20 Cool Baby Boy Nursery Ideas and Themes We’re Obsessed With!
Decorating a baby boy’s room means more than just painting it blue. These classic and modern nursery schemes are a great way to welcome your little man — and, in case it needs to be said, they’d work great for a baby girl nursery or a gender-neutral nursery, too.
Related: How to Design a Nursery on a Budget
The Best Baby Boy Nursery Ideas
One of the most fun parts of welcoming a new baby is coming up with interior design ideas for a kids’ room. Here are 20 totally DIY-able nursery decor schemes for your new baby.
1. Your Child’s Name
When it comes to nursery inspiration, the name-themed nursery is about as unique as it gets.
Choose a name sign, or spell out your little one’s name with giant wooden letters painted to your color scheme. If your child’s name is a real-world object, like Sage, Clay, or Hunter, then you can reflect this in your nursery colors or art. For variation, the alphabet itself can be a theme,.
Color Schemes for This Theme:
Anything you like, from bright, primary colors to earth tones to regal jewel tones, and more.
Items to Help You Get The Look:
- A name sign
- Wooden letters to hang on the wall
- Whimsical letter decals
2. Nautical
Anchors away for this classic theme. Navy and white, perhaps with stripes. Anchors, portals, and pictures of ships. Go all out by paneling the walls with recycled shiplap — wood typically used for ship and barn building — for that driftwood look.
Color Schemes for This Theme:
- Navy and white
- Possibly with gold accents
Items to Help You Get The Look:
- Wooden or shiplap paneling
- Decorations made from recycled rope
- Nautical-themed wall art
3. Safari
Bring the safari to your house! A wall mural with exotic plants and animals can spark your baby’s imagination. Wicker furniture and a faux zebra or tigerskin rug will bring the safari to your baby’s room.
For a more subtle look, try wallpaper with geometric designs in browns and yellows, and framed prints of safari animals.
Color Schemes for This Theme:
- Deep greens and browns with splashes of lighter colors
Items to Help You Get The Look:
- A jungle-themed press-on mural
- Wall decor with jungle animals
- Wicker furniture
- Nursery furniture in natural woods
- Faux zebra or tiger rug
- Wallpaper with geometric designs in browns and yellows
4. The Zoo
Lots of kids love animals, and the zoo has all different kinds. You can go for subtle colors or bright ones. Add some inspirational wall art with your favorite zoo animals. And when your baby is old enough, choose some stuffed animals from the World Wildlife Federation.
Color Schemes for This Theme:
- Safari colors: green, brown, orange, yellow
Items to Help You Get The Look:
- Zoo animal wall art
- A wallpaper border with zoo animals
- Stuffed animals in exotic designs
5. Farm
The farm is another place to find animals — and vehicles! Both of which are time-tested favorites.
Build your farm-themed baby room with a rustic crib and rocker in natural woods. Add a cheerful border with smiling farm animals, or some tractor art. And if you want to get fancy, here’s another place to use that shiplap.
Color Schemes for This Theme:
- White walls with accents in bright primary colors
Items to Help You Get The Look:
- Wall art featuring farm animals, buildings, and vehicles
- Natural wood nursery furniture
- Wallpaper or wallpaper border with farm scenes
6. Beach
Bring the beach house to your house. Whether you go abstract, painting the walls in shades of aqua and ocean blue, or literal, with starfish and glass buoys wrapped in twine, the beach-themed decor is both imaginative and peaceful.
Color Schemes for This Theme:
- Brown, white, and shades of aqua to represent sand and sea
Items to Help You Get The Look:
- Wall art with beach toys (pail, shovel, etc.)
- Wall art featuring seagulls, crabs, fish, and other beach wildlife
- Hanging glass buoys
- Surfing memorabilia
7. Forest
Nothing says adventure like a walk in the woods. Your woodland nursery can help to foster a love of nature and a feeling of peacefulness. Top off your look with some wall art featuring forest animals and themes.
Color Schemes for This Theme:
- Brown and dark green with splashes of bright green
Items to Help You Get The Look:
- Press-on wall mural of a forest scene
- Knotty pine or shiplap panelling
- Wall art with woodland creatures
8. Cars and Trucks
Kids love vehicles — tractors, cars, trucks, diggers, and so forth. And it makes a terrific theme for a nursery! Vehicular wall art can inspire your little ones to dream big and build strong.
Color Schemes for This Theme:
- Primary colors
Items to Help You Get The Look:
- Wall art featuring different types of vehicles: planes, trains, cars, boats farm equipment, etc.
- Toy vehicles that your child can play with later
9. Sports
Do you have a sports-loving family? A sports-themed nursery can be the perfect way to express it!
Color Schemes for This Theme:
- Any colors of your favorite team!
Items to Help You Get the Look:
- Team memorabilia: pennants, framed team shirts, etc.
- Sports-themed art for your nursery wall
- Decals
10. Storybook
Nursery rhymes and beloved childhood book characters are timeless room ideas. Who’s your favorite set of characters? Chances are, you’ll find decals, quilts, art, and more to match your vision.
Color Schemes for This Theme:
- Baby blue, yellow, green, and other gentle colors.
Items to Help You Get The Look:
- Character art from your favorite children’s stories
- Nursery rhyme decals or mural
- A nursery rhyme-themed quilt
11. Hot Air Balloons
White walls make a perfect canvas for beautiful, whimsical hot air balloons. Whether your tastes run to bright and simple or to imaginative scenes from Around the World in 80 Days, this is a theme that will set your baby’s imagination soaring.
Color Schemes for This Theme:
- White and bright primary colors
Items to Help You Get The Look:
- Decals or a press-on mural featuring hot air balloons
- Paper lanterns decorated to look like balloons
- Wallpaper border with different types of balloons
12. Clean and Simple
A minimalist nursery with peaceful, neutral colors makes a lot of sense.
