Peruse our baby boy’s finished national park themed nursery! With lots of earth tones, natural fibers, and pieces of nature sprinkled throughout, I’ll show you how I designed the perfect room for a baby boy to grow into.
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Our baby has officially been earthside for four months now and we just completed the final decorations for his national park themed nursery. That’s right, we didn’t even finish his room before he was born, for two main reasons…
One: We wanted a surprise gender reveal at birth and decided to make the final touches of the room a little more gender specific. This meant waiting to add the wall decor and other final pieces to make it unique for our little one.
Two: We just didn’t have enough time. Plus, I wanted an easy, fun project to work on postpartum once I felt ready. I’m a creative at heart who has spent a lot of time designing and decorating our old home through countless renovations and decorating. I knew it would be enjoyable doing our son’s nursery and having something small like this to look forward to during the postpartum days.
We went into this project having a general idea that we wanted a national park theme, but I also wanted an overall boho theme. I didn’t want every single item in the room to be branded with a “National Parks” title on it. I wanted to be a little more creative and use components that make up the National Parks we all know and love here in America.
This meant choosing earth-toned colors as a base for the nursery, adding in a few more generic national parks items, and then adding in woodland and wildlife pieces that remind us of the parks.
I purposefully chose woods with the grain showing and stains that looked very natural, complementing the dark green walls and copper/rust rug. We installed beadboard wallpaper and chair rail moulding around the perimeter of the room. This lent a more sophisticated style to the room that would have otherwise appeared as a box.
Keep in mind I wanted the bones of this room to look nice enough to accommodate a teenager eventually so we wouldn’t have to redo everything. I really wanted to keep the theme in the decor. That meant no elaborate mural on an accent wall, although I completely loved that idea, too.
Overall, we’ve created a room designed with both practicality and style in mind. It’s nature oriented and fit for a sweet little boy who will fill it with curiosity and wonder. And one day, it will be easy to turn into a guest bedroom (we won’t think about those days just yet though!).
I hope you enjoy these ideas I used to decorate Bear’s national park themed nursery. I sure did love decorating his room!
Why we chose this theme
We absolutely love this theme. You see, we eloped in Rocky Mountain National Park three years ago and had the time of our lives. We’ve been visiting different national and state parks for years and plan on visiting as many as we can over our lives. We really want Bear to be an outdoors kid. It’s important for children to have nature to play, adventure, and discover the world around them. Being outside in parks increases creativity, problem solving skills, confidence, and purpose. We want him to see the world we live in and experience all the different seasons, different landforms, wildlife, and plant life. There is so much beauty in the great outdoors. Don’t get me wrong, he’ll get to visit amusement parks, big cities, and fast-paced life too. But our main focus is on the outdoors and the real world. Not a plastic one that detracts from it.
National Park Themed Nursery
Furniture | National Park Themed Nursery
I went with mostly chestnut colored woods for a very natural look that reminds me of trees in the forest. The medium tone wood blended well with the dramatic dark green walls.
- Natural Walnut 4-in-1 Crib
- Chestnut Dresser
- Upholstered Arm Chair (ours is secondhand, but this one HERE is very similar)
- Quilt Stand (ours is a family heirloom, but this one HERE is very similar)
Rugs, quilts, and other textiles | National Park Themed Nursery
I used earth tones to complement the natural woods and highlight the national park theme to feel more realistic of the outdoors. The tile mat I keep in front of the crib and change the design monthly, usually to fit the closest holiday or to represent the season.
Wall Art & Decor | National Park Themed Nursery
I combined traditional boy’s nursery decor with some fun national park pieces. Then I added some typical features you’d find while trekking through the national forests.
- Black Round Mirror
- Floating Bookshelves
- Hiking Trails Vertical Sign
- Pennant Banner Flags
- Long Live Boyhood Banner
- Birth Stats Still Novel
- Custom Name Pennants
- National Parks Vintage Puzzle
- Mini Wooden Mountains (I used Target Dollar Spot ones, but these HERE are very similar)
- Mini Faux Redwood Tree (I used a Target Dollar Spot one, but these HERE are very similar)
Books, Toys, Miscellaneous | National Park Themed Nursery
- Black Bear Stuffed Animal
- Rabbit Rattle
- Mushroom Teether
- National Parks Board Book
- In the Forest Book
- Forests of the Season Book
- Wooden Postcards (ours is from a small town in Missouri where we took our babymoon, but these greeting cards HERE are spot on)
More national park nursery ideas I didn’t use
- National Parks Symbol
- National Parks U.S. Map
- Moose Rocker
- Woodland Tracks Banner
- National Parks Welcome Sign
- Watch Out For Bears Sign
Extra Tips…
Do not just buy items with “National Parks” stamped across it. I recommend using a handful of items like this but keeping them to a minimum. To give your nursery a real outdoorsy national parks vibe, it’s much better to do that with elements from those national parks. Think: nature, animals, earth tone colors, etc.
Try to use a combination of secondhand, handmade, and purchased items. I always recommend using this method for curating the perfect room. Doing this helps create a more collected-over-time style, rather than an outlet store style. Using this method always makes it look more authentic.
Don’t be afraid to use items other than national park/woodland/nature. I found some other really great pieces I mentioned above that looked great sprinkled in with the national parks style. I really wanted a custom Birth Stats Still Novel for my son, a “Long Live Boyhood” banner, and some pennants with his name, too. It’s okay to veer from the theme to make the room really embody the unique baby that is yours! That is the whole point, afterall. No need to overdo the theme.
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You did such a good job. It’s beautiful!
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