of this room. Every single piece in it has meaning. I love that so many items are handmade or designed by talented artists I know. I love that there are gifts from friends, near and far.

I love that Morocco, Australia, Mexico, Guatemala, and more are represented here. I love that there’s pink and there’s blue and there’s every color in between because all colors are for everyone. I love that there are items that I worked for months to make, just for him.

Below you will find a detailed source list. If there is not a source, unfortunately that means it was either a gift or I don’t have a source for that item!

Main Furniture + Storage Piece Sources

Crib | Organic Mattress | Organic Mattress Pad
Dresser | Rocking Chair
Rainbow Book Shelves from Land of Nod (No longer avail, but similar here or make your own!)
Storage Bench | Colorful Stool

Art Sources

Gallery Wall

Other Art

Balloon Car Print | Bright Side Banner

Decor Items

Toys

Lion Rocking Horse | Rainbow Blocks
Rainbow Stacking Toy | Alligator Pull Toy
Dinosaur Stuffed Animals | Neon Wool Hedgehog
Wool Elephant | Neon Giraffe*

Outfits

Arlo: “The Future Is Me” Romper
Me: Pink Cardigan | Jeans

Paint Colors
Walls: Dunn Edwards “White”*
Door: Dunn Edwards “Highlighter”*

This post was created in partnership with The Land of Nod. All content and opinions are that of my own! Thank you for supporting the sponsors that keep the Studio DIY party going! Read more about my editorial policies here.

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