A gender neutral safari nursery can feel calm, sophisticated and a little bit adventurous all at once. This client came to us with a Mid-Century Modern home and a vision for a modern safari nursery theme. She had a baby girl, but wanted a space that felt totally gender neutral so the space would be flexible and versatile. This project is one of my favorite examples of how much a room’s bones can do for you. The biggest feature of this room was the vaulted wood beam ceiling, so my job was to build the room around this great architectural detail.
This was a Virtual Design project out-of-state, so we were unable to professionally photograph. Instead, we created 3D images to show the finished space realistically. The in-house rendering we created for the client is toward the bottom of the post.
How to Design a Gender Neutral Safari Nursery
The secret is to skip the primary colors and cartoon animals and go for an earthy, sophisticated palette instead. Here we leaned on a blend of greens, creamy whites, warm wood tones and a few pops of mustard yellow. Nothing in the room reads as “boy” or “girl,” it just feels warm, natural and a little bit wild without feeling too juvenile.
Safari themes can easily get kitschy, so I like to let one big element carry the theme and keep everything else simple. In this nursery, the jungle wall mural does that job! The rest of the room is just natural materials like rattan, wood and woven baskets, with a few animal touches that feel playful but subtle, like the jungle animal art prints and cute little plush gorilla.
Choosing a Statement Safari Wall Mural
There are tons of options out there for safari wall murals! I like to look for murals with a softer, painterly feel and a muted color palette. The client wanted something a little bolder, so we went with a jungle wall mural with lots of green and the touches of black with the toucans.
We placed the mural on the wall behind the crib as an accent. It’s the natural focal point of the room, and the crib’s warm wood frame looks great against all that greenery. If you’re still on the fence about adding wallpaper to your baby’s room, I walk through the pros and cons in my guide on how to decide on wallpaper for the nursery.
A Safari Nursery is All About Texture
If you’ve seen any of my other safari nursery designs, you’ll know I always love to add lots of natural texture. In this room, we included a wicker papasan chair, rattan side table, and a tall rattan bookcase.
Texture doesn’t always have to be rattan, but rattan does lend itself pretty perfectly to safari themed spaces. But you don’t want everything to be rattan. Mixing natural textures with wood textures and textiles will bring the whole room together. The wood grain on the warm wood crib and dresser contrast beautifully with the rattans. We also included a neutral rug as well and then layered on a faux sheepskin rug as an accent which adds even more texture!
One thing we didn’t need to include for texture was drapery. As you can see, this nursery has a blackout roller shade instead. The baby was already sleep-trained and was able to sleep with the light that came in above the roller shade, so there was no need to add any drapery.
Adding Plants to a Safari Nursery
Plants are the easiest way to bring a safari or jungle theme to life without adding more “theme.” They add greenery, height and a natural feel. Because this nursery had such a high ceiling, we were able to use plants in a few ways. We used a tall faux palm tree in the corner by the bookcase, a small plant on the side table and a faux hanging plant over the accent chair.
When I’m choosing a faux tree for a safari or jungle nursery, I reach for palm type plants instead of olive trees. Olive trees have a silvery, Mediterranean look that suits an organic modern or neutral nursery, but palms have those big, feathery fronds that feel tropical and match a jungle or safari theme so much better. A faux palm tree is also an easy, low-maintenance option for a nursery, since they stay green and there’s no soil to spill. For more ideas, see my post on the best faux trees and plants for the nursery.
How do I keep a safari nursery from looking too themed?
I get asked this question more than any other on safari nurseries! The secret is in layering. Let one big element, like the wall mural in this case, carry the theme, and keep everything else simple. Use natural materials, neutral rugs and furniture, and only a few animal touches in art, blankets or toys instead of animal decor in every corner. That way, when you’re ready to change the room, you only have one main thing to change. All the little things like the art and blankets can be easily swapped.
Nursery Safety Tips for This Space
A room this layered is fun to design, but safety always comes first in a nursery. Here are a few safety issues we addressed in this space:
- Anchor tall furniture. A tall bookcase like the rattan one we used in this nursery should always be secured to the wall with anti-tip hardware, especially once your baby is mobile.
- Check window coverings. Since we used the existing blackout roller shade in this nursery, we had to check it for hanging cords. If your window treatments have cords, make sure to tie them up with a cord safety wrap and/or a cord winder.
- Watch soft textiles. Always keep pillows and blankets out of the crib. We have them in this nursery because the child was already old enough, but for infants, they can’t have any soft goods in the crib.
- Secure mirrors and art. We chose a wall mirror to go over the dresser, and it’s always best to make sure anything like that is heavily secured. For mirrors, I suggest adding a French cleat hanger to the back. For smaller artwork, I love these anti-fall picture hangers.
For more in-depth nursery safety information, check out my post on Common Nursery Safety Mistakes.
All the Decor From This Gender Neutral Safari Nursery
Jungle Wall Mural
Walnut Wood Crib
Dark Wood Dresser (similar)
Rattan Bookcase
Wicker Papasan Chair
Wood Book Ledges
Jungle Animal Art Print
Round Rattan Side Table
Faux Sheepskin Accent Rug
Round Yellow Pillow
Faux Palm Tree
Green Dresser Lamp
Wood Floor Lamp
Round Black Wall Mirror
Green Storage Trunk
Faux Hanging Plant
Need help with your nursery?
Designing a nursery takes so much thought and attention to detail for every single item in the space. If you need help with your own nursery design, check out our Virtual Design services.
Also, check out these other gender neutral safari nursery projects:
Neutral Safari Nursery With Emerald Accents
Safari Nursery With Soft Sage and Animal Prints
A Bold Modern Safari Nursery Design
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