Somewhere between faded pastels and stark primaries lie intense yet soothing hues such as golden yellow, watermelon pink, and sapphire blue, which stimulate the imagination without overpowering your child’s sleeping space.

Sunny Disposition

Thrilled to decorate a girl’s nursery after seven years of mothering two boys, Karen Diggins chose a lively color scheme to welcome baby Ava to the family’s Atlanta home. “I think bright is exciting; it’s vibrant. It gets you pumped,” Karen says. Tangy yellow, watermelon pink, and lime green are the funky trio she decided upon.

“Karen wanted a fun, feminine look, but she wanted it to be a room the baby could grow into,” interior designer Michelle Doughtie says. Starting with a delightful pink fabric sprinkled with colorful images of flowers, watering cans, and bugs, Doughtie had the motifs repeated, supersize, as painted embellishments on the walls. “It doesn’t have that stenciled look—which makes it fun,” Doughtie says. “Every flower is different since it was painted freehand.”

A white matelasse coverlet gives eyes a resting spot from the patterns and colors scattered throughout the room. The queen-sized bed - used by Mom and guests now - is in place for baby Ava Diggins later.

The designs were first drawn on the wall, then painted in latex eggshell paints with fine-tipped artist's brushes for a washable finish. For the border at the ceiling, the garden figures are painted in a more formal sequence.

Juxtaposed against the spirited walls are a traditional valence and drapery and a princess canopy for the queen-size bed. “I also wanted something traditional and soft for my little girl,” Karen says. The canopy provides that softness, giving the room a warm, inviting focal point. “I think the colors, as vibrant as they can be, are also soft by nature,” she says. “It’s a very soothing room even though it has a lot of strong color.”

Terry-cloth fabric in a kiwi color puts a fun spin on a swivel club chair.

Interior Designer Michelle Doughtie chose a hot-pink plaid wallpaper for the bathroom walls to give this small space a vibrant shot of color.