Building Block

• Make your nursery look like a giant toy block for a fun and unexpected room that will work for both boys and girls. Paint each wall an the ceiling a different pastel color: green, yellow, pink, blue and lilac work together. Keep the effect from being overwhelming and overly bright by using very pale shades of each color. You can add a different color on the carpet to finish the look, or go with a neutral shade that will work with any other shade of paint you choose in the future.
  
  

Stripes

• When you want a nursery that is elegant as well as colorful, use stripes. Use two colors of paint, and alternate them along the wall. If you're using contrasting colors, paint them on a single accent wall to avoid making the room feel like a circus tent. You can also paint stripes along the bottom half of the room to act as faux wainscoting. Stripes transition easily to a toddler's room design, making them long lasting.
  
  

Mural

• If you have artistic talents, bring color into your nursery with a wall mural. You can go with a sweet, childlike mural like an animal parade around one corner of the room, or choose a more sophisticated design, like ceiling clouds and low-contrast abstract shapes. If you are uncertain about your painting skills, use simple stencils to create strong lines without requiring much talent.
  
  

Color Blocks

• For an easy painting project with an impressive result, turn one wall of your nursery into an accent wall with color blocks. Use painter's tape to create a square grid on your wall. Fill in the blocks with different colors: shades of blue and brown in a boy's room, for example, pink and purple for a girl's room or random soft colors for a gender-neutral nursery. When the paint is dry, remove the tape and you will have colorful blocks separated by a grid of lines in the original wall color.