Not So Pastel Nurseries

This post is inspired by my friend Reeves who is pregnant and planning to decorate her nursery for her daughter-to-be. She is not interested in a pink or pastel colored room; rather she thinks she wants bold, bright colors.

I'm not pregnant but being that a) I can appreciate a good design for any room - even a nursery for my unborn, unconceived child and b) since a good number of people I know are either pregnant or have kids, I thought these not-so-typical nurseries were worth sharing.

This one is from Parent's Magazine. There are lots of things I really like about this space.

1. The striped paint treatment on the wall and the bold, graphic curtains.
2. The dark wood on the curtain rod and the crib to ground the brightness of the colors and to keep it from being too over the top.
3. The four postered crib is reminiscent of a grown up bed and in a great rounded shape as well.
4. How cute is the rug and that mobile?

I'm loving the painted furniture in a bright orange the unframed animal prints in this one from the HGTV site. This one also follows a design belief I subscribe to: a little bit of animal print in any room is a good thing (note the pillow).

Why shouldn't a little girl have a canopy over her crib? And it doesn't have to be a crib decked out pastel pink bed to warrant a canopy.

You'd have to be an ambitious pregnant lady to tackle this paint job (or I guess you could always hire a professional) but the result is really fun. Look how cute that crib skirt is, too.

Lastly, this isn't really a nursery idea but something I was thinking of for a young child's room so it is in same vein...wouldn't it be fun to make a fabric covered headboard for a kid's room and use vintage buttons like these from Martha Stewart for the tufts?