No room for a nursery? Create a snug space in any room

“We’re due in a couple of months, but we don’t have enough room for a separate nursery. How can we create a special space for our new baby without moving to a bigger house?”

The desire to nest can be strong when you’re anticipating the arrival of a new baby. But you don’t need to move to a bigger home, or even decorate an entire room, to create a special place for your little one to rest.

In fact, according to AkzoNobel research, more than 17% of new parents transform a corner of their own bedroom into a nursery if they’re short of space, while one in 10 parents who already have children get them to share a room.

Need some help? Our clever decorating tips will help you carve out a snug spot your baby will love:

Sharing with siblings

If your baby will be sharing a room with an older sibling, have some fun and use different colours and patterns to a timeless look they’ll both grow to love.

Bold horizontal stripes in varying shades of green works well for both boys and girls of all ages, while striking multi-coloured stripes are a great choice for slightly older siblings.

Alternatively, create clearly defined sleeping zones by using different patterns or colours in each part of the room. A few pastel-coloured dots will add interest to the baby zone without over-stimulating your little one, while brighter colours are perfect for toddlers or older children.

Which paints?

90GG 57/146
10GY 56/073
30GG 83/075

Paint a cosy corner nursery

If you live in a one-bedroom flat a corner nursery is a great way to utilise any disused nooks and crannies while providing a cosy sleep space for your baby.

First of all, clear your bedroom of any clutter so you can make an accurate assessment of what you need to do. Is it possible to push the bed up against a wall? Can you replace floor cabinets with wall-mounted shelves?

Once you’ve made space for a crib, choose complementary colours that will help define the baby zone from the rest of the bedroom.

A good trick is to use a warm neutral shade, such as oatmeal, for the adult bedroom area, and a bright complimentary colour on the wall where the crib is. Lavender is a versatile shade that will help keep your baby calm, while adding a sophisticated note to the scheme.

Unify the look by painting wall shelving in the same hue as the wall in the baby zone.

Which paints?

25YY 78/232

Get smart with storage

With space at a premium, you’ll need to utilise every nook and cranny in your home, so keep new furniture purchases to a minimum.

Instead of a change-table, consider converting some of your wardrobe or cupboard space into a baby-care station. Or place a securable padded mat on top of a chest of drawers for a dual-purpose change-table and storage unit.

For a unified look, paint the shelves and cupboards to match the colour of your little one’s cosy corner. Choose a hard-wearing, wipeable paint if possible that will make light work of unexpected spillages.

Which paints?

97YR 44/642
90GY 21/472

Top tip

If you’re not sure what colours to choose, download the Dulux Visualizer to your Smartphone or iPhone to see an instant impression of how your room will look once it’s decorated.

Simply point the app at the wall you want to paint, choose a colour from the Dulux palette, tap the screen and voila!