Decorating a Nursery on a Budget

By Kim Ray

Decorating a nursery for the arrival of a new baby takes a lot of consideration, planning, and expense. From wallpaper to floor coverings, and everything in between, decorating options are truly endless, and the prices are endless as well. Decorating a baby’s nursery can cost thousands of dollars.

Not everyone can afford to spend thousands, or even hundreds of dollars, decorating a nursery. Decorating options for those on a budget are often greatly limited. If you’re on a budget, don’t despair. There are very clever and creative ways to decorate a baby nursery without going far into debt. You don’t have to spend a bundle before bringing home your little bundle. You can do it yourself!

Begin by Planning a Budget

If your budget is limited, before considering ways to decorate your baby’s nursery, consider your budget. After deciding on a spending limit, begin a running list of ideas and expenses to better organize your thoughts as well as your resources. Create a list, and separate the list into “must-haves” and “wishes”. If you find yourself going over budget, it will be easier to choose design options and embellishments you actually need and those you can live without.

Fun With Stencils

Wallpaper can be quite an expense, and it’s a lot of work to hang. If you don’t want the added expense of hiring someone to hang wallpaper in your baby’s nursery, or the expense and effort involved in doing it yourself, consider decorating the nursery with paint.

You don’t have to be artistically inclined to paint stenciled designs on walls, and you don’t have to spend a lot of money in the process. Stencils are very affordable and very easy to use, even for a beginner.

Simply choose stencils to match the theme of your baby’s room, as well as paint in colors of your choice. Practice stenciling on scraps of drywall or poster board before stenciling nursery walls. You’ll be amazed at how easy it is to create beautifully stenciled graphics. All it takes are a few supplies, a little practice, and the desire to create fun and colorful designs.

Inspired by Color

Many people choose pastel colors for painting nursery walls. Pastel yellow, blue, pink, and green have been popular colors for decades. They’re safe for those who aren’t quite ready to plunge into the rainbow of bright, bold colors, and creative color combinations.

Consider taking a courageous step and choosing colors that are bold, bright, and fun. Babies love to gaze at colors, and what better place to add color than your baby’s nursery? Paint is an inexpensive alternative to decorating with wallpaper, and those on a budget can change the entire look of a room without spending a small fortune.

A baby girl’s room doesn’t have to be pink or purple, and a baby boy’s room doesn’t have to be blue. There are fantastic new shades of orange, gray, brown, and green that you’ll absolutely love. These colors can be complimented and enhanced by colors that are more traditional.

Unleash your creativity, and paint one or two walls a shade or two lighter than the rest of the room. If you really want to get creative, try a painting opposite walls in contrasting colors. Brown and pink are a stylish combination for girls, and gray and denim blue are a great combination for boys. There aren’t any rules, so let your imagination run wild!

Wall Decals

Those on a budget can add professionally created graphics to their baby’s nursery without the expense of hiring a professional artist. Peel and stick wall decals come in all subjects and sizes, and there are decals to match about every theme as well as every budget. Best of all, wall decals won’t damage paint or wallpaper should you ever decide to redecorate your baby’s nursery. They come off just as easily as they go on.

Creative Shelving

If your baby’s nursery is lacking closet room or floor space, consider installing adjustable shelving. Shelves are practical as well as decorative, and decorating with shelves is a great way to make the most of available space while sticking to a budget.

Install adjustable shelves and brackets within easy reach of adults so they are functional as well as decorative. Place folded clothes, baby blankets, and other necessities on every other shelf, and place stuffed animals and decorative items in between. You’ll gain much needed storage space while decorating your baby’s nursery at the same time.

Throw Rugs

Has the carpeting or flooring in your baby’s nursery seen better days? If you’re looking for decorating ideas for your baby’s nursery and the flooring is worn, don’t let your budget get in the way. Throw rugs are functional as well as decorative, and a few throw rugs strategically placed can make worn out flooring look like new. Throw rugs allow you to change the look of the room without a great deal of expense or difficulty.

Embellished Curtain Panels

You don’t have to buy expensive window treatments to complete the look of your baby’s nursery. If you’re on a budget, decorating with window treatments couldn’t be easier. There are ways to create expensive looking window treatments without breaking your budget.

Turn ordinary curtain panels into beautiful tieback curtain panels simply and easily. Begin by purchasing curtain panels of your choice, lengths of colored ribbon or lace, and two small cup hooks for each window.

After hanging the panels, cut the ribbon or lace to the appropriate lengths, and tie a small loop at both ends of each section. Wrap them around the panels to find the best level in advance of attaching the cup hooks.

Once you’ve determined the most appropriate level for the tiebacks, attach the cup hooks next to the window frame. Wrap the tiebacks around the closed panels, and attach the loops to the hooks. You’ll have beautiful tieback panels for the fraction of the cost of the store-bought variety.

No-Sew Valances on a Budget

Simple rollup blinds are a great choice for those decorating on a budget, and they’re great for a baby’s nursery. Rollup blinds let in just the right amount of light during waking hours, and when closed during naptime they keep the room appropriately dark.

Embellish ordinary rollup blinds by topping them with easy no-sew valances. These no-sew valances are perfect for those decorating on a budget, and best of all, fabric and design choice will be much greater than the selection of ready-made valances sold in stores.

Choose free-flowing fabric to match your baby’s nursery. The amount you’ll need depends on the size of your windows and the length you want hanging over either side. In addition, choose trims for the valances such as silk flowers or small lightweight toys or novelties to match the theme of the room. You’ll also need chenille stems for attaching the embellishments, an iron, fabric scissors, and a curtain rod of appropriate size.

Prepare the fabric to prevent it from fraying by ironing raw edges. Simply fold over raw edges approximately ¼ inch while pressing with a warm iron. The folded and ironed edges will look neat, and they won’t ever unravel.

Begin by hanging the curtain rod, and drape the fabric evenly over the top of the rod. Pull up one end, and securely attach it to the rod with a chenille stem while creating a scalloped section. Do the same on the other side.

Cover the gathered and draped areas by attaching embellishments of your choice. With these easy no-sew valances, along with the other budget-saving decorating ideas and tips, your baby’s nursery will look like a million bucks!

© Doityourself.com 2006