Think of crisp white crib sheets, modern furniture, wall coverings, carpets in natural fibers, and a few tasteful pieces of wall decor. Perhaps an accent wall in navy or chocolate. Toys are few, so cleanup is easy. Can you feel the calm in the air?
Color Schemes for This Theme:
- White and neutral colors
Items to Help You Get The Look:
- Natural wood furniture
- Area rugs in white and neutral colors
- Wicker
13. Outer Space
Parents who love their baby to the moon and back can set their eyes on the stars. This theme suits a variety of aesthetics, from educational to whimsical.
Color Schemes for This Theme:
- Dark blue and white
Items to Help You Get The Look:
- Press-on glowing ceiling stars
- Wallpaper or wallpaper borders featuring spaceships
- Press-on mural showing the night sky
14. Circus
Do you ever feel like the ringmaster of your family circus? It makes a great theme for a nursery, too! Whether you focus on clowns and acrobats, or the animals, a circus-themed nursery can be a ton of fun.
Color Schemes for This Theme:
- Bright, primary colors
Items to Help You Get The Look:
- Circus-themed objects such as lamps and furniture
- Wall art featuring clowns and circus animals
- Press-on mural or wallpaper with scenes from the big top
15. Tropical
Create a tropical paradise in your home! A tropical theme is calm and peaceful, but also visually interesting.
Color Schemes for This Theme:
- White with shades of aqua and splashes of bright orange, red, and green
Items to Help You Get The Look:
- Mural or press-on wall decorations with tropical scenes (ocean, palm trees, etc.)
- Stuffed animals: parrots and other tropical animals
- Decals and wall art
16. Route 66
Your baby won’t be ready for a road trip for a while, but until then, you can bring this classic vibe to the nursery. If you’re a fan of Disney’s Cars franchise, this theme dovetails nicely with that, too.
Color Schemes for This Theme:
- Red, white, and blue, baby!
Items to Help You Get The Look:
- Wall art or a mural featuring Monument Valley and other classic points along Route 66
- Route 66 sign
- Toy or model classic cars that your child can play with when they’re old enough
17. Birds
From cute puffins to majestic eagles, birds can be a great way to set a theme — and to set your little one’s imagination soaring.
Color Schemes for This Theme:
- Browns, white, navy blue
Items to Help You Get The Look:
- Toys and stuffed animals to display until your child is old enough to play with them
- Wallpaper and wallpaper borders with different types of birds
- Wall art with birds
18. Ocean
An ocean-themed room can have different vibes: bold and adventurous, peaceful and calm, ships, sea animals — whatever you like, the ocean makes a great backdrop.
Color Schemes for This Theme:
- Blues and greens; shades of sea and sky
Items to Help You Get The Look:
- Decals or wall art with fish and sea wildlife
- Pictures and posters of boats and submarines
19. Dinosaurs
So many kids love dinos. You’ll have a great time putting together a dino-themed nursery for your little paleontologist!
Color Schemes for This Theme:
- Blue, green, yellow
Items to Help You Get The Look:
- Decals
- Toys that your child can play with when they’re ready
20. Clouds
For a peaceful vibe that stimulates the imagination, it’s hard to go wrong with a cloudy sky. This one’s fairly easy to DIY, too.
Color Schemes for This Theme:
- Light blue and white
Items to Help You Get The Look:
All you need, really is blue paint for the sky, white for the clouds, and some paint sponges!
What If I Don’t Want to Go with a Theme?
Your nursery, your rules.
If you don’t want the expense and bother of building a thematic nursery, an accent wall or a colorful changing table or rocking chair can add a pop of color and personality to your boy nursery decor, and can help you to make your nursery as unique as your little one.
Check out our article on putting together a nursery on a budget.
How Do You Set Up a Baby Boy Nursery?
There is some essential nursery furniture that every child’s nursery needs, including:
Bassinet
Also called a cradle, a bassinet is a small, portable sleeping enclosure. Some bassinets rock, and some don’t. It’s the portability that’s critical. The bassinet doesn’t stay in one place. Rather, you can move it from room to room as needed.
Crib
A crib is another sleeping enclosure. Unlike a bassinet, though, a crib is stationary. Some cribs are made to transition into toddler beds once your child is ready.
Changing Table
A changing table makes it easy to change diapers. Many changing tables also have shelves or drawers for diapers, wipes, and other equipment.
Rocker
Babies, and many parents, find the rocking motion of a rocking chair soothing, and a great way to see baby off to sleep after feeding. There are rocking chair designs for every taste, from modern to old-fashioned to high-tech gliders.
Bookshelves
It’s never too early to foster a love of reading. Even though your baby won’t be reading for a few years, you’ll need shelves to hold the toys and picture books that your baby will be receiving from well-wishers.
Blackout Curtains
Blackout curtains are made from heavy fabric or fabric with a special coating that keeps out the light. They’re a naptime essential.
What Color Theme for a Baby Boy Nursery?
When thinking about a color scheme for a little boy, a lot of people’s minds turn to baby blue. But for the modern nursery room, this is just a starting point.
Some people like a neutral color scheme, that is creams and whites. Others may want an all-white nursery: white walls, white crib, white furniture, and so forth. Still, others may feel drawn to earth tones like greens and browns. And a lot of parents opt for bright, happy colors.
And if you have your heart set on a blue nursery, there are plenty of ways of doing that, too.
Which color palette speaks to you?
What are the Best Baby Boy Nursery Themes?
The best baby boy nursery themes are the ones that reflect your family and your vision for your little one. They’ll develop their own tastes in their own time, but until then, the nursery is your palette. And the decor can be as unique as you want it to be.
