Create a Nursery with Round-the-Clock Style

If you’re going to be up all night with your new bundle of joy, you might as well have a nursery you enjoy spending time in. So figured the Wash Park couple who asked Conni Newsome and Ashley Larson of C&A Interiors to design a cozy, modern nursery for their baby girl. “The room is small, so we had to be selective with design components and color palette,” Newsome says. “And they wanted a space their baby can grow into over the next few years.”

Here, the designers’ steps for creating a space perfect for naptime, late-night feedings, and everything in between—with decor that will last even longer than those all-nighters (we promise).

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1. Make a statement with paint. Instead of choosing a bright color, which can be overwhelming, go bold with a pattern—try the ceiling—in more muted hues. These stripes (in Iced Lavender and Snow White, both from Benjamin Moore) are more sophisticated than a plain, predictable pink room but are still fun enough to make it feel like a child’s space.

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2. Choose furnishings that will grow with your child. Bookcases with baskets hold stuffed animals and toys in the early years; as baby gets older, remove the baskets to make room for books. A full-size dresser with a soft changing pad on top can function as a changing table until she’s out of diapers, when it becomes a big-kid furnishing.

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3. Layer in texture. Make the room both serene and playful by adding in textures, especially on the floor, where babies (and parents) spend a lot of time. Shag or sheepskin rugs—on top of your wall-to-wall carpet for extra comfort or on hardwood (with a reliable rug pad underneath)—are fun for little hands to explore and easy on crawlers’ knees.

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4. Make light work for you. A well-chosen light fixture can double as the room’s whimsical focal point. Here, Newsome and Larson picked out a feather-wrapped pendant from Z Gallerie—a nod to the photos of baby animals. Tips: Choose a light with a “dim” option to reduce middle-of-the-night stumbling. Blackout shades help daytime naps.

_{—(Light) Courtesy of Serena & Lily; (Crib) Courtesy of Room & Board; (Pouf) Courtesy of Land of Nod}