I suspect that when most Moms find out they’re pregnant, the first thing(s) they buy for their baby are either toys or clothes. Not me…the first thing I bought for our new baby boy? Wallpaper…and fabric for his crib sheets! It’s probably no surprise that one of my very favorite aspects of planning for a new baby is dreaming up, scheming up, and setting up the new nursery. But because we are mere months from moving, my nesting and projecting is on major hold. However, since we will bringing home our new baby just weeks-to-months after moving into a new home, I’ve chosen to channel all that energy and those creative ideas into a design plan ready-to-execute as soon as we move in. It might seem a little risky to design a space that we don’t yet know how big it is or what it looks like, but I’ve done enough baby/kid spaces to know exactly what elements I want/need to make it feel complete. Today, I want to show you the “Good Knight”-themed design plan for our new baby boy’s nursery and share a bit about how I go about designing a room from scratch!
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Getting Started
When designing kid spaces, I always start with a novelty fabric. I use this fabric to set the theme of the space, as well as dictate the colors and mood of the whole room. Even if I don’t use the theme fabric a ton, I really like having this whimsical and fun base to build the rest of the room around.
One thing that I think is really interesting about the design process…at least for me…is that you never quite know where you’re going to end up. I started looking for nursery ideas/themes with my eyes wide open…following any trail that remotely appealed to me. Honestly, I originally thought I’d head in a cozy red/tan/brown/white direction (who am I?!? Planning around brown?!?), but when I came across this adorable Good Knight fabric, I couldn’t stop thinking about it.
The fabric couldn’t be further from the reds/whites/browns I was looking for and definitely has a more fresh and vibrant feel than a warm and cozy vibe so I tried to keep looking. But then while I was perusing Target’s baby products looking for even more inspiration, I came across some crib sheets and wallpaper that literally couldn’t match the knight fabric any better! I was instantly drawn to the idea of pulling the kelly green, light blue, and orange from the knight fabric as the basis for the room…and before I knew it, the crib sheets, knight fabric, and wallpaper were all in my cart! I had a nursery theme officially in motion!
Striped Crib Sheet | Check Wallpaper | Dot Crib Sheet
NOTE: I break down exactly how I source items and design a room here, and also share my technique for putting together these nifty design boards here. Both are great posts to check out if you’re stuck on designing a room in your home!
I knew instantly I wanted to put the grey/white check wallpaper on the wall behind the crib. Not only is this a great way to create a focal point for the room, but just wallpapering one wall is much more budget friendly than wallpapering an entire room. I LOVED having a paper mobile in Sam’s room these last few years, so a nice full version in the room’s color scheme will finish off the crib display quite nicely!
Deciding on Colors
Another happy accident of using the Good Knight Fabric is that the colors perfectly match the paint card I’ve been using to dictate the color choices in our current home. The colors currently in use are shown on the larger swatches along the bottom of the image below, but notice how the 6 smaller swatches in the bottom right-hand corner of the big card are identical to the knight fabric! By embracing the kelly green and light turquoise swatches, this room is sure to “flow” with the rest of our home, yet the orange and yellow will serve as excellent accent colors!
With the focal wall set and the color scheme locked on, I then did a lot of experimenting with the other elements in the room. The baby will inherit pretty much all of Sam’s current furniture (I have Sam’s new room in the works too…I’ll show you that plan in a few weeks!), which includes the dark crib, dark dresser, rolling diaper cart, and the rocking chair/ottoman. Since these pieces are so neutral, I will again rely on colorful walls and accessories to bring the rest of the room to life. I put together both a green version of the room and a light blue version of the room to help me identify which direction I want to go…
Design 1 – Green
Admittedly, I have a love/hate relationship with the color green. I love the energy and vibrance green brings to a space, but it can also be a tough color to get right and is a color I tend to grow weary of. Still…I really love the kelly green hue in the knight fabric and on our paint card, so I experimented with painting the lower half of the walls green and tempering it with lots of white, grey and light blue accents elsewhere in the space. I will admit, I’m pretty smitten with the boldness of the fresh, energetic feel of this plan!
Good Knight fabric | Pom-Pom Garland | Grey Storage Crates | Dragon Artwork | Grey Changing Pad Cover | Blue Changing Pad Cover | Knight Artwork | Rainbow Name Artwork | Aqua Lamp | Tassel Curtains | Hi Artwork | Alphabet Artwork
Design 2 – Orange
You guys know I love color, and I am usually game for a pretty bold design. But there is something about green walls that make me a little nervous…especially for a baby’s room. As such, I next experimented with painting the walls the light blue color instead of the green. In this space, I embraced the orange and red of the knight fabric as accents, resulting in a reeeaaallly different feel.
