11 Small Nursery Ideas That Are Big on Style
Note: While these nursery photos are gorgeous, please know that it’s NOT safe to place stuffed animals, pillows, bumpers, or any loose items inside your infant’s sleep space until Baby is a year old. —Dr. Harvey Karp
Designing a tiny nursery? The best baby rooms in small spaces make the most of the square footage available, have an emphasis on storage and function, and appear uncluttered thanks to smart decor and a dedication to making every inch count.
If your little one will be sharing a room with the parents, taking over part of a guest room or home office, or living in an otherwise very small nursery, do not despair! You can create a special, beautiful, inviting corner of the world for that precious baby with gorgeous pieces you actually want to look at. Here are our favorite small nursery ideas…
Make the most of wall space in a small nursery.
Photo: Instagram/shidelrvs
Rods with hooks, bins on shelves, netted bags, and so on as all shown here, are great uses of space. If you can’t fit a large dresser and multiple bins, use the walls to create extra storage that keeps Baby’s essentials at your fingertips without turning into piles of clutter.
Find a slim rocker for your small nursery.
Photo: Instagram/raka_home
A big, cushy rocking chair is lovely, but also takes up a lot of space. If you only have a narrow area to work with, or a small corner to fill in with a rocker, there are comfortable yet slender chairs out there that will allow plenty of warm and cozy snuggles with your new little love.
Try a mini crib in your small nursery.
Photo: Instagram/hawkeyesdesign
A full-size crib is not always necessary; if you think about it, what baby ever gets long enough to fill up that entire space? Consider a mini crib which will be a safe sleep space from Night One, and not take up too much room in the nursery even as Baby grows. Bonus: Mini cribs are often less expensive than their full-size alternatives, so you can afford more style for your buck.
Invest in all-in-one furniture for your small nursery.
Photo & to Purchase: Walmart
Make the most of the space you have by purchasing furniture that does double—or in this case triple—duty. The Badger Basket changing table and similar styles available at major retailers combine a changing area, laundry bin, and drawers for essentials and clothes so you don’t need to waste space putting a laundry bin elsewhere in the room. This also keeps clutter up and off the floor. When Baby outgrows the changing table, you can use the top for knick-knacks, stuffies, and/or visibly pleasing storage bins.
Use the doors in your small nursery.
Photo: Bash & Company
Behind-the-door storage is not just limited to those familiar soft shoe holders; there are so many innovative ways to make the back of a door work for your small nursery. Everything from diapers and wipes to small towels, onesies, and more can be stored up and away yet in plain sight this way for easy day-to-day functionality that doesn’t take up much space at all.
Buy a bright area rug for your small nursery.
Photo & to Purchase: Crate & Barrel
Bold walls can make a tight space feel even smaller, but don’t shy away from color completely. A bright, colorful area rug can delineate the space and actually make your tiny nursery seem larger while adding a pop of fun style to a room that doesn’t allow for a ton of accessorizing.
Utilize the corners in your small nursery.
Photo & to Purchase: Amazon
Decorating a small nursery means utilizing every inch, and the corners can do more than you might think. Instead of putting a round hamper or clunky bookshelf in the corner and losing space around it, consider items designed for corners to maximize what you’re working with.
Dive into the closet.
Photo: Instagram/mel.weber.interior.design
It seems counterintuitive, but in some cases, you might get more storage if you lose the closet doors and traditional setup, turning that space into extra living area for the baby. The crib and storage bins can be put against that newly found wall, floating shelves above add tons of extra storage, and now you have more room to walk around and add furniture as needed.
…Or turn a closet into a tiny nursery.
Even a small walk-in closet usually provides enough space for a bassinet (I spy a stylish SNOO!)…and even, as seen here, a narrow changing table. Then, add a few décor flourishes to bring the space to life.
Photo: Instagram/mrsjordinnikole
Create under-crib storage in a small nursery.
Photo & To Purchase: West Elm
Find a crib with built in drawers beneath it or invest in low bins or baskets that can be placed underneath the crib for storing extra blankets, burp cloths, towels, books, and so much more.
Maximize drawer space in your small nursery.
Photo & How-To: Lifeflix
Throwing everything in the drawers is not going to solve any problem, and even tiny clothes can take up a lot of space if not maintained properly. Buy little drawer separators to keep everything where it should go and watch your small space become everything you need it to be.
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