Bright Gender Neutral, Colorful Lady Bug Nursery Decor
by Gretchen
(Bloomington, MN, USA)
LADY BUG NURSERY DECOR - Bright Gender Neutral, Colorful Lady Bug Nursery Decor w Striped Wall Painting Technique
We made the lion's share of our baby girl's ladybug nursery décor but the items that we bought for our daughter's room are also bright colored and airy. As you will see in the pictures of the nursery that we have posted, the colors that we used are very bright and different from the usual washed out pastels most parents choose for their kids' rooms. I made the decision to go with a gender neutral, albeit a very bold, color scheme that I can transition and use beyond the "newborn" stage.
Our baby is due to arrive Christmas day, and we have chosen to keep his/her gender a secret and to be surprised.
We designed a fun, bug theme that will be fine for either gender.
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If I have a baby girl I can always add more butterflies or ladybugs for a girl and if we have a baby boy, I can add additional species of bugs, puppy dogs and other masculine decorations.
I painted the lower third of each wall with a bug pattern that consists of bright yellow and black stripes like a honey bee, ladybug spots and one wall with ant farm tunnels. There is also a section with blue and purple stripes that contrasts nicely with the green grass.
At approximately two thirds of the height of the wall, the pattern transitions into the light blue "sky" color portion of the walls, where I sponge painted white clouds.
There are two giant leaves from IKEA, and two wall lights that are shaped like bugs also from IKEA (you can see one on the 3rd pic that's turned off). I painted a dotted line behind the bug lights mounted on the walls. In addition to the rest of our lady bug nursery decor, we got the sun light fixture from IKEA.
There are many items I made or got used and painted myself to match the room. The lamp on the dresser: I covered the shade with bug fabric and put a little plastic bug terrarium inside the clear glass base.
The dresser (center photo) was in awful shape in my dad's garage...I painted it, replaced the drawer bottoms & dresser back, and got some cool bug knobs online for the drawers.
The 3 bug hooks (far left photo) I got at JoAnn Fabrics 50% off ($2.50 each) and painted in bright colors (they were brown). The waste basket I got for an inexpensive price at a garage sale and painted a bee on it. The little wicker drawer unit to the left of the nursery rocking chair I got for $6.99 at Saver's and painted it with bugs to match the
ladybug nursery rug. I sewed the nursery curtains with bug fabric to match the lamp.
The ladybug clock on the wall (left pic) I got on ebay...the bug's eyes go back & forth. The bug quilt hanging on the wall above the chair was a hand made shower gift homemade with our lady bug nursery decor in mind, I'm sure. I also got some white baskets at IKEA to slide under the crib & hold toys & books.
I splurged on the bug nursery rug which I bought online, and a good rocker at Babies-r-Us. Most everything else came from garage sales ($30 crib, $40 changing table, and tons of bug toys & baby gear)
When I look at the before and after photos of the baby's dresser, the wicker drawers and lamp that I am posting here on
Unique Baby Gear Ideas, I am amazed at how well everything turned out! Our ladybug nursery decor is a great example of how using the color wheel can help to choose the best nursery colors.