When trying to decide how to decorate your baby’s nursery or child’s room, you want to aim for the sweet spot between “”not overdone,”” and “”not so babyish that they’ll grow out of this in a year.”” With that in mind, many parents land on the idea of a Safari themed nursery decor.
There are so many great ideas for a room like this, whether you are decorating for a baby or an older child. You could choose to design the room around animals, around jungle foliage, or even around a Jeep!
There’s truly some great inspiration out there, and that’s exactly what we set out to track down (I guess you could say we took our own kind of Safari). We searched social media and various design blogs for excellent examples of parents who took Safari nursery decor to the next level.
Check out the examples below and see which elements you’d like to include in your own project. Whether you’re a fearless DIY enthusiasts, or if you’re simply looking to add a few little touches here and there, we’ve got you covered.
Ashleigh Greenwood ~ @ashyyx
"Stay at home momma of 2.
Q. – Tell us about your design process. Do you begin with an initial object or theme as an inspiration?
A. – My safari theme all stemmed for my little boys 1st birthday a few weeks before, I created lots of ‘jungle/safari’ props for it so wanted to keep them incorporating them into his new room.
Q. – What was the most essential goal you wanted to achieve when you initially designed this space?
A. – My main goal was fresh, bright & modern, but still looking like a children’s room.
Q. – Did you face any unforeseen challenges while creating this space? How did you handle it?
A. – Nope, no problems! I kept it pretty basic and the space is only small so was an easy challenge 🙂
Q. – What was the most exciting/thrilling part of the design process?
A. – Decorating is always rewarding! I love going out and buying all the new bits & seeing your ideas all finally come together, it’s a good sense of achievement.
Q. – Any tips or advice you can share with other designers and parents?
A. – I found looking online for inspiration and ideas really helpful. This made me really excited to create & see my own idea come to life.
Karla ~ @shortcuttravels
"I am a calligrapher, illustrator and artist at my own company written word calligraphy, but my primary job is mom to Chase, my son!
Q. – Tell us about your design process. Do you begin with an initial object or theme as an inspiration?
A. – Yes, absolutely! Most of my designs involve a walk in the park, a visit to a museum, or hike and I gather a lot of inspiration from the colours and textures in nature.
Q. – What was the most essential goal you wanted to achieve when you initially designed this space?
A. – I wanted to be a place of peace and comfort.
Q. – Did you face any unforeseen challenges while creating this space? How did you handle it?
A. – Yes, once the baby came some of the decor became a hazard hahah so we had to move it out.
Q. – What was the most exciting/thrilling part of the design process?
A. – Implementing it and seeing it come together and making changes to make it perfect. It’s different when u have a vision and actually implementing it… sometimes the reality requires some change!
Q. – Any tips or advice you can share with other designers and parents?
A. – Make it beautiful but practical. You want it to be welcoming and comforting!
Maree Sye ~ @alittlebitetc
"First time mom. Beauty and fashion lover. Figuring it all out as I go!
Q. – Tell us about your design process. Do you begin with an initial object or theme as an inspiration?
A. – I loved the idea of having an animal theme and that slowly grew into a safari theme. I also was crazy for the large giraffe and had seen it all over Pinterest. That was probably the beginning of the idea.
Q. – What was the most essential goal you wanted to achieve when you initially designed this space?
A. – I wanted it to have a theme but not go overboard with it. Having a neutral color palette was important so I could easily change the room as he gets older.
Q. – Did you face any unforeseen challenges while creating this space? How did you handle it?
A. – The biggest challenge was ensuring I didn’t go too crazy with the theme. It easy to buy every piece of safari themed stuff you find, but then it can look too trendy or not cohesive.
Q. – What was the most exciting/thrilling part of the design process?
A. – Seeing it all come together! Every time we put a new piece in the room, it would come alive a bit more.
Q. – Any tips or advice you can share with other designers and parents?
A. – Less is more. Start with an idea, pin all the things you want to get and then slowly eliminate as time goes on. You don’t want to end up with a cluttered space and isn’t liveable.
Rachel Smith ~ @lilbabyraerae
"I’m a first-time mom to a little boy, born last October. I work as a dentist, which allows me to work only 24 hours per week and be home with Baby the rest of the time-which is my favorite “job”.
Q. – Tell us about your design process. Do you begin with an initial object or theme as an inspiration?
A. – I initially saw the animal prints on Etsy (the crown prints) and decided to work around those because they were so cute!
Q. – What was the most essential goal you wanted to achieve when you initially designed this space?
A. – I wanted to create a space that he could grow into-that he wouldn’t be bored of or too old for in a couple of years.
