My most favorite thing to ask new parents about is how they selected baby’s name. It’s so funny how naming trends come and go, and I love to hear stories behind how a couple selects baby’s name.
My second favorite thing to ask is how they’re decorating the nursery! Particuarly first-time parents put endless time, love, money and energy into creating a cozy space for baby. This is usually mama’s favorite room in the entire house, and no two nurseries are ever alike!
Trends in baby nurseries over time
I’ve seen the espresso crib trend, the all-white nursery craze, wallpaper on walls and ceilings (relatively new and surprisingly beautiful), accent walls, the minimalist look, neutral spaces for gender reveals at birth, the ultra-personalized space with monogrammed everything… there are so many ways to create a lovely space just for baby.
Complimentary nursery photos + photo-friendly nursery tips!
Typically when I arrive at a home for newborn photos, my clients usually need a few minutes to finish getting ready. It’s the perfect opportunity to spend a few moments taking in baby’s nursery and photographing all the things so that the family won’t ever forget how special baby’s first room looked. I gift these complimentary photos to every mama because I know these images mean so much as baby grows, especially to couples who spent months planning the perfect nursery – and then made it a reality!
In fact, quite a few mamas have asked me for photo-friendly nursery tips because they want this room to look absolutely perfect in photos. That’s why I include an entire section in my Celebrate Motherhood magazine on creating an amazing nursery that will photograph like a dream.
Last year was such an incredible year for creative, gorgeous nurseries that are just breath-taking. Although it was incredibly hard to narrow down, I’m recapping my 10 most favorite nurseries from 2021!
10. Violet’s feminine, soft pink nursery {designed by her mama, Kelsey}
Kelsey’s precious daughter Violet has the classiest, most elegant nursery I photographed in 2021. There are panels behind the crib featuring sweet pink wallpaper, blending perfectly with the gray and white tones that dominate the room. Kelsey personalized the space with little touches, including photos of herself and Violet’s dad Stephen when they were little, along with a swatch of wallpaper from Kelsey’s nursery when she was tiny! It’s framed just above the cozy gray chair. You’ll see a little blanket stitched with Violet’s name, along with the signature Pottery Barn toddler chair with her first name.
What makes this space photo-friendly:Â The window brings in ample natural light, and the white furniture flows well with the neutral shades Kelsey selected. She has pops of pink around the room, including the changing pad cover and a quilted pillow on the chair. Adding wallpaper with such light colors behind the crib adds visual interest without overwhelming the room.
9. Warren’s green retreat {designed by his mama, Maddy}
No matter how you decorate your nursery, you’ll elevate it by leaps and bounds by adding this round mirror from Target! I see this exact same mirror in lots of nurseries, and I love to photograph mamas snuggling babies in front of it. It goes well with practically any color scheme, and while Warren has a good-sized nursery, mirrors can make smaller rooms instantly look bigger.
There are unexpected personal touches in this nursery – most notably, the photos above Warren’s crib! Maddy took them while she and Chandler lived in Montana. A huge part of their history as a couple took place in Montana, and what an amazing idea to frame those photos above their son’s crib! The neutral colors are beautiful, from the green on the walls to the white and seagrass items.
What makes this space photo-friendly:Â Maddy did an incredible job of putting a well-decorated nursery together where all of the colors flow well and none of the walls look empty. I see that sometimes in baby’s room – there will be decor on one or two walls and nothing along the others. It can give the room a cold, empty feel. Warren’s room is warm and inviting; while I usually turn off lamps to avoid yellow/orange tones, I left them on here because the soft glow was so pretty.
8. Scarlett’s formerly gender-neutral room {designed by her mama, Rachael}
First-time parents Rachael and Jordan got the best surprise ever when baby was born – they found out she was a girl!
Lots of new parents opt to learn baby’s gender at birth, and that kind of willpower leaves me speechless! With my third baby, we waited to find out if we were having a boy or a girl until birth, but I had already enjoyed the fun of decorating specifically for girls with my older kids! It’s hard to imagine waiting nine long months with my first pregnancy, but I think it’s amazing some couples can do it!
Because they wanted to be surprised at the hospital, Rachael painted the room a light blue-green that would be perfect for either gender. There is a super light, delicate ivy wallpaper along one side of the room and, honestly, it would have been gorgeous for a boy, too!
Rachael added little girly touches here and there after Scarlett came home – and the chandelier in the room is perfect for her little princess, too!
Why this room is photo-friendly:Â The colors and wallpaper work beautifully either way – boy or girl, along with the white curtains and decor around the room. Rachael went with a gray and white rug, which ties the nursery together well.
