real kid rooms

Want your little one's room to be both comfortable and cutting edge? We've rounded up 10 on-trend design tips from our favorite real nurseries, created by professional designers, interior-expert moms, and real women with seriously incredible taste. From chalkboard walls and art to over-the-top painted and accessorized ceilings, from sophisticated details to quirky extras, these nursery trends are the latest for your home's smallest residents.

Have an inspirational kids' room of your own you'd like to share? Feel free to send it our way!

Five active kids, five bedrooms, almost 5,000 square feet, and unlimited creativity (and we're guessing an equally large budget). That was the starting point for this amazing New York City loft and Incorporated Architecture and Design, the company charged with turning the cavernous space into a kid-friendly, colorful, fun space. Mom in residence Kelly grew up in Santa Cruz, CA, and while she loves raising her kids in Battery Park, she wanted to re-create the front and backyard of her childhood — indoors. An urban treehouse, which cleverly incorporates Cole & Son's Woods wallpaper, a life-sized cartoon tree in a girls' room, and areas dedicated to climbing, playing, dancing, homework, piano, and more accomplish her dream in outrageous style. Keep clicking; you have to see this house to believe it!

Source: Annie Schlechter for Incorporated

Nursery design and a sophisticated style don't often go hand in hand, but Kate, one of five women who make up the blog Collect 5, proves that it can be beautifully achieved. The space she created for her son Claude, who was born earlier this year, was initially inspired by amazing kids' creations from high-end designers Jennifer Delonge and Kelly Wearstler, but Kate managed to re-create the luxe look using a combination of high-end and extremely budget-friendly pieces. While she splurged on a few items (including that amazing Thomas Paul for Duralee curtain fabric), she also scored deals on a big-box crib, a steal of a chandelier, and her husband's childhood bed, all of which make this room look deceptively expensive. Keep clicking to check out all the high and low details.

Source: Collect 5

California-based wedding photographer Raya Carlisle has a house that's big on style, but supersmall on space. "About seven years ago, we bought a 1951 two-bedroom cottage that is not big (about 1,300 square feet, including the garage) but has an open floor plan and nice south-facing light," she says.

Fast-forward to present day, and Carlisle now shares the Ventura, CA, home with her husband, Forest; their 4-year-old son, Baker; their 1-year-old daughter, Genevieve; and a dog. Bet they're looking to move? Think again. With a little creative decorating, including turning a seldom-used formal dining room into a playroom and keeping the kids' room gender-neutral with distinctive, individual spaces, Carlisle has created a home that feels eclectic and warm, kid-friendly but grown-up, cozy, and not cramped. And that's no small task. Keep clicking for all the beautiful details.

Source: Raya Carlisle

Little Crown Interiors, the California-based design firm created by Naomi Alon and Gerri Panebianco, has created some seriously enchanting nurseries for celebs including Laila Ali, Melanie Brown, and J.R. Martinez, so we weren't surprised that their latest design (created for private residents in the Golden State) is beyond dazzling in gold and pink. "Gold has been making a serious comeback as the neutral of choice for nursery design," Naomi says. "We were thrilled with the opportunity to incorporate the trend in harmony with the feminine and glamorous Old Hollywood touches this new mom so craved." Full of luxe nursery furniture from Art For Kids and Angel Song, silk crib bedding, a unique vanity, and an ornate mirror, this nursery is truly one of a kind.

Source: Little Crown Interiors

Creating a stylish room for one little boy or baby girl is hard enough, but when you've decided not to find out your child's gender — or to put your son and daughter into one room — you have double the struggle. Luckily we've found 13 gorgeous, gender-neutral individual and shared children's spaces (don't miss our favorite boys' rooms and girls' rooms, too), all ready to inspire beautiful rooms in your own home.

No matter if you live in a tiny urban abode or a sprawling suburban home, space is always at a premium once you add a baby (or two or even four) to the mix. That's why we love when parents find a way to make shared spaces feel cohesive and thoughtful. Case in point: the gender-neutral New York City nursery created by first-time parents Robyn and Joe Wallace. The couple didn't find out the gender of their baby before she was born (welcome, Scarlett!), yet they managed to create a beautiful, calming space that works for both baby and grown-ups. Keep clicking to check out the details.

Source: Studio 1208