If you love fashion and home décor as much as I do, you’re probably very familiar with making decisions based on your favorite color palettes even if you don’t realize it.
Color palettes are road maps to pulling together polished outfits that fit the season’s latest styles and are essential for shaping the overall look and feel in a room or home.
For example, if you stepped into my home you’d quickly learn that I love grays, pale blues and the occasional white/black combo. If your favorite naptime pastime is flipping through the latest fashion magazines, you’ll notice a lot of rose quartz, snorkel blue and buttercup yellow courtesy of the 2016 spring fashion color palette.
Today, I want to talk about one of my absolute favorite projects inspired by color: designing a new nursery! I’ve got some experience in this realm, so if you’re a new mom or just need a refresh for baby no. 3 here are some of my favorite tips.
1. Take a step back and look at your canvas. How big is your room? Does it get good light? Or will a brighter hue help brighten the space for your little one? Our nursery is actually a small office just off our master bedroom. The space isn’t huge by any means, but we’ve opted for smaller pieces and lighter hues to stretch the square footage.

Photo: Pinterest
2. Fast-forward five years. No, I’m not trying to rush your baby years away. I’m just trying to help you think twice before you choose a color or theme that you may outgrow in two years. When the doctor says, “It’s a girl,” you might start seeing pink – but maybe a subtle shade is a safer bet than the flashy alternative.
3. Be bold with accents. Now that I’m boring you with subtle shades of pink, why not get the pop you’re looking for with a wallpaper accent wall or statement chandelier? Stepping outside of your comfort zone with a lighting fixture is a much easier change down the road if your style changes.

Photo: Style Your Senses
4. Pick a color palette or theme. There are some designers that throw a bunch of colors at a wall and somehow it sticks and is the envy of us all. For us amateurs, I think it’s helpful to decide on a few colors to carry throughout the room. The same goes for a theme, I’m loving everything I’m seeing these days from whimsical, to forest friends to nautical (this trend isn’t just for our wardrobe; it makes for the most darling boy’s nursery).
5. Don’t forget function. Before the new addition arrives, it’s easy to get lost in all things pretty and forget that this baby is just that – a baby! Make sure you’ve included plenty of storage for clothes, diaper changing necessities and it wouldn’t hurt to do some research on washable accent rugs. Yep, they exist! You’ll thank yourself later.

Photo: Pinterest
I know we talk a lot about our favorite fashion finds and bite-size style for the kiddos, but please share your nurseries and favorite color palettes with me using #TangerMom. Can’t wait to see what you’ve created!
To score looks like these, see if your local Tanger has a Pottery Barn, West Elm or Restoration Hardware store – It’s even more rewarding when you can find brand name items for your home and your closet for less!