7. Tanner’s adorable nursery nook {designed by his mama, Trisha}
Trisha and Tucker were in a one-bedroom apartment for their in-home newborn session, with plans to move to a two bedroom a few weeks later. Even though she didn’t have an entire room dedicated to her son in time for newborn photos, Trisha set up the sweetest nook in the master bedroom for Tanner (and had plans ready to go for a sweet nursery after the move to a bigger place!).
She was smart to go with colors that blended so well with the room’s current color scheme; Tanner’s nook fits in beautifully. The bassinet is actually a family heirloom dating back several generations that Trisha and her siblings slept in as babies, making it a sentimental piece. She added a garland of eucalyptus to tie the room together, along with a wooden sign above with baby’s name. It was absolute perfection!
What makes this nursery photo-friendly: using the master bedroom’s color scheme in Tanner’s nook could not have worked more beautifully. We even had enough room between the bed and the bassinet to give the illusion of being in a separate room for some photos; I also used the bassinet as a backdrop for mama-baby and family photos because I know it means so much to them.
6. Sawyer’s pink & green floral print nursery {designed by her mama, Hannah}
What stood out to me right away in Sawyer’s room was how Hannah had thought of everything when she created her daughter’s space. Sawyer had everything from a beautiful crib and lovely bookcase to a long wooden ruler to track her height as she grows hanging on one wall. There were floral notes throughout the room, but just enough to carry out the theme without being too much. Hannah kept the color scheme simple: white, soft pink and sage green. She tied it all together with floral curtains and a slightly darker rug in front of the crib. The overall effect was peaceful and girly – perfect for their first daughter!
There are stuffed animals arranged just so on the bookcase, along with the all of the childhood classics Hannah and Austin will snuggle up to read with Sawyer. I could tell she put work into the nursery, but it looked so effortlessly pulled together, real #nurserygoals!
Why this nursery is photo-friendly:Â I just adore how well neutrals photograph and I loved themed nurseries that aren’t overdone. Sawyer has such a sweet space to grow up in; you can see how this space could work for her for years to come with little adjustments. Plus, mama even worked in these signature colors into her and Sawyer’s wardrobe without it looking intentional. That’s just magical!
5. Elio’s sunset-inspired space {designed by his mama, Gaby}
Elio’s room is one of the most uniquely designed nurseries I’ve ever photographed. It’s an artistic blend of white, burnt orange and brown that comes together so well for this sweet boy! Gaby took her and Alejandro’s shared love of sunrises and sunsets to create this room, with the burnt orange circle symbolizing the sun behind the crib. Gaby has a green thumb and the rest of their home features lots of real plants; you can see a few pops of green in Elio’s room that serves as a nod to mama’s love of gardening.
To make the room serve a dual purpose, Gaby added a futon to one wall. This way, she could sleep in Elio’s room if she needed to (in case of a sick baby) or it could serve as a guest room while baby is still sleeping in the master bedroom. She mixed in her a few prints from her maternity photo session with other artwork above the futon.
What makes this nursery photo-friendly:Â The burnt orange circle dominates one wall and everything else is very neutral – you don’t feel overwhelmed with too much color or decor. There are complementary orange notes around the room, along with white and brown tones.
4. Owen’s Toy Story-inspired nursery {designed by his mama, Annie}
Of all the nurseries I photographed last year, this is one of the most unforgettable – especially that perfectly done cloud print on bright blue walls! Owen’s parents Annie and Christian love Disney’s Toy Story movie, a theme wonderfully carried out in Owen’s room! I hope this space stays exactly this like this forever, considering how well it’s done – but someday Annie just might decide to redecorate, so I spent more time than usual capturing all the sweet details!
From the walls to the rug, the blue-and-white cloud theme is very well done! Annie added in lots of Toy Story characters on Owen’s bookshelf, along with personalized art for the walls above her nursing chair. You’ll see a bassinet along one wall, simply because baby’s crib was on back order and they didn’t want the room to look incomplete without one.
Annie personalized the space for Owen by adding in family photos above the changing pad, which I always love in baby’s room. His name is spelled out in primary colors above the bassinet, too.
Why this room is photo-friendly:Â I had to take care to avoid a blue cast in the photos because the walls are bright; we exclusively used natural light + my own speedlight, and I only bounced my flash off the ceiling to keep the colors true-to-life. It’s hard to resist themed nurseries that are so gorgeous!
3. A Star Wars masterpiece for a sweet baby boy! {designed by his mama, Kat}
Admittedly, I’m not really a Star Wars fan and I only have the slightest knowledge of these movies because my husband loves them. But even I was impressed by the amazing Star Wars-themed room this sweet couple created for their first baby, a sweet little man with the happiest smile!