Pastel Artwork | Teal Side Table | Orange Lamp | Orange Tassel Curtains | Hi Artwork | Alphabet Artwork | Grey Changing Pad Cover | Blue Changing Pad Cover | Orange and Turquoise Garland | Grey Storage Crates | Orange and Turquoise Garland
“Good Knight” Nursery Design Plan
Ever since pulling these different design together, I’ve gone back-and-forth on which one I like better. Overall though, I am leaning toward the top (green) design because those specific choices better match the knight fabric and crib sheets I’ve already purchased. However, the final wall color will be determined once I see the size/sun/layout of the baby’s actual room. In combination with the grey/white accent wall, the room will either have blue lower walls with a green painted closet…or green lower walls with a light blue painted closet. The rest of the room will be pulled together with the following plan in mind: 
Good Knight Fabric | Striped Crib Sheet | Check Wallpaper | Dot Crib Sheet | Pom-Pom Garland | Grey Storage Crates | Dragon Artwork | Blue Changing Pad Cover | Rainbow Name Artwork Tassel Curtains | Hi Artwork | Alphabet Artwork | Orange and Turquoise Garland | Orange and Turquoise Garland
It may seem reeeaaally pre-mature to pull together a design plan for a house and a room that we don’t yet have. However, I do know that when we bring a new baby home into a house deep in post-move chaos, having a completed sanctuary for him and me will be everything. With all the design details hashed out ahead of time, pulling the room together should go fairly smoothly. Plus…this planning is doing wonders for my pre-natal nesting AND my pre-move anxiety.
I’d love to hear what you think of these design plans! Do you have a favorite design or something I should try/consider instead? Do you like seeing how this design planning process works? I certainly have more final rooms in this current house to show you before the moving trucks come, but I am also knee-deep in figuring out where we’re going to live and how everything will fit together in our next home too! I promise to do my best to keep the current home realities and future home dreaming in balance 😉
I, an internet rando, am drawn VERY STRONGLY to design #2 so *of course* that is the direction you should go – lol. Having said that, I’ve been round long enough to remember the green ceiling and your struggles with it. Whichever you choose, I can’t wait to see it!
i love love love love this theme. I especially love the dragon and knight graphic art. 🙂
Ooh, I love it! I think I like the blue best, but then I would as I gravitate towards blues in everything. However, you nailed the kelly green accents in your NC loungeroom (I still reference that room when picking fabrics), so I reckon you can pull this off too. Good plan getting the heavy thinking out of the way!
Not NC, Kansas. I get them all mixed up :/
Somehow I had missed that you’re having another little one! Congratulations!! And another wee boy…boys are the best. 🙂 Good luck on the coming move and nursery planning. I love love love the theme and the sleeping dragon artwork. If you’re more drawn to the green, go with it. You’re not one to be afraid of paint and if the green gets old you can easily swap it out for the blue. The accessories might not be precisely what you would have paired with the blue but it all looks pretty interchangeable to me given that you’re working with the same paint palette regardless. I am partial to those three dragon prints you show in your blue scheme though…I love me some dragons!
Oh Megan, it’s going to look awesome! Either one you choose will look great! (Personally, I’m leaning toward the green too, because I really dig the rainbow effect with that picture, mobile, and curtains. 🙂 )
I am so happy for you and wanted to again wish you congratulations on your bundle of boy blessing that’s coming your way. <3
Your talent is amazing!!
I absolutely love this theme! Personally, I like elements of both room plans… the Pom Pom curtains, the dragon art… I really was drawn to the Kelly green in Henry’s baby room, so this is right up there with it! Funny, an ad kept popping up while reading this post and it was for a tassel garland… with these colors! I screenshot it but can’t seem to share, so here’s the link https://www.crateandbarrel.com/pastel-tassel-garland/s596090. There are two, so just look for keyword “tassel.” (No affiliation). Is it a sign to steer towards the tassel curtains? Lol.
Can’t wait to see what you do! Be well, Mama,
Megan, I had my first child in 1974 (!), before you were even born, I’m sure, and I have to tell you that I decorated her nursery with a strong kelly green color scheme. It was a fun, vibrant place for her to grow, and for me to enjoy. And this was in the days when we didn’t know the sex of our children until the delivery room and NO ONE thought of using a strong color in decorating a nursery! But I loved it, and I’m ever so glad that I chose the green. I would encourage you to go with your heart, and enjoy the space you create for your new son and yourself! Congrats!
I really like both designs, and nurseries in general! I really really like that green sleeping dragon print, and vote it should be in whatever your end result is! Congratulations and I’m keeping my fingers crossed for an easy move and transition for the family!
Megan, I am in the process of designing the Nursery at church around these colors! Great minds think alike. I am softening the orange to a more “salmon-y” color, and “combining” your aqua and kelly green for a soft teal, so it’s not quite so boyish, but otherwise… The only thing getting in the way of everything working perfectly is that, in addition to the dark “cube”-type organizer I just received as a donation, the previous director had a medium oak changing table and coat-hook, not really working with the rest of it, but we can’t make any big purchases right now. So, I’m going to paint the dark cube. Was thinking of white, but that vignette showing the orange lamp on the dark teal blue/aqua table really has the look I’m going for. Decisions, decisions. I’ll be watching to see what you come up with. Have fun and congratulations!
Megan, I’ve been looking all over your blog for hours because I want to know how you made that artwork. I love it! I’m having a little boy in February and I absolutely love this theme!
Hi Ashley,
For some reason, cute Knight artwork is SUPER hard to find!!! I haven’t written the post about the artwork yet 🙁 but a detailed tutorial on the docket for January.
In the meantime, here is what I did: I purchased this clipart set and then changed the colors via Illustrator, formatted them with the stripes, and printed them via Mpix.
Hope that helps a smidge!Megan