Coordinating Colors for Gender Neutral Nursery

5 years ago

I am trying to stay very neutral in our nursery. I finally picked out a sheet set for our bedding, bought our furniture, and am looking at Benjamin Moore’s Pale Oak because I like the softness in it and it’s versatility with popping colors and it not clashing. We have a chair rail in the room and I was planning to just paint the top and bottom in Pale Oak and the trim BM Simply White. My husband is throwing a wrench in things and saying he thinks we need to go with BM Pale Oak on the top of the chair rail and then do a shade darker on the same color strip for the bottom to add dimension. He is 9 times out of 10 the reason for my indecisiveness. The color strip has Pale Oak as being the darkest, so I wouldn’t know what other color to put in there and I was hoping to stay with as neutral colors as possible.

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JAN MOYER

5 years ago

last modified: 5 years ago

You don't NEED two wall colors. Trim out the area below the chair rail,, paint it all trim white, and use the pale oak on top. Problem solved, and a room that doesn't have the look of a skimpy chair rail, all alone. Or paint the chair rail pale oak, and IGNORE it.

Comments (19)

mandy_redworth
5 years ago
I love BM Pale Oak a lot. I would paint the whole room that color myself but if you do want another color for the bottom, BM Balboa Mist is a great one to choose - a shade or two darker in a subtle way.
Aimee Willis
Original Author
5 years ago
I love Pale Oak too, but my husband was like trust me, I know what I’m doing. Then seeing where Pale Oak was on the color strip, I wasn’t sure whether to just stick with Pale Oak and ask them to darken it 50% or try a different color on a sequential color strip. Doesn’t Balboa Mist have purple undertones?
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Beth H. :
5 years ago
last modified: 5 years ago
just so you both are aware, the different shades on those strips doesn't necessarily mean they match, or that they're even in the same tonal range.

I say get rid of the chair rail and do all one color OR, darker color on bottom (without the rail. just laser level your line and mark it w/tape. seal the tape seam w/the base color so you won't get bleed through):

OR, do an actual wainscot and go with a darker color, or white.

This combo would look perfect w/your bedding:

I love this board and batten w/the darker green top (you would do a mint green or even a black for yours)

or, remove the railing (it visually cuts the room) and do some simple trim work on one wall:

this is BM Sea Salt (and the blandest nursery I've ever seen)

you could do 2/3 of the wall in a color and the upper third in white
Aimee Willis
Original Author
5 years ago
That’s where I saw the idea for the bedding!!!! Love that seller on Etsy which is where I ordered mine from.
er612
5 years ago
Can you post a picture of the room?
Aimee Willis
Original Author
5 years ago
We ended up painting the color below the chair rail BM’s Pale Oak. The removal of the chair rail is a battle I’m not going to win. Husband says no to that and no to board and Barton and no to wainscoting (such a grump). The top color though, I have no clue what it is. That came with the house, which poses a problem because I tested out the bottom color on the top. So now it’s going to be like a matching game. The husband likes the two tone look, but I don’t think I do. It’s a small room. Like 9x10. All I have picked out is bedding and a dresser, and thoughts of artwork. This paint has me thrown
Aimee Willis
Original Author
5 years ago
Board and Batten (autocorrect ugh)
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Beth H. :
5 years ago
last modified: 5 years ago
Amy, is this for your baby? You're the one pregnant, yes? And your husband is being this stubborn over colors and design in the nursery ? with you? Why?

Uh, he needs to compromise to what you want on this. I'm pretty sure you're going to be in the nursery more often than he. He should let you have whatever design you like.

the current colors look ok in the picture. is the ceiling the same color as the wall? Were you going to do any other blinds or drapes?
Aimee Willis
Original Author
5 years ago
Yes this will be for our baby. I think he sees it as extra work removing something for the sake of removing it. He’s worried of potential issues with ripping sheetrock and I do like the rails there as they are perfect height for my rocker. I’m just going to make executive decision and paint it all one color because I worry that the two tone look will be too much for an already busy bedding and I don’t even know what that top wall color is to know what to match it with. I just love the softness of the room so far.
Aimee Willis
Original Author
5 years ago
Ceiling is white. I’m thinking of doing a wooden framing around the windows like I did in my bedroom. I literally only have picked out bedding, a dresser changing table, and a rocker. I did penguins in my bedding, but that was more of a gift from his big brother who passed away and loved penguins. I would rather do fuzzy animals or an arctic like theme so I can work penguins in that way, as penguins are special but another baby’s memory.
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Patricia Colwell Consulting
5 years ago
last modified: 5 years ago
I am one who never finds beige a nice color for walls so since this is what you want then I would get rid of the chair rail and just paint the whole wall one color. I find beige boring at best and in a childs room about the same as gray BORING. Kids respond to color so why not a nice soft green with some fun decals in bright colors . Maybe use the penguin quilt as a throw across the back of a nursing chair and get some new bedding for this one,This space is Palladian Blue from BM this to me is a much nicer wall color just my opinion
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JAN MOYER
5 years ago
I think cheerfulness may be a good idea here, given the loss of a child at ANY age ? At this point, even the bedding might be a negotiable. One really great penguin in the room. stuffed, might be enough ?
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Sabrina Alfin Interiors
5 years ago
last modified: 5 years ago
When we use the term "gender neutral" I don't think we're meant to take that literally and use neutral paint colors. I think instead, we should use something colorful that doesn't read "boy" or "girl" immediately. A baby nursery, IMO, should be joyful and full of color. I'd pick up that mint tone from the bedding. Use that for the upper part of the wall, and paint the wainscot/chair rail section a bright white. Some examples:
Sammie J
5 years ago
How about all white and black/white stripes under the chair rail?
Aimee Willis
Original Author
5 years ago
I think I was hoping to go classic calm and then pop my colors in with fabrics and prints. I saw this photo and fell in love with it and the bedding was an after thought.
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JAN MOYER
5 years ago
last modified: 5 years ago
Well. Recently, I have helped the kids of clients. Yes, old......... here lol. At any rate, one 33 yr old said " I am all about white!!!". I said okay.......but are you sure your baby will be all about the THE WHITE?What will you do in your all white house with the sticky fingers, jam, puke accidents? You have that much time and the planet has this much bleach?

There are baby gifts, books, some with covers so absolutely adorable, they are decor in and of themselves! Actually, I do see a little nod to that concept in the photo above.It's hard to keep the color out!

In the end, its a three year decor at best. A child gravitates to color unconsciously. The brighter the better in their eyes. Just sayin....: ) In fact, the OLDER we get, the more we gravitate to neutrality, and then in old age? Yes.....we often crave some real color all over again. Life isn't static.
talaveran
5 years ago
I'll follow along as my daughter is also doing a similar nursery. She's going with some kind of soft teal, soft brown palette. She got married in the redwoods so I think 'woodland' may enter into decor too. Your classic calm will be lovely and your penguin tribute is charming. I hope you will continue to post updates, and come to enjoy each part of this process too. Best wishes.
J Williams
5 years ago
last modified: 5 years ago
For me also, while I get the desire for calm this a little kids room, kids rooms should have some colour in them, this is just my personal opinion. Some of the white/grey nurseries I’ve seen look so chilly and souless but each to their own.

Apparently the royal family are on this trend as well as not wanting to know the gender of the baby.

https://www.thesun.co.uk/fabulous/8224468/pregnant-meghan-markle-baby-nursey-gender-neutral-colours-prince-harry/