I definitely think parents should love being in their baby's nursery! A timeless appeal that will grow with the baby and be pleasing to adults is always a win!

I agree on creating a space that will last years, can grow, and makes parents happy too - though to me, much of the fun of having a kid space is being able to indulge in making it cute :)

It absolutely makes sense to plan a space that you like, but babies turn into toddlers faster than the blink of an eye, so you might as well put your energy into something that a small person is going to be able to enjoy too.

I agree with angorian. These spaces will last all of 12 months before the little tikes take over and un-adult them.

Viva la Toddler!!

I agree---it'll be years before kids care what color their walls are, so it had better be something I like! My only concern is including art or furnishings that the adults wouldn't want to have damaged: the other day, I heard a strange "whack!" sound coming from my preschooler's room after bedtime. It turned out he was throwing a beach ball full-force around his room, gleefully bouncing it off of everything. :)

This is an interesting post. I don't know that my kids' rooms were "sophisticated" but they did include a mix of what a child would need as well as things that were appealing (and comfortable) to me (since I spent A LOT of time there!). Especially like #4 and #5.

That said, who does one have to talk with at Apartment Therapy to get a post on kids' rooms for tweens and teens (and boys' rooms, not just cute girls' rooms). Probably a lot of AT readers have babies and toddlers, but some of us have kids way past that stage, too!

if i were a kid... dreary rooms mom & dad... hello? have i have something to stimulate my senses? when i start crawling or walking is there anything i CAN touch or play with? :(

no thanks...

When kids start really using their rooms, there is much wear and tear that happens. Things on the walls don't suffer much, but furniture, objets, and carpets may not last through the maelstrom that is a spirited childhood. The idea of a 'sophisticated' room seems rather misplaced, however lovely these spaces may be. Eventually someone's going to write on something with a pen, or gouge a nice long line...sigh...so for now our rooms will remain quirky, eclectic, inviting and fun but not necessarily sophisticated.

I think its a neat idea. I just think the room needs to be bright dont want depressed babies.

They're all lovely, but I can't help imagining the carpets with milk and apple juice stains....

The rooms are gorgeous, and if you plan to move before the baby reaches toddler-hood, then this is the wisest path, seeing how potential buyers don't want a blue and pink striped bedroom.

Two things, tho: Your toddler will destroy anything he can reach. Those pretty carpets, paintings, etc., will be stained with grape juice and cracked with a thrown toy car before he reaches the age of 18 months.

Also, anything within reach of a 6 month old standing in his crib will also be grabbed/torn down/wrapped around his head, so, why is it standard in these pictures to have beautiful, heavy, corded objects hanging around the crib? Giant paintings? Multiple decorative plates? Vintage-looking books? Lamps??

They may be set up for a pretty picture to be taken for inspiration, but those of us with preschoolers/toddlers can hardly see past the hazards.

But, you know, cute rooms and stuff.

Personally i like the idea of a "mature" children's room. There is no reason why a child can't be stimulated by "adult" art. A nice mix is nice.

Love lots of parts of each of those. Especially the rug in #1.

I love decorating and when my little boy came along, I wanted to make his room safe and fun for him, especially when they start crawling etc. I find these rooms are a bit boring, no colour or children's toys anywhere. I think you have to be able to make your child's room a place where it's theirs and let them be children.

My toddler's room is maybe not quite as sitting-room-y as these are, but it's definitely not a little kid room. His toys are in the living room and we keep his tiny room calm for quiet play, reading and sleeping. It's been a great way to separate from the hectic part of the day and it's really more of a shared space since the majority of the time he is in there by himself he's asleep.

Obviously, when he's older everything will change...

These rooms are lovely, but all the pull down-able pieces (art, lamp chords(?!), plates...) over a crib stand-out to me! My son yanked at everything his little arms could reach... as soon as he could stand in his crib. I also imagine soothers behind the crib-side book shelves. Oh how reality and experience can mar a pretty idea!

Don't hang paintings over your baby's bed - they can fall and seriously hurt your kid. Shattered glass in the crib is no fun. We have a wall decal, it might not look as stylish but it's a lot safer.

Also, half of these places will be taken apart as soon as the kids are able to walk. Or maybe my toddler is just especially interested in taking things apart ...

Not a fan of any of these. Makes sense to have a space the adult will enjoy but there is so much evidence about colour stimulation for toddlers. These rooms don't bridge the gap between baby and adult to me. They look like Victorian museums!

I think nurseries with a baby theme are better. Adults have all the other rooms in their home dedicated to adult like styles. I think bright and colorful colors are beneficial to babies- much research has confirmed this. Finally people like to change decor after awhile and there are fun ways to have nurseries go from baby to juvenile rooms with an easy transition. 2 Thumbs down on these rooms for babies.

These rooms look dangerous and show roomy. Infants and toddlers can't reach books at the height some of these rooms have them in. Giant lamps the little one can pull down? Paintings hung right above the crib? ANTLERS above the crib?

These rooms seem to communicate that a baby is just another trendy accessory the homeowner has acquired.

Maybe it's because I live in Earthquake land, but I can't imagine some of these nurseries being safe for kids. When mine were babies I focused on wall paintings above the crib, and kept all breakables out of the room.

Also agree with other posters - many of these nurseries strike me as idealistic, and likely to be quickly redone once the baby arrives.

I agree with all of the posts about baby and toddler safety, as well as useful/baby-destructo considerations. But I have to say, I appreciate that these rooms have style! I think the big-box stores have taken us a little to far into "theme land" with all of the owls and monkeys and underwater ridiculousness. Why not balance practice children's room with tasteful decorating? I think you can do both.

I meant practical children's rooms - not practice :)

I put artwork over the crib in my baby's nursery and it's perfectly safe & stable on the wall because we used security locking hardware. It's usually used on installed artwork in public spaces so it can't be stolen. You can get it for a few dollars at any framing shop and it will lock the art in place, is completely hidden/inaccessible behind the frame and keeps the art safely secured to the wall. We used plexiglas to replace the glass too.