decorating a nursery when you dont know the sex?!

[danio7]

I am planning to decorate our nursery secretly whilst DH is away.
We do not know the sex of the baby and it is only our first, I can imagine it must be really hard for DH to bond with babin when he isnt carying it so thought I would make a big gesture (he is not a DIY man either...)

Does anyone have any good ideas for colour schemes, I am quite good at art so can even draw some stuff on, I dont really want to go for the bland neutral theme.

What did you do?

:D

We did loads of animals - a jungle theme with yellows and creams

We went for green and then put up pictures etc as she got older.

I made a nice little display of all her 'congratulations' cards, and did a big footstep painting obviously both after she'd arrived!

I was planning a jungle theme but now changed my mind and want an under the sea theme :) I am finding it hard to find things for it though.

I did very light yellow Walls and bedding was rainbow coloured stripes (verbaudet or jojo maman bebe) not sure, then painted canvases with Disney characters on with yellow/rainbow backgrounds to tie in with the room I think there's still pics of canvases on my profile

Our nursery is yellow - we are going to get wall stickers to go up. Are you sure your DH wouldn't like to help decorate the nursery though? He might like to feel that he is contributing to preparations for the baby, even if he doesn't like DIY.

We've got cream walls with various pictures of children's TV characters (DP's sister is a Thomson kids' club rep, so brought them home with her at the end of last season!). Also got a huge map of Europe in pastel colours, and I plan to buy wooden/foam letters to spell out the baby's name after it's born, and paint them in the same colours as the map, to go above the cot.

we keeing the walls magnolia and having a penguin theme (a use for all the penguin crap I have around the place!!!)

I'd do it a lovely apple green,

then add blue or pink depending on the babies sex :)

Underwater.

I got a huge wall mural from ebay, the other walls are gilded with aluminium leaf. The ceiling is dark blue with glow in the dark and glittery stars, and there's a big 6 foot fish windsock hanging across the room. The floor is silver vinyl with a circular green rug. There is a grey bean bag that looks like a rock, and lots of fishy-themed pictures, accessories etc.

fab wall stickers

Bright turquoise?

we dont have a nursery but i decorated our room to share with the baby, loads of white with a turquoise carpet.

We went for yellow, not too bright, and the theme "snug as a bug"...lots of colours in it with soft bugs hanging from the walls. It's lovely, we didn't want creams.

We knew the sex and still went with the jungle theme and yellow walls.

We have Walls in snowdrop. A slightly off White. Then very bright stripey rug and bright bedding and accessories - bookends and toys.

I love it because the colour is there in all the baby/toddler stuff and the soft furnishings. But the Walls are calming and unfussy. I keep looking at the penguins sitickers from the deco wall site. Reckon they'd go with the room and that now ds2 is 19 months he might actually be interested in them. Or he goldfish. Or he's very keen on cars and dogs now.

We kept the walls magnolia like the rest of the house but then went with primary colours mostly spots on blinds and cushions etc and pictures which are similar bright colours. I still love it 18 months later. Couldn't bear pink or baby blue in any case even if I'd known the gender and I love the fact that DS isn't surrounded by stuff that doesn't shout 'boy'. He'll be moving room soon as number 2 is on the way but I intend to decorate his new room in the same colour scheme and DC2 will keep the current nursery whether a boy or a girl.

We did ours after DD was born but still wanted it unisex for any future babies!

We did it a kind of darkish green with a border from Mamas and Papas. I'd bought the border first because it was reduced to £1 per roll and used the colour DP has painted his shop. They really didn't seem like they'd go together but look really nice. [csmile]

i'd go for white and then have white/grey bedding, white company? and dark wood furniture.

Unfortunately only ds1 has ever had his own nursery the last two didn't get one and neither will this dc. Enjoy! its very easy to make unisex, then can blue/pink it up with lampshades, curtains, rugs and blankets later if you want to.

super mario :o

we did ours after DS came along but it's pretty gender neutral. The walls are off white (stone, I think?) and we used FunToSee rainforest wall stickers which I love (and even more when they sent me a whole new sheet for free after DS tore quite a major large sticker!) and we had a rainforest mobile, a monkey rug, exotic birds mobile, and brightly coloured alphabet freize around the top. We had blue curtains already.

I'm really pleased with it, and the fact the when we move (hopefully soon) it'll take ten minutes to turn it back into a non-baby room for prospective buyers to see.

I'd avoid wall stickers personally. My sister rented out her flat and the tennant put those stickers everywhere. When they moved out and we were cleaning it up, we tried really hard to get them off but they just pulled the paint off and we ended up having to repaint most of the flat. [csad]

I think you should go with Ivy's plan.

A hairdryer usually takes the stickers off easily enough. we've changed themes about 4 times as the boys have gotten bigger

The walls are a sort of butterscotch colour. DH painted a big orange circle on one wall, and multicoloured letters of the alphabet (in different fonts - he's a graphic designer) on another, using paint samples we'd bought for other rooms in the house. We had canvasses made of some photos DH had taken, which hang above the fireplace. We have multicoloured spotty blackout curtains from the Gro Company.

It looks really groovy and unique - I love it :)

DH seriously cannot pick up a paintbrush!
the army seems to be the only manly thing! ;)

Thanks for such great advice.
I am loving the bug theme harverina

maybe I should try farm yard animals?!
all of my walls are plain so I wanted to do one big feature wall, I agree that childrens toys can bring a lot of colour to the table!

what about moons and stars!?!

loving the task in hand