Shelby in her nursery, styled with items from our Liberty collection.

How I Layer Patterns in a Nursery Without It Feeling Too Busy

One of my favorite things about designing a nursery is that it’s the one room where I feel like I can fully lean into charm and whimsy! You don’t yet know much about the baby’s personality or interests, so it’s truly a blank space to get creative. 

Personally, I have so much fun finding patterns that work together… florals, ginghams, stripes in different colors and sizes. When you don’t rush the process and take time to tell a story with the room, it somehow all feels right in a space that’s meant for sweet moments with a little one.

One of the questions I get asked most often is: How do you make all of those patterns work together without it feeling overwhelming?

There are quite a few patterns happening in this room between the wallpaper, curtains, shades, glider, rug, crib linens and canopy… it’s a bit of a pattern party. Yet somehow, this has become one of the calmest and most cohesive rooms in our home. 

I’m not big on strict design rules, but there are a few loose guidelines I tend to follow whenever I’m layering patterns and mixing wood tones in a space like this. 

1. Start with one “anchor pattern”.

For this nursery, it was the floral mural wallpaper. Because it’s the largest visual moment, everything else gets to play off of it.

When choosing the rest of the patterns, I simply pulled colors that existed in the mural: soft pinks, lavender, different shades of green, and creamy neutrals. Once those colors were established, it became easier to mix additional patterns without it feeling random.

You can think of it like arranging a garden bouquet…the flowers can all be different but they play off each other and the final arrangement still feels intentional. 

2. Vary the scale of the patterns.

The simplest trick to mixing patterns is scale. If every pattern is the same size, they start competing with each other. Instead, I try to create a mix of large, medium, and small prints throughout the room. In this nursery, we have:

Large Scale: mural wallpaper, floral rug (with inverted colors)

Medium Scale: dark green gingham glider and ottoman

Small Scale: pink gingham curtains, lavender striped roman shades, floral crib canopy

Varying the scale helps the eye move around the room without getting stuck on one busy moment.

3. Mix different pattern types.

Another way to keep things balanced is to mix different pattern families. I almost always combine: florals, gingham, and stripes. Florals bring a soft and whimsy feel while gingham adds a classic structured touch and stripes almost act as a neutral that bridges those two. When these different styles live together, the room feels layered and collected rather than repetitive.

4. Let some pieces stay solid.

There are a few quieter elements that help the room breathe, like:
- natural wood furniture
- neutral trim and ceilings surrounding the mural

Pieces like the walnut crib, nightstand/side table, cabinet, dresser, and mirror create visual rest giving the patterns space to shine!

5. Mixing wood tones keeps it from feeling too matchy.

I never want a room to feel like I picked a matching bedroom set from a showroom. Instead, I like mixing vintage pieces with newer furniture to get slightly varying wood tones. In this room, secondhand finds like the antique mirror and cabinet sit alongside a modern yet timeless crib.

Nurseries are allowed to be whimsical and they often become even more so over time. They’re spaces for rocking chairs, bedtime stories, sleepy afternoons, and tiny clothes tucked into drawers. A mix of pattern, color, and charm helps the room feel alive in the sweetest ways. For me, layering patterns isn’t about following strict design rules but creating a room that feels joyful, warm, and welcoming… which is exactly what I want for the smallest member of the house! 

Shop Shelby's nursery featuring the Liberty & Crawford collections here!