Jonas' Safari Nursery Theme

by Ellen
(Indianapolis, IN)

My husband and I wanted Jonas’ safari nursery to feel colorful, cheerful and full of animals. We also wanted to create a room that he could continue to enjoy as a toddler and preschooler, rather than a space designed only for his first year.

A Colorful Safari Nursery Designed to Grow with Jonas

We began with a playful jungle theme and filled the room with bright colors, handmade decorations and meaningful family pieces. The finished nursery combines a four-wall safari mural with custom curtains, child-sized furniture and restored childhood treasures.

For more ways to coordinate animal prints, colors and textiles, explore these safari nursery bedding ideas.

A Hand-Painted Safari Mural on All Four Walls

A talented friend designed and painted the safari mural across all four walls. Before beginning, she sketched her ideas on paper and considered the planned locations of the crib, changing table, dresser and other furniture.

She then projected her drawings onto the walls, traced the outlines and painted the complete scene. The placement of every animal and landscape feature was planned to work with the furniture instead of disappearing behind it.

The blue sky, white clouds, green grass and colorful jungle animals make the entire room feel like one continuous outdoor scene. The mural also gives Jonas interesting shapes, animals and colors to look at from different parts of the nursery.

See additional jungle and animal-room inspiration in our gallery of baby boy nursery pictures.

Handmade Curtains Coordinated with the Mural

Jonas’ grandmother designed and sewed the nursery curtains. She selected fabric that coordinated with the blue sky and green grass painted on the walls.

After the curtains were completed, the friend who created the mural painted white clouds directly onto the fabric with fabric paint. This custom treatment connects the windows to the surrounding landscape and helps give the room its open, airy appearance.

The coordinated mural and curtains demonstrate how handmade textiles can become an important part of a baby nursery theme rather than serving only as a background element.

DIY Furniture Made for the Safari Scene

My husband built and painted the bookshelf beneath the mural’s monkeys. He sized it to fit precisely between the closet door and the dresser.

The height was carefully planned so that the painted monkeys appear to be standing on top of the bookshelf. This clever placement makes the handmade furniture look like part of the mural and gives that side of the room a playful focal point.

Family Heirlooms in Jonas’ Nursery

Many of the furnishings have special family meaning. The large rocking chair is the same chair that was used to rock my husband to sleep when he was a baby. The small rocking chair belonged to me when I was a toddler.

My childhood rocking horse and piano were also added to the room. My husband restored both pieces so that Jonas could enjoy them as he grows. These heirlooms make the nursery personal while supporting our original plan to create a room that would remain useful beyond infancy.

Jonas is now one month old and already enjoys looking at the bright colors and animals covering the walls. We look forward to watching him discover new parts of the mural and create his own memories with the furniture and toys we loved as children.

For another approach to a colorful animal room, visit Toni’s safari nursery pictures. Her yellow-and-green nursery combines hand-painted trees, giraffe decals and a blue, white and orange striped border.

Note from Jan: Thank you for sharing Jonas’ imaginative room with Unique Baby Gear Ideas. The mural, handmade bookshelf, custom curtains and restored family pieces make this safari nursery especially personal.