You’ll never guess the new popular nursery colour that is taking off this year

Blue, pink and even yellow colours in a nursey are seemingly on their way out of fashion, as black nursery decor is taking off as the stylish, gender-neutral alternative.

With two children under 2 years, Interior designer, Lucy Sear-Barlow, is all too aware that practical function is more important than pretty aesthetics when it comes to researching nursery decorating ideas. However, the Creative Director at  Barlow & Barlow Design, believes that doesn't mean you have to turn down your decorating style-dial as you look forward to the arrival of your new tiny housemate.

Black nursery decor

Skandi decorating ideas are always popular and trends such as farmhouse and bold colour schemes are making waves within interior waters. So, it's no wonder striking black is the go-to colour choice for nursery schemes amongst decorators and designers right now.

'Whilst I wouldn’t ever use too many big blocks of black in a scheme as it does absorb a lot of light, used sparingly on furniture legs, tablecloths, cushions, and vases it immediately makes schemes feel a bit edgier. It’s a way of giving some immediate attitude to a scheme,' explains Lucy.

Black is already gardened a following of celebrity parents.  Jools Oliver's son Buddy Bear has fun black pom-pom and superhero garlands highlighting a cool Nubie Kids house bed, while Dani Dyer has seriously cute animal prints with black frames on her new baby, Santiago's wall.

Stacey Solomon's son Rex has his favourite animals; pandas as a featured motif in his nursery. The fury, and monochrome friends are teamed with black and white bed linen and a cosy Berber rug.

Lucy Sear-Balow tips for styling the black nursery trend

Lucy recently worked with the Norwegian manufacturer of children's furniture Stokke to share her top tips for introducing the colour black into our family homes:

1. Use black as an accent colour

We often lean towards black as an accent colour for accessories at home. I have a bit of a penchant for animal print and black accessories work so well with a little bit of leopard print! I also love a gingham or big scale check; however, this can look very twee if done in colour, but a gingham in black immediately looks younger and cooler.

2. Black is a gender-neutral essential

Investing in children’s things that are in gender-neutral nursery shades such as black means that you can reuse everything for each child. Just like your wardrobe you will have to stare at your children’s things for a long time and so investing in smart and timeless colours like black means it will last through many fashion cycles and you will hopefully never tire of looking at it!

3. Style up the storage

With all the kit and caboodle that comes with children, some of it nice to look at and some not, the key to keeping it in some semblance of order is attractive black toy storage solutions.

For me, the easiest and most achievable way to do this is through baskets. Whether cane, jute, or wicker, they are easy to come by, come in multiple sizes and most importantly suit every style of interior.

As soon as you sweep up the chaos of children’s plastic tat and hide it away in the nice basket suddenly all feels well again, and your house looks ordered and chic.

Furthermore, if you choose something beautifully designed in a timeless colour, such as black, it will look smart in the nursery, living room or kitchen no matter what fashions come and go and how many times you repaint your cabinetry.