Shabby Chic Ideas for a Girl's Nursery With Gray Carpet

Colors

• Gray carpeting provides a neutral floor covering that goes with a variety of colors. Paint your walls a darker gray color to have them and the flooring blend in together. White or off-white also coordinates with the gray flooring. Alternatively, shabby chic design typically consists of pastel colors, such as pink, blue, yellow or green, so use these colors to coordinate with your gray floor.

Furnishings

• Shabby chic furniture often features antique elements that have chipped. However, be more careful in a nursery to avoid having your baby eat paint chips or be exposed to lead paint. Scour antique stores or flea markets to pick up furnishings in their original wood type. As an alternative, find unfinished pieces, and paint them yourself. Apply a crackle finish or antique glaze to make them look antique without having to worry about the dangers to your baby. Paint an old buffet gray, and repurpose it as a changing table. Buy an old rocking chair and side table, and park them in a corner for a relaxing place to rock your daughter to sleep. Purchase larger storage units, and fill them with wicker baskets to keep all of your baby's necessities tidy.

Architectural Aspects

• Add architectural details to decorate your shabby chic nursery. Add wainscoting to the walls. Or a ceiling with decorative tin tiles also coordinates with the flooring and gives your baby an attractive feature to look up at.

Fabrics

• Shabby chic decor involves incorporating different types of fabrics together for a cohesive look. Use floral patterns as window coverings and slipcovers for an armchair, or mix gray and floral patterns with your chair cushions, baby bedding and pillows. A quilt on the wall also coordinates with the shabby chic design.

Accessories

• Top a lamp with a sleek gray shade, or frame floral and antique prints in ornate white and gray picture frames. Place a gray mirror in a corner of the room, and add a bright-colored chair. A mobile in a variety of pastel colors coordinates with the colors in the rest of the room. In addition, a silver chandelier adds a glamorous light fixture to the nursery.