5 genius decorating ideas to stimulate your baby’s learning

Your baby's nursery is far more than just a place to sleep. Spark their imagination with our clever colour ideas for smarter babies.

“I’ve read that some colours can help babies concentrate. Can you suggest any colour schemes or patterns that we can incorporate into the nursery give our baby the best possible start?”

According to research from AkzoNobel, around 40% of expectant parents believe a stimulating environment will have a positive impact on their baby’s cognitive development.

Now we’re not suggesting that painting the nursery in a certain colour will make your child grow up to be a genius, but a visually interesting environment can certainly aid the development of their attention span and spark their curiosity.

Want to know more? Check out our clever ideas to put the know-how into your little Einstein’s nursery scheme.

Colours at the warmer end of the spectrum are thought to stimulate the mind and body, so it’s worth putting some thought into selecting the right colour scheme for your baby’s nursery.
Paint it red

Tap into colour psychology

Colours at the warmer end of the spectrum are thought to stimulate the mind and body, so it’s worth putting some thought into selecting the right colour scheme for your baby’s nursery.

Bright orange, for instance, is thought to stimulate interaction and communication, while pale yellow hues can aid concentration. It’s thought that more intense shades of yellow can even stimulate the memory.

There is a drawback, however. Warm, bold colours have a tendency to agitate young babies which may pose a problem come nap time. Play around with different shades and intensities and balance warm colours with cooler hues to add a restful tone and enjoy the best of both worlds.

Which paints?

Bongo Jazz   Dulux 28YR 29/561
Ray of Light   Dulux 45YY 71/426
Theatre Lights   Dulux 40YY 48/750

Play around with pattern

Your baby will see everything in black and white for the first few weeks after they’re born, so contrasting stripes or patterns are a great way to stimulate their visual development.

Why not paint a small section of the wall by their cot with monochrome stripes and chevrons to give them something exciting to look at? You can easily swap out black and white for brighter hues once they’re a bit older and can see colour.

Which paints?

French Stripe Red   Dulux 10YR 17/465
Ships At Sea   Dulux 10BB 13/362
Treehouse   Dulux 90GY 21/472
Incorporating words and letters will add instant personality to your baby’s nursery.
Alphabet-themed nursery

Easy as A B C…

Incorporating words and letters will add instant personality to your baby’s nursery.

A stencilled border of letters or numbers just below the ceiling will give your baby something interesting to contemplate while they’re lying in their cot, or if you don’t have time to stencil, a feature alphabet wall using wooden letters works just as well.

Use hooks so you can swap and change the characters and create new words every day.

Which paints?

Beryl Green   Dulux 10GG 51/125
Introduce a sprinkling of Mother Nature’s magic to the nursery with this mighty bookcase tree – an easy painting project that can be done in an afternoon.
A nursery inspired by nature

The wonder of nature

Introduce a sprinkling of Mother Nature’s magic to the nursery with this mighty bookcase tree – an easy painting project that can be done in an afternoon.

Simply trace the outline of a tree onto the wall using pencil or chalk, use a small brush to paint the outline and fill it in with a roller.

From there, you can add some shiny red apples, a few woodland creatures or even a bird – let your imagination run free and your baby’s will run with it!

Which paints?

Palmyra   Dulux 10GY 52/541
Ignite your little one’s wanderlust by decorating the nursery with a colourful map of the world.
Colours inspired by the world

Explore the world

Ignite your little one’s wanderlust by decorating the nursery with a colourful map of the world.

Maps are available in all sorts of colours, shapes and sizes, so the chances are you’ll be able to find one to compliment your decorating scheme.

Top tip

If you’d like to create a striking paint effect but are unsure what colours to choose, the Dulux Visualizer app gives allows you to see a realistic impression of how your room will look once it’s painted.

Get the look with these colours:

Bongo Jazz   Dulux 28YR 29/561
Ray of Light   Dulux 45YY 71/426
French Stripe Red   Dulux 10YR 17/465
Beryl Green   Dulux 10GG 51/125
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