The most incredible part? The constellations painted on one section of the ceiling! Mama wanted to integrate the sky theme into the room without painting everything in super dark colors. They opted to use just section of the vaulted ceiling – and it couldn’t have turned out better! They bought a constellation stencil and varied the placement as they stenciled the ceiling, creating a super unique effect. The rest of the room is painted light blue and white, very neutral, which helps the constellations stand out on the ceiling!
There is Star Warms-themed artwork around the room, along with personalized pieces made just for this little guy. He even has constellation-patterned crib sheets!
What makes this nursery photo-friendly:Â This is only the second Star Wars nursery I’ve ever photographed, and they were both done well and yet so different. The decision to paint just one part of the ceiling black with stars was such a good one; it would have darkened the room too much to paint any more of the ceiling black. The rest of the space is super neutral and well-suited for a precious boy! Even better, this theme and decor will be fun for many years to come!
2. A calming jungle paradise for Minali {designed by her mama, Justyna}
First-time parents Justyna and Satish didn’t know their precious babe was a girl until she was born! That’s why they went with a gender-neutral jungle theme in the nursery. Even though I knew how they had decorated the room before Minali’s in-home newborn photos, I wasn’t prepared for just how amazing and gorgeous the jungle wallpaper would be!
I absolutely adored how one wall is covered in beautiful wallpaper and the rest of the room is white. Other than the wallpaper, there is a single shelf with a bunch of sweet stuffed animals. It definitely kept the room from being too busy, and every lovely inch of this amazing wallpaper shines!
Mama and daughter wore white for the photo session, with baby Minali in the cutest brown baby turban ever made! Their wardrobe coordinated perfectly with the jungle wallpaper, too. I couldn’t get over how much I loved this one wall, and I was so happy the family added a nursing chair in the corner where I could work in the jungle pattern in the background of some photos. What kiddos (and adults!) wouldn’t love playing “I spy” in this room when Minal is a little older?!
1. Wade’s classic buffalo-check ceiling, masculine chandelier and perfectly done nursery {designed by his mama, Lindsey}
Honestly, if I could feature Lindsey and Blake’s entire home here, I would! She has a knack for decorating that made every single room in this home look magazine-worthy. We used the master, nursery and living room during the newborn session, and every space was covered in stunning natural light. Lindsey and Blake are a super cute couple to boot, and she is radiant in a light blue plaid dress that photographed like a dream the entire time!
The best part of Wade’s nursery? The gray-and-white buffalo check ceiling! It’s unexpected and absolutely gorgeous. The colors are muted enough to show up without overwhelming the rest of the nursery. On top of the wallpaperd ceiling, I also adore the chandelier Lindsey selected for her son’s room. Before I saw this room, I would have said a chandelier doesn’t belong in a boy’s nursery – but it couldn’t be a more appropriate fixture for Wade’s room! While he may not love it when he’s 16, it will be super easy to hang in another space later on!
What makes this nursery photo-friendly:Â Just everything. I love how it’s so neutral, with a pop of color from the blue dresser. I love how she decorated with little personalized items (you’ll spot some Aggie decor on the bookshelf since mama and dad are Aggie grads!), but went with a oil-rubbed bronze crib. These vintage-style cribs always photograph so well!
My favorite nursery items + where to buy
There are a couple of items I love to see in baby’s room, because they pull the space together well or because they are practical and beautiful. Here are a few of my faves!
The gray Ikea chair
I love this chair so much that it’s in my living room! The only downside? It doesn’t rock. It is, however, super comfy and comes with a matching ottoman so you can put your feet up. It comes in other colors too – including a super fun mustard that would be amazing in the right space! Ikea Strandmon Wingback chair
The 28″ round decorative mirror from Target
This round mirror adds so much to any nursery! I’ve seen it in at least a dozen rooms over the past couple of years, and it always works so well for mama-baby cuddle photos. It also comes in a few other colors. Target 28″ round mirror
The 10″ seagrass pouf from Amazon
This little seagrass pouf makes a great ottoman if you want to put your feet up while nursing or snuggling baby; it’s also a great little spot to sit! The neutral seagrass color works in almost any room, and you can move it around your home easily when you don’t need it in the nursery anymore. The seagrass pouf from Amazon
My best tip for mamas designing nurseries
My best tip for mamas who are designing a nursery: skip the standard changing table and purchase a regular dresser instead!
You don’t use a changing table for all that long, and afterward there’s really no reason to hang on to it. Instead, find a dresser you love and use it as a changing table. You can still secure the changing pad to the top, and you’ll probably have even more storage for all the baby things. When you are ready to simply use it as a dresser, throw out the changing pad and you’re done! I have photographed this one from Ikea in probably half of all nurseries, and we have two of them in our home! They come in a range of colors and hold up well over time.
