Neutral Baby Girl Nursery – Micheala Diane Designs

August 7, 2023 - By

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Our second baby girl is here and I am sharing all her neutral baby girl nursery design details!

In this post, I am sharing all about how we approached the design of our second little girl’s nursery.

For both of our pregnancies, we did not find out the gender of our baby until delivery. Many think that this can make planning really difficult. We found it to be easy and both times we ended up with a nursery design that we really loved.

Baby Girl Nursery Theme

How can I decorate my nursery without knowing the gender?

This is our second nursery design. For our first nursery, we decided not to find out the gender and went with a very gender-neutral nursery theme. You can check out our gender neutral nursery HERE. We ended up having a beautiful little girl and our gender neutral theme was perfect.

For our second baby, we decided to wait again. This time we chose to start with an overall neutral palette and then wait until baby was here to add more gender-specific design details. We ended up having another beautiful girl. After her arrival, we finished up her nursery with some cute girly touches. A wood name sign, floral prints, and a more feminine area rug.

Both of these design options are a great choice for decorating a nursery without knowing the gender. They both have pros and cons.

Gender Neutral Theme

Going with a gender-neutral theme from the start gives you a complete nursery. Those first few months with a newborn are all consuming and you may not want the added pressure of finishing up a nursery. The con would be that you are not able to add any personalized touches.

Starting with Neutral Palette

Starting with a neutral palette as I did for this nursery design allowed me to have all the big items in place. Then add the gender-specific details later. The con to this is the nursery will not feel complete for a while. We recently finished up all the nursery details about 5 months after the birth of our daughter. Granted baby doesn’t sleep in their own room for the first 6 months or longer so they are not missing anything.

If I did it again I would probably start with a neutral pallet and add the design details later. It was fun being able to pick out some cute girly touches while still creating a neutral baby girl nursery design.

What are neutral colors for a nursery?

Neutral colors for a nursery are a popular choice because they create a soothing and calming environment. Perfect for both baby boys and girls.

With this baby girl nursery, we started with an overall neutral palette. That all starts with picking out some neutral colors for the larger items. Such as; paint color, wall treatment, crib, dressers, and nursery glider/ recliner.

Wall Color and Board and Batten

To add some character to the walls we went with a skinny board and batten wall detail. You can find the full DIY tutorial HERE. For the lower portion, we went with a pretty grey paint color, Yarn by Magnolia Home. Grey is a versatile and modern option that can create a sophisticated nursery look. For the top portion, we went with a warm white, Benjamin Moore Simply White. White is a clean and pure color that gives a sense of openness and brightness.

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Best Nursery Crib

For the crib, we went with the Babyletto Gelato 4-in-1 Convertible Crib. This has a white-washed natural wood finish. Natural wood colors for furniture and decor can complement neutral walls and add a touch of warmth. I also love the modern style of this crib and it would be perfect for a girl or boy nursery.

Ikea Nursery Dresser Upgrade

To keep with the neutral baby nursery theme we went with a white dresser. Ikea makes really great inexpensive dressers that are perfect for a nursery. We went with the Ikea IDANÄS Dresser because it had some pretty trim details that make it look a little more high-end for a low price tag. To elevate the dresser even more we switched out the hardware to beautiful gold knobs.

My favorite nursery glider/recliner

The nursery chair is another large item that is nice to keep neutral. There are a lot of chair options on the market and I remember being overwhelmed with the choice my first pregnancy.

We went with the Babyletto Kiwi Nursery Glider Recliner. This chair came highly recommended and after using it for two babies I can understand why. It glides and has a power recline feature. I love that it feels roomy but can still fit in a smaller nursery.

We went with the cream color fabric. You may be thinking light fabric with a baby is a bad idea. But this is a performance fabric that is water and stain resistant and can hold up to all the messes of a baby. I have used this same chair for both my babies and it still looks brand new. Worth the investment if you plan on having multiple babies.

Neutral Baby Girl Nursery Decor

We started with a neutral palette and now that she is here it is time to add the finishing touches. It was so much fun to add some feminine details to this space while still keeping it neutral.

Nursery Light Fixture

I love adding statement lighting to a room. It really pulls the design together and elevates the space. This is an element that you can keep neutral or more gender specific. I went with a neutral chandelier that leans a little more feminine but can be used in both a boy and girl nursery.

