One of the best parts of being pregnant, besides the vomiting and the swelling and the back pain and the water aversion and the strangers stroking your stomach and the peeing yourself—so like way up there in terms of “enjoyable pregnancy experiences”—is designing a nursery.

It’s a creative way to share a bit of your personality with your new family member, and a day-dreamy way to begin imagining what life may look like with your baby, (but with none of the diaper changes or sleepless night parts, just sitting in this cozy rocker, surrounded by this cute wallpaper, with your feet resting on this fuzzy rug, holding your baby wrapped in this soft muslin blanket).

I had a thousand ideas for a nursery theme, and wanted to do my best to create a room that would be a magical place for a little human to play and dream and discover their world. I didn’t want to choose one without fully considering them all, however, so I created mood boards for twelve different nurseries, gathering furniture, décor, and toys for them all.

I’m only going to choose one, but I thought someone out there may find inspiration in the others, or else may appreciate having an entire nursery’s furniture, décor, and toys already put together for them, so I’m sharing them here.

Disney Nursery

First I envisioned a Disney nursery, inspired by vintage ride posters and an amazing Alice in Wonderland themed doorknob I’ve seen floating around the internet. I included a flying pirate ship instead of a mobile, a chandelier that reminds of the floating bubble scene in Cinderella, and a crib that vaguely resembles a carriage.

Harry Potter Nursery

Growing up, Hogwarts has always been a big interior design inspiration. In the movies especially it came across as the coziest, most fantastical place to be. As a young person, emulating this mostly meant owl figurines, cauldron-shaped coffee mugs, and gold accents here or there… also a cardboard Snape cutout in my bedroom. Growing up, however, I realized there are much cooler ways of achieving magical castle vibes, like a tapestry-inspired wall stencil, floating book shelves, a four poster crib with a canopy, and comfy leather armchair. Still with some owl décor thrown thrown in for good measure.

Lord of the Rings Nursery

I’m not a huge Tolkien fan, but I have to admit, I’d love to live in a Hobbit hold almost as much as I’d love to live in Hogwarts, and I almost wished either my husband or I were a bigger fan so I could seriously consider an LOTR nursery! Despite this not being the case, I still wanted to take a crack at designing a Middle Earth themed nursery, with warm wood toned furniture, a leather recliner, a slightly medieval wall light, a dragon-themed mobile, and a clock that included time for second breakfast.

For product sources and additional décor ideas, visit my Middle Earth nursery Pinterest board!

Aviary Nursery

Another source of endless décor inspiration is a Victorian conservatory, with wicker or rattan furniture, and luscious greens. I picture them as perpetually golden, and the only suitable room for reading an entire newspaper over a cup of tea. Lacking an ability to create a conservatory out of a plain, old bedroom, I imagine keeping the vibe with Chinoiserie panels filled with imagines of blooming branches and tropical birds. This is the idea that lead me to what I’m calling an “Aviary” theme, that feels light and natural, with rattan-esque furniture, a perched bird-family mobile, and a Monstera leaf playmat (real Monstera plant optional).

Summer Camp Nursery

Leaning into a different type of natural is a summer camp themed nursery, that endeavors to make every day a day for an adventure, with saturated colors, rustic furniture, indoor lanterns, and a healthy dose of woodland creatures. The pennant flags with baby names are also an adorable touch.

Starry Night Nursery

This Starry Night themed nursery is meant to try to lean into a calming, sleepy-time vibe, with a moon-inspired chandelier, a fuzzy chair, and cloud shelves.

Little Explorer Nursery

I love a room with a map! It’s such a feast for the imagination. Plus, this wicker hot air balloon was extremely adorable. Can’t you just imagine a little preschooler in aviator gear with a toy plane, flying off to see the world?

Secret Garden Nursery

I love the idea of a floral nursery with wild, overgrown, slightly dark vibes—like you’ve rediscovered it through a small door in an overgrown hedge.

City Baby Nursery

Another travel-themed nursery idea, this one with more of a focus on urban exploration than the “here be monsters” corners of a map. I love the personalities different cities have and I think it would be so fun to bring that into a child’s room! This one includes art prints of different cities, a street-light inspired lamp, and a fun decal of an old-world European style street.

Whimsical Nursery

I wasn’t sure what to call this theme at first, but I did my best to imagine a bedroom in an English country home, with vintage vibes and woodland creatures. I picked a nature-inspired wallpaper, an antique-look dresser and Jenny Lind crib, and some fun touches like the woodland animal baskets and a starry garland.

Literary Nursery

While I’ve already shared a couple of nurseries based on specific books, I also wanted to consider a nursery that was based purely on a love of books generally—with flying book wall art, a library card blanket, and a pillow shaped like the children’s classic The Wind in the Willows. I imagine the fun of adding small touches based on whatever your favorite books are, or for baby’s favorite books once they’re able to enjoy them—a map of the hundred acre woods for Winnie the Pooh, a magnifying glass for Nancy Drew, a stuffed pig for Olivia, a wolf costume and a gold crown for Where the Wild Things Are.

Fairytale Nursery

Did I base an entire room off of this one gorgeous dresser? Absolutely I did. What kid doesn’t want to feel like they’re living in a fairytale? I included a crown-shaped chandelier, a brass crib straight out of a storybook, a big dragon plush, and a velvet arm chair that may or may not be the most practical.

Nursery Essentials

Finally, I didn’t want to design a nursery without keeping any practical items in mind, but instead of including things like hangers and diaper pails for each individual theme, I found a bunch of neutral items that could go with any theme, so if anyone reading this wants to use one of these themes to design their own nurseries, here are some nursery essentials you shouldn’t forget while picking out wallpapers and rugs and canopies!

Creating so many nursery themes was an enormous help in designing my own nursery. I didn’t end up using any one theme and I didn’t even any of the big furniture pieces from them, but I was able to figure out what sort of style and pieces I did want in my nursery, and choose them confidently.

As I write this, my nursery is about 95% complete, so a reveal post is on its way soon!

Best,

Julia