When decorating a unisex nursery for my own baby, I found lack of choice within the baby interiors market. The products available all seemed pretty similar, the colours were mostly white or cream and the design choice limited.

Like many others, I wanted something unusual that hadn’t been seen a thousand times over so set about designing a theme with a difference…

Firstly I decided on a colour scheme which would mainly be black and white; Neutral and trendy enough for both boy and girl and different from the generic colours usually found. There would be more white than black, to avoid it resembling the room of Pubert Addams, and different shades of grey to accompany and soften the look.

Being a lover of vintage, I decided to decorate the room with a more traditional character. I chose Steamboat Willie, an original Mickey Mouse, who is usually found in black and white – perfect for my colour scheme!

I knew the theme but where would I find the goods? Steamboat Willie products are rare, with no children’s interiors available it would seem. Suitable black and white accessories where hard to come by too! So to achieve the look I wanted, I had soft furnishings and canvas’s printed with my favourite old Mickey images found on Google. The other black and white accessories used where found on Ebay! A great alternative when you are struggling for products with the usual retailers. I even managed to find a Steamboat Willie alarm clock and hanging ornament online for buttons which I was thrilled with!

The point of this blog is: if you want a certain look then go for it! Don’t be discouraged by what the shops have on offer. With a little persistence and Google searching, you will come across what you need, even if it means having things made. There are plenty of services out there offering printing, soft furnishing making and up-cycling. Look locally or online (again Ebay is great for this sort of thing!). Maybe a family member is a great sewer or a dab-hand at revamping existing furniture?

If you are looking for inspiration – the Web and Pinterest are full of wonderful ideas for all kinds of room decor. Don’t limit your searches to just ‘nursery’ images, you can find great colour combinations and other ideas used in different rooms too. Just adapt them in the relevant way.

Happy decorating!

Jen X