Q. – Did you face any unforeseen challenges while creating this space? How did you handle it?
A. – I really wanted to do a wallpaper on the accent wall-but couldn’t find anything I loved that matched the theme. I decided to paint one wall a dark green. I chose the satin finish and it showed every brush stroke.
We repainted it three times using different techniques to hide the brush strokes! It’s mostly hard to see now, but if the light hits it just right-it’s still noticeable.
Q. – What was the most exciting/thrilling part of the design process?
A. – Picking the furniture. Some were custom pieces and I loved putting it all together to create a space we both love!
Q. – Any tips or advice you can share with other designers and parents?
A. – It’s definitely a process-you don’t have to have everything at once. We slowly accumulated wall art, furniture, ideas, etc. over the entire course of the pregnancy.
LeAnne ~ @prettyoliveinteriors
"Hi, I’m LeAnne. I’m an e-Designer, and first time mama by way of adoption. I live in Florida with my husband, son, and chihuahua. Designing spaces my clients love regardless of their budget and location is my absolute passion!
Q. – Tell us about your design process. Do you begin with an initial object or theme as an inspiration?
A. – Typically I let the space itself guide my design process, but when it came to my son’s room I started with an elk painting I had bought and saved for our future nursery. The rest of the design evolved from there.
Q. – What was the most essential goal you wanted to achieve when you initially designed this space?
A. – I wanted to design a space that would inspire my son, and grow with him. My goal was to keep it fun and engaging without being too babyish.
Q. – Did you face any unforeseen challenges while creating this space? How did you handle it?
A. – It’s not a very large room, and I wanted to fit quite a few pieces in it. Keeping all the furniture the proper scale was essential.
Q. – What was the most exciting/thrilling part of the design process?
A. – The entire process was exciting, because I was designing this room for my son! We were in the middle of the adoption process, and this helped me feel close to him even though he wasn’t here yet.
Q. – Any tips or advice you can share with other designers and parents?
A. – Measure the space and plan it out before you purchase anything. This will save you the headache of having to send something back because it doesn’t fit.
Kali ~ @kbdesign02025
"I am an interior designer specializing in designing beautiful spaces on a budget. I live on the east coast and love to incorporate a coastal style in my design work!
Q. – Tell us about your design process. Do you begin with an initial object or theme as an inspiration?
A. – I usually begin with a certain image or item that provides inspiration. Once I have the initial image I add on from there!
Q. – What was the most essential goal you wanted to achieve when you initially designed this space?
A. – When designing my son’s nursery room I wanted to create a space that was serene and simple. I wanted a space that was soft and created a sense of calmness( both for baby and I!).
Q. – Did you face any unforeseen challenges while creating this space? How did you handle it?
A. – I was trying to create a luxury look on a budget so I had to substitute some expensive items I had my eye on with some of similar style for half the price.
Q. – What was the most exciting/thrilling part of the design process?
A. – The end product! To see my baby in the space for the first time was pretty amazing.
Q. – Any tips or advice you can share with other designers and parents?
A. – When designing spaces for kids sometimes less is more. I like the idea of keeping spaces simple because life itself can be so chaotic. You can still get the look you are going for without the clutter!
Kaleigh ~ @kaleigh_caver
"I’m the owner of a hair and makeup company that specializes in wedding day services. I love being creative in many different ways, with hair and makeup and with interior design. One thing to know about me, is that I love not fitting the mold; I love being different and I try to instill that in all aspects of my life.
Q. – Tell us about your design process. Do you begin with an initial object or theme as an inspiration?
A. – Theme. I knew I wanted to do a safari theme, but I didn’t want it to be too baby, too kid oriented. So I knew I wanted to do adult, real animal paintings (not baby animals).
Q. – What was the most essential goal you wanted to achieve when you initially designed this space?
A. – I wanted to have his room be able to grow with him and that’s one reason I didn’t want baby or cartoon animals. The rest of our house is minimalistic, so I wanted the nursery to flow with the house as well.
Q. – Did you face any unforeseen challenges while creating this space? How did you handle it?
A. – I wanted a drum shade chandelier over his crib, along with the canopy, but after getting everything, our ceilings weren’t tall enough for both, so I had to choose which one I wanted. I felt the canopy made more of a statement than the chandelier.
Q. – What was the most exciting/thrilling part of the design process?
A. – I hired a local artist to paint the 4 animal paintings, but I just sent her one inspirational picture and told her to run with the idea. She sent a few pictures and videos during the process, but it was so exciting to finally get them, have them framed and hung in the nursery. It really brought everything together and took it to a whole new level.
Q. – Any tips or advice you can share with other designers and parents?
A. – Stick with your vision, even if it doesn’t fit the mold of what others think it should look like. I had so many people try to push baby animals or displaying his baby books and I kept saying no. And I’m so glad I stuck with my vision, because it turned out better than I expected!
