Planning for a new baby? Whether you’re welcoming baby number one, number two or even number five (!), there’s lots to think about — including how to adapt your interiors for the new arrival.

It’s undoubtedly a good idea to undertake big home renovation or decoration jobs before the bambino arrives and your world turns upside down!

But rethinking your spaces to accommodate a little one needn’t mean sacrificing your own sense of interior style, as we’ll see below…

8 tips for new and soon-to-be parents

Baby's cot with arm chair next to it — Pick timeless furniture
It’s a cliché but babies really do grow up *soooo* quickly (even if it doesn’t feel that way when you’re on your third bleary-eyed feed of the night).
When it comes to investing in furniture, picking stylish pieces that will grow as they do can actually be really cost-effective.
A crib that converts into a toddler bed and then into a cozy mini sofa means you’re not constantly buying new items. Pick a simple, minimalistic design and it will fit with whatever décor updates you choose to make over the years too.

Declutter

If ever there’s been a time to Marie Kondo your home, it’s now! Babies generate lots of clutter. So do away with any furniture or accessories that don’t serve a purpose or that you don’t really love.

Once kids are on the move, every table corner seems to magnetically attract tiny heads. And navigating around bulky items of furniture as you change diapers in the night is nobody’s idea of a good time.

A decluttered room is easy to move around — and easy on the eye too. It’s also more adaptable as your and your family’s needs change.

There’ll be space to move a coffee table aside to make way for crawling practice, and room to accommodate a growing collection of toys. Which leads us to our next point…

Storage, storage, storage

Buggies. Bottles. Car seats. More soft toys than you can count.

Thinking about where you plan to store your baby’s stuff before he or she arrives can make those early days feel much less chaotic.

If you have limited floor space, pick vertical storage solutions. There are some ingenious storage ideas to hang on the back of doors, too, and under crib options are also a good idea.

Being able to clear baby paraphernalia away at the end of the day and reclaim your adult interior is a great way to restore a room’s sense of calm and wellbeing (and yours at the same time).

Storage under window seat that is easily manageable with kids

Think about lighting

Getting babies into a good sleep routine takes time, patience and a lot of coffee (for you, not them!). But by keeping lights low in the evening, you give them the signal that playtime is over and it’s time to rest.

The spaces in which your baby will spend this evening wind-down time should have ambient lighting options. So invest in warm-toned lamps and cute little night lights — bright enough to read a bedtime story by, but soothing enough to encourage sleep.

Getting the light right in the daytime is also important. While most newborns will sleep pretty much anywhere, as they get older they’ll appreciate a properly dark room.

Put up blackout blinds or heavy curtains at the nursery window so you can block out light in the daytime and on long summer evenings too.

Make the most of underutilized space

When space is at a premium, every square inch counts. It may be that rearranging your furniture frees up space for a bassinet or a little reading corner.

Do a quick inventory of spaces you rarely use — an awkward alcove can be fitted with baby clothes rails or inbuilt shelving, a closet can be repurposed as a mini nursery.

You should also be on the lookout for dual-function furniture: a dresser that doubles as a changing table, for example, or an over-crib changing table that you can slot into place when needed.

That way you make the very most of the space you have available.

Weigh up open plan living

If you have the budget to really invest in your home, consider creating an open plan layout for your living spaces. As kids grow, life is much easier when you can keep an eye on them while you’re going about your own tasks and activities.

Open plan living spaces are multifunctional; you can cook dinner as the littlest one(s) play on the floor, bigger kids draw at the table, or the teens do their homework.

An open play layout also makes your home feel bigger, which is great when kids want to burn off a little energy dancing to their favorite tunes.

The only word of warning is around personal space. Sometimes, as a new parent, you’ll find yourself craving just five minutes on your own. That’ll probably be a recurring theme as the family grows up, too. Hands up parents if you’ve ever shut yourself in the bathroom just to check your emails in peace? Yep, we’ve all been there!

Open plan living has so many benefits for family homes, but don’t stress if you all need a little alone time once in a while — it’s totally normal!

Don’t sacrifice your own sense of style

The days of cutesy nurseries, painted in shades of baby pink and baby blue, are long gone. You really don’t have to throw interior design flair out of the window just because you’re expecting.

That’s partly down to an increasingly impressive range of kid-friendly interior options.

Washable paint or wallpaper will help to preserve your décor (and your sanity) when kids are leaving sticky handprints and artistic crayon marks in their wake. Beautifully designed, minimalistic cribs, highchairs and changing tables will fit right into whatever room they’re destined to live in.

And remember, all your baby needs is milk, sleep and lots of love from you — especially in the early years. They won’t care what color you painted the nursery or what artwork you’ve hung on the walls.

You, on the other hand, will feel soothed by practical, peaceful spaces you actually enjoy spending time in. And happy parents = a happy baby! So stick to your interior design guns and create spaces that make you feel good.

Don’t go it alone!

You’ve got enough on your plate right now. So if the prospect of interior design feels a little daunting, it’s time to call in the experts.

Here at Titanium Space, we specialize in beautiful, functional spaces — exactly what you need when you have a growing family on your hands.

Whether you want to focus on the nursery, the master bedroom or your living spaces, arrange a complimentary consultation today.

8 interior design tips for soon-to-be parents