No one knows babies like Simone Incendiaro, owner of baby boutique Bespoke Babies and nursery design expert to our favourite celebs. Her store enjoys customers like Cassper Nyovest while she’s designed nurseries for Lootlove’s adorable twins, Bontle Modiselle and Priddy Ugly’s baby Afrika, Pearl Modiadie’s baby Olivier and Minnie Dlamini’s newborn. We know that designing the nursery is just one of many challenges when welcoming a baby home, so we interviewed Simone to get some useful tips and details on the latest trends in nursery decor. 

Are there any new and interesting trends for nursery decor this year?

We are seeing a major shift to a more monochromatic preference and a lot of neutrals. Lighting is becoming more prominent in nursery decisions lately and we make sure we incorporate this in the decor either through the art or accessories in the room. Parents are loving accessorising with giant stuffed animals and the laser cut names remain a favourite in most nurseries. These are all available at Bespoke Babies. We really enjoy creating personal and unique spaces so most of our furniture and wall art as well as our “little touches” are truly Bespoke and customised to our parents’ styles and needs. Most moms and Dads want something unique.

What’s the process of choosing the right colour scheme for your baby’s nursery?

Most parents opt for something that complements the fittings in the home; something subtle with baby-like items as accessories. We have also had the complete opposite where parents paint their rooms pink or blue and embrace the gender which is really special and playful.

At the end of the day, we always encourage parents to choose something they will also enjoy looking at because you spend so much time in this space during the early months of a baby’s life when you’re feeding, changing nappies, developing sleep routines and so on. You have to feel as if the room calms you as well.

What is your opinion on plants in a nursery? Are there some fun ways to integrate them into the room?

We love using greenery in nursery decor for pops of colour. It’s important if using a real plant that you make sure it’s safe for a nursery. We tend to lean towards fake plants just for general maintenance (you already have your hand full with a baby you don’t need the additional chores of looking after a plant pet too).

Are there any big mistakes parents should avoid when creating their baby’s nursery?

There are a few key things to always remember when creating a space for a baby other than the decor: Room temperature, lighting (both natural and artificial) and obviously the safety of products. I think its important to always know that the furniture you choose has been tested for safety and the materials used to manufacture are safe like the paints etc, it’s obviously a costly exercise putting together a nursery but some things should not be overlooked. Don’t place anything in the cot when the baby is sleeping (to avoid smothering or accidentally strangling the baby). We tend to love pillows and teddies that should only be present in the sleep space when the baby is not there.

Babies grow up so quickly! How do we ensure that our nursery decor isn’t short-lived? 

They really do! The trick is to make sure the furniture and decor are functional. Get a cot that converts to a toddler bed or even a full-sized bed or couch so that it can grow with the baby. Start the space with the intention of “adding on” to the idea at a later stage. A feeding chair becomes a story chair and a stuffed toy that was an accessory becomes a childhood friend.