At Home With Cheshire Interior Designer: Nursery Design Chat
Cheshire interior designer Amy Victoria, proprietor of Amy Victoria Designs, has been crafting exquisite homes across the UK since 2017. Her portfolio showcases an array of stunning properties, from Grade II Listed Old School Houses and Georgian Townhouses to Modern Family homes, Country Barn Conversions, and even a Beach Front Holiday Home, to name a few. Amy transforms spaces into luxurious homes guided entirely by the clients' needs and desires, with a personal, hands-on approach. We're at home with Amy, discussing the top nursery room trends for 2023 and beyond.
We believe a nursery room is a baby's sanctuary, a place for early morning playtime rituals and peaceful evening bedtime routines. Therefore, we think nursery decoration and styling are crucial to strike the perfect balance between style and playfulness, creating a space filled with natural calm for a peaceful night's sleep, yet playful enough to create countless joyous memories.
Here in England, the nursery furniture and decor sector is booming. We're witnessing a surge in popularity for organic neutral schemes with pops of monochrome, wild safari animals, and dreamy pastel hues. When designing nurseries, it's time to unleash your creativity! A significant trend we're seeing is mural walls, particularly safari mural walls bursting with colour and wild jungle animals, adding a wow factor that brings a scheme to life.
TBC: How would you design around a theme wall that brings such a massive impact to a nursery that can otherwise be minimal and maintain the right balance when styling?
AMY: Feature walls are excellent for bringing a theme to life. Choose a muted tone from within the mural to paint the adjoining walls, keeping the scheme coherent. When accessorising, opt for natural fabrics such as organic cotton linens for window treatments, a rattan ceiling light, shelving with peg hooks to display cute animal accessories, and adorn the walls with jungle animal prints in frames of various sizes. Together, this creates a significant impact with minimal effort.
Top tip: Invite a oversized giant plush giraffe to watch over your little one.
TBC: What are the top safari nursery accessories you are loving right now?
AMY: I adore dressing plain walls with different wall hangings, such as a felt Lion Head wall hanging, mini felt banners or bunting with safari animals, and personalised name signs. This provides plenty of visual stimulation for the baby during nappy changes, rest, or feeding. To tie in a safari nursery scheme, I love the Palm Bay anti-roll changing mat—not only practical but also super stylish and fitting perfectly within the scheme!
TBC: How would you bring a safari theme into a nursery without a mural feature wall while keeping the style generally neutral?
AMY: If you prefer a simpler nursery design, you can still achieve the safari vibe through various accessories. Paint the walls in muted greens, blush pinks, or taupe colours. Style the walls with animal prints in washed wooden frames, add a large floor-standing giraffe if space allows, and introduce texture with a woven lion rug layered on top of the carpet. A changing mat from The Tiny Bed Company, such as Milou The Giraffe, Palm Bay, Castaway, or Little Mykonos, would be the perfect nod to this theme.
TBC: For a timeless unisex soft grey/neutral palette, what are the key design elements you would opt for?
AMY: Using stone, taupe, or warm grey paint colours on the walls with white woodwork and furniture is always a classic look that will never date. Wall paneling, whether half-height or full-height, adds interest to the walls. Brass fittings instantly elevate the space, which can be carried through to the lighting. Layering different fabrics in the soft furnishings and window treatments and adding a canopy over the cot or armchair will introduce texture and depth.
TBC: We're loving neutral nurseries that exude Scandi style with lots of organic textures and plush fabrics. What does your dream nursery look like?
AMY: For a girl, I envision pastel pinks, mint greens, and lilacs complemented by deeper raspberry tones, with brass and iridescent fittings creating a dreamy space. I adore anything featuring rainbows, stripes, stars, or an under the sea theme.
For boys, emerald greens or stone and blue tones, paired with warm ochre, along with themes like animals, circus, or jungle.
For a gender-neutral theme, warm taupe or stone colours with simple white contrast furniture, brass fittings, and wall hangings featuring teddy bears or hot air balloons.
If you'd like assistance creating an effortlessly beautiful, stylish nursery for your baby, Amy Victoria Designs is here to help you craft & design the perfect space for both you and your little one.
Get in touch online by visiting amyvictoriadesigns.com, or find us on Instagram: @amyvictoriadesignsltd, Facebook: Amy Victoria Designs Ltd, or via email at enquiries@amyvictoriadesigns.com.
