Even though my own baby is no longer a baby, I always enjoy seeing clever, creative and inspirational nursery bedroom ideas and themes for young children. My favourite nursery design schemes are usually of the fun, colourful kind and as babies grow up fast, it’s important that nursery room decor is budget-friendly while still being charming and adorable. A great way to design an affordable yet appealing nursery bedroom for a young child is to use paint in a range of colours on different surface areas in the room; UK paint brand Little Greene (whose range of ‘Intelligent’ paint finishes has been certified child-safe, meaning they can be used on cots and toys as they contain no toxic nasties) have lots of clever ideas for modern baby room decor using paint!

Paint panelling for durable, washable walls

If you want to use wallpaper in your child’s nursery but are petrified of it getting covered in stains, damage and finger marks, use wallpaper only on the top half of the wall where it will have the least contact and apply panelling to the lower half. Tongue and groove or cut strips of MDF are easy to apply and cheap to install. Make sure you apply an MDF sealer first if your panelling doesn’t come pre-primed and paint it in a durable, hard-wearing, washable eggshell such as Little Greene’s Child-Safe Intelligent finish.

Paint stripes for an effective display

I love a painted stripe; you can create an affordable, on-trend deck stripe using two alternative paint colours, or use up leftover paint or sample pots by creating a rainbow. All you need is some good quality painter’s tape (I always recommend Pro Dec precision edge) and some patience! Use a builders level to draw level lines on the wall with a pencil, then apply the tape on alternate stripes so one colour can dry before applying the next set of tape strips (for a detailed guide on painting a rainbow mural click here).

Paint vintage furniture for affordable, colourful storage

If there is one thing you need with kids, it’s storage. Painting large vintage wardrobes and cupboards is a great way to add a fun, statement colour to a room while keeping the walls neutral. Vintage furniture tends to be more affordable and sturdy than modern options and a tin of paint can be transformative. Click here to see how I upcycled a wood wardrobe with blue paint in my own child’s room at the start of the year.

Have fun with the skirting and woodwork

Want to use fun, bold colours in the nursery but think they would look too much on the walls? Try painting the skirting and woodwork instead. I love a colourful door or a painted window and a nursery or a child’s bedroom is a great place to do it!

Divide the wall with two colours

If you don’t want to add panelling, dividing the wall with two different paint colours is a really great way to add visual interest. For a nursery or kids bedroom, it is best to have a darker, forgiving colour on the bottom half where stains and marks are not so visible. Use a lighter, brighter colour on the top half of the wall which will open up the room and stop the strong lower colour from dominating. Again, use a builder’s level and precision painter’s tape for a straight, no-bleed paint join.

All images used in this post are owned and belong to Little Greene Paint Company.