I loved the white-washed beads on this one from World Market. Antique Whitewashed Wood Bead 4 Light Chandelier

Baby Girl Nursery Prints

An easy way to create a nursery theme or add gender-specific design details is through art. My favorite way inexpensive way to add art to my home is by purchasing printable downloads. This allows you to print the art print on your own, at home, or at a local printer, and frame it yourself. Making it really budget-friendly.

I went with these floral prints from Etsy and these wood frames from Target.

Nursery Name Signs Girl

Another easy way to add a personalized touch to your nursery is through a name sign.

This was my biggest pro for waiting to complete the nursery. I always wanted to add a name sign but with my first wanted the nursery complete beforehand. This time I had a name sign selected, took all the measurements and actually ordered it from my hospital bed after my sweet girl was born and had a name.

I went with this custom wood script name sign and I am in love with how it turned out.

Baby Girl Area Rug

The last gender-specific item that I added to our nursery was the area rug. This makes a big impact on your space because it takes up the majority of the floor. I wanted to add a touch of pink without it being over the top and while still being neutral. I went with this Amber Lewis x Loloi Salmon/ ink area rug.

Nursery Window Treatments

Another nursery element to consider is the window treatments. You can keep these neutral or wait and make them more gender specific. One thing you will want to consider regardless of the design style is how to block the light. In my experience babies sleep best in dark rooms. I am sharing exactly what we did to make our room blackout.

How to Blackout Your Baby’s Room?

It’s all about layers!

Blackout Shades

The first step in blacking out your baby’s room is to use a blackout shade. We went with Cordless Cellular Black Out Shades. These have worked great for both of our girl’s rooms. The one issue with shades is that light can creep out the side of the shade.

Light Blockers

In order to eliminate the light coming out of the side of the shade we added Blackout Window Light Blockers. These are attached to the window and block any light coming from the sides of the shade.

Black Out Curtains

The final layer is blackout curtains. I love the Aruba Linen Black Out Curtains from Target and have used them in all of our bedrooms. I have them in the color: Sour Cream. These are not 100% blackout which is why having a layer of blackout shades is important.

For the curtain rod, I went with this Gold Curtain Rod. I have added gold elements in all the metal hardware for this nursery to keep the design cohesive.

Nursery Organization

The last element of a good nursery design is organization. Nursery organization is more than just aesthetics, it plays a crucial role in creating a safe, comfortable, and functional space for your baby. Below are some of the items I used to organize our nursery.

Baskets

Large Woven Twisted Paper Rope: Baskets are your friend when it comes to organization. If you have a larger closet having a good combination of baskets and hanging is key. We have a small closet in our nursery that doesn’t accommodate a lot of room for basket storage. Luckily we also have this alcove with shelves that ended up being the perfect spot for some decorative baskets.

We use these baskets for toy storage, and extra supplies like diapers, wipes, blankets, and clothes that baby outgrows until can pack them up.

Twisted Rope Hamper: Having a hamper for dirty clothes and linens is essential. Baby goes through a lot of clothes and I prefer to wash all baby’s clothes separately from ours. Having a dedicated hamper makes this easier. The one we chose matches our storage baskets perfectly.

Tulip-Shaped Woven Basket: A large basket or bin is the perfect way to keep toys and stuffies organized.

Hooks

Gold Wall Hooks: Adding hooks to the wall can provide a place to hang sleep sacks, jackets, bath towels, bows, etc.

Books

Montessori Wooden Bookshelf: I always like to add a spot for books. In my oldest room, I did wall book storage but found that it was hard for her to reach. This time we went with a Montessori bookshelf that sits on the floor easy for babies to grab and read the books on their own.

Closet & Dresser

Small Closet Hangers: Small hangers are a must for all those little baby clothes. We love these felt ones.

Dresser Drawer Dividers: Dresser drawer dividers for babies are great organizational tools to keep their clothes and belongings neatly separated and easily accessible. I love these adjustable drawer dividers They are versatile and can be adjusted to fit various drawer sizes.

Drawer Organizing Bins: In addition to dividers I also like to use drawer organizing bins. These can be placed inside the drawers to separate and categorize baby clothes and accessories.