Color Play Baby Nursery Decorating Idea

A custom rug bordered with lions, elephants, and other animals underscores the timelessy appealing Noah's ark theme.
© David VanScott
A custom rug bordered with animals
underscores the Noah's ark theme.
Designer: Karen Cashman,
Perspectives

Color scheme is an important decision to make when decorating your baby's nursery. Two of the most popular themes for little boys' rooms are animals and vehicles. These two themes make charming use of such tried-and-true concepts with a wealth of designer details and enticing color schemes.

In one room, a Noah's ark theme starts with fresh apple green and medium blue then punches it up with shots of red and other warm hues.

Another decorating idea includes sunny yellow stripes and checks that make a cheerful background for planes, cars, and other vehicles in green and red. A multicolor crib ensemble and deftly upholstered mini wing chairs add even more charm. Rambunctious or studious, a little boy's imagination can still be sparked by a clever, kid-friendly design. Start with a motif you think he'll love, and take off from there!

On the next page, learn how a green motif can freshen up your baby's room.

Checkerboard Table

What You'll Need

Image of Checkerboard Table for Color Play design.

  • Wooden table, at least 20 inches square
  • Sandpaper
  • Damp cloth
  • Paintbrushes
  • Acrylic paints: white, blue, red, and yellow
  • Clean, dry cloth
  • Pencil
  • Ruler
  • Painter's tape
  • Clear-drying matte acrylic varnish

1. Sand top and edges of table smooth. Wipe clean with damp cloth.

2. Using medium-size paintbrush, paint table white. For aged effect, use clean, dry cloth to gently rub paint away from edges of tabletop and legs. To add color to sides, paint only sides yellow (not legs). When dry, randomly draw 1-inch-diameter circles on yellow sides with red paint.

3. Draw a 12-inch square in center of table, 4 inches from each edge. Mark square into 8 rows and columns, using 11/2-inch squares to form a checkerboard pattern. Draw 1-inch-wide line around checkerboard for border. Place painter's tape on outside of every other square on 1st, 3rd, 5th, and 7th rows; paint blue. Let dry, then carefully remove tape. Repeat for remaining even-numbered rows, this time alternating between painted squares on odd-numbered lines. Let dry; remove tape. Finally, position painter's tape along inside and outside lines of border, and paint red.

Image of painted top for Checkerboard Table.

4. When checkerboard is complete, paint 2 coats of clear-drying matte acrylic varnish over entire table.

To get more decorating ideas for your children's rooms, check out: