There’s nothing quite like the clean look of dark wood. Whether you have an elegant and modern nursery or a traditional one, it creates a solid base and a rich texture that improves your aesthetic and helps your child sleep well. There are different ways to apply it, though, so what’s the best way to design your dark wood nursery? These Dark Wood Nursery Ideas should help you pick the best color combos and styles for your taste.

1) Dark Blue

As you can see in this article, dark blue and dark wood can go well together. Generally, you’ll want to use a dark blue but not a navy blue for the large portion of your project, whether it’s a dresser, a changing table, or an accent wall like this one. Then, use the dark stained wood as an accent by getting dark trim or threading it through the design as this family did in their accent wall. You can use the dark wood as dresser trim or add accent vases and fixtures to any dark blue furniture.

2) Cherry

There are various shades of dark wood, from browns to yellows to red. Cherry is a popular shade because it creates a warm tone and a unique glow, making it a wonderful way to make your baby feel cozy. The darker shade makes it less vibrant and therefore less likely to interrupt sleep like other warm colors, but the comforting red keeps it from feeling too sterile or unwelcoming. Cherry is a good choice for large pieces like dressers and changing tables.

3) Wood Letters

Many families like to put their child’s name on the wall of their nursery as a way of customizing the room and making it more personal. In a dark wood nursery, you can start by painting the walls a light color and then make letters out of dark wood to create contrast. You can use this video to make dark wood letters or find some to buy and stain them with a dark color. By choosing a light background, you keep the room from feeling oppressive, and the dark wood on the lighter background will make the letters more pronounced. 

4) Ruler Growth Chart

Parents love growth charts because they give you a way to measure your child’s growth year after year, and you can save them forever if you get one like this that you can write on and then detach from the wall later. This is particularly great if you might move later since you can bring it with you. Since you’re using dark wood in this nursery, a growth chart that looks like a giant ruler stained a dark color like this would be perfect.

5) Changing Table Dresser

Combining a changing table and a dresser is a wonderful way to conserve space and also have everything you need at your fingertips. That’s why we found this dark brown wood dresser on Amazon that you can easily convert into a changing table. It has high sides and a high back so that you don’t have to worry about anything falling off, and you can just place a changing pad on it to convert it. The dark color will create a rich look and it should be easy to find other furniture of the same shade.

6) Marbled Pattern

If you’re looking for a unique nursery idea and don’t want to design a room with flat colors, you’re probably wondering what patterns might look good with your dark wood furniture. There are a few elements you’ll have to consider with a patterned wall, including both colors in the pattern and which design works the best with wood furniture. One option is a lovely marbled green and gold like this one in this nursery that gives the impression of a deep, dark forest when combined with dark wood. This darker impression should help create a room that’s easy to fall asleep in.

SEE ALSO: 25 Black and White Nursery Ideas

7) Espresso

If you want an extremely dark brown, then espresso is probably the best option since it’s a popular color that’ll be easy to find. You’ll want all of your wood furniture to be the same shade of brown for the most part so that it looks coordinated. Espresso is a nice choice because it’s dark enough to contrast with any light color, and unlike most browns, it’s a cool color. This makes it more conducive to sleep, while warm colors are comforting but energetic, making them good for a play space.

8) DIY Crate Shelf

This craft is a simple organizational trick that’ll look wonderful with a dark stain. You can go to the dollar store and buy tiny wood crates, then use this video to turn them into a convenient shelf that can fit on a table. This could be perfect for a changing table organizer so that you don’t have to fish for things in drawers while trying to change your baby’s diaper. The crate sides keep items from falling off so that you can put items away without having to pay much attention to where and how you place them.

9) Natural Wood

Some people like to paint wood, but if you want a dark wood nursery, you might as well make it so that people can actually see the wood. You probably paid extra money to get wood furniture and you’ll want the grain to be visible. Try getting pieces like these dark natural wood grain shelves that are designed to show books with the covers visible. These types of shelves are the best for the nursery since they allow your baby to see the cover and choose books based on the pictures.

10) Pink

If you’re trying to decide which colors would look good with some dark wood furniture or trim, pink is a good option for a little girl’s room. You can see in this article how delicate baby pink looks beautiful and feminine with dark wood furniture. The dark brown and pink both have a hint of red that makes them go well together while the combination of dark and light adds a striking effect to the space overall.

11) Black and Dark Stain

Black can also go well with dark stained furniture, though typically you won’t paint large areas black. Instead, you can create an industrial look by getting furniture with a black frame or outline that’s made from mostly brown wood. For example, this piece from Amazon has a black frame and is otherwise made from dark wood, giving it a worn industrial look. Try combining this with black pipe shelves with dark wood surfaces to create an industrial-style nursery.

12) Ornate Designs

Wood is a high-quality material, so if you want to take advantage of that to design a high-end nursery, you’ll want to look for furniture designs that are more luxurious and ornate than most. For example, you can get a crib like this with a high back and curvy design instead of a standard rectangular crib that looks more like a prison than a bed. You can also find dressers and other furniture with decorative carvings and curved lines that make them feel more organic and restful.

13) Fall Leaves

This idea is a good way to match dark wood pieces without simply finding colors that look good with them. You can match the wood both thematically and aesthetically by getting natural decorations to create a cohesive theme. For example, you can frame leaves like the ones in this nursery and stain the frames a dark color to match your trim or furniture. This results in beautiful decorations that also fit a fall forest theme and coordinate with your dark wood. 

14) Brown and White

Most dark wood furniture will be brown, though you can also choose reddish and other hues. If you like brown stained wood, though, then brown and white make a good color combination for a nursery. You can design a tasteful space with a contrast of dark and white using wood furniture with white or off-white cushions like this rocker. A rocker will be important if you need to sit up with your baby, but you can get a dark wood crib with white cushions or a changing table with a similar look.

15) Dark Green

Dark green is another color that looks good with dark wood furniture and trim. While this example from Sarah Lagen’s blog has tan and green nurseries, you can see how a dark shade of green combines with light colors and wood furniture to create a forest-like effect. Try designing a green and white or green and tan room like these, but use dark wood furniture to create a richer look than the nurseries depicted in Sarah Lagen’s article.

16) Barn Door

If you’re interested in an old-fashioned or farmhouse-style nursery, a barn door would be a wonderful choice for the closet. It’s also convenient for a small nursery since it doesn’t swing out like some closet doors. Dark colors also look better on a barn door like the one in this nursery, as opposed to a regular dark wood door. If you choose a door in the same style as the rest of your house, you’ll need to match colors, but since barn doors are a different style, you can use a darker color to match your nursery theme instead.

17) Black and White Painted

In most cases, if you like wood furnishings, you’ll want to show off the grain of the wood, but there are a few exceptions. One such exception is wall art pieces like the one on this nursery’s gallery wall. With some wall art pieces, you can tell that the piece is painted on wood and the material choice gives it a farmhouse look. In this case, you can choose colors to match your theme, such as a black and white piece for a modern nursery.

18) DIY Herringbone

You’re probably looking to find nursery decorations that look good in a room with wood trim, and while this can include color scheme and furniture, it can also include accent walls. If you want to have an accent wall, you’ll have to consider patterns and colors that’ll look good with wood furniture and trim. For instance, a herringbone pattern like the one in this video would be perfect because it gives the impression of a forest, which goes well with wood furniture.

19) Rustic

If you choose the right textures, dark wood pieces can create a rustic impression. You’ll want to choose something with a visible grain and dark stain, then choose accessories that make it look rustic. The knobs chosen for this piece are good examples since they have an old-fashioned rustic look. You could choose any of the styles shown or even make a dresser like the one in this article that has several different knob styles. If you don’t want to build a dresser with these plans, you can also buy one and replace the knobs.

20) Mountains

Mountains might not be the first thing you think of in a nursery with dark wood furniture, but they blend well with dark wood pieces, creating a rustic or even frontier theme. You can get dark wood decorations like these shelves that incorporate images of mountains and mountain shapes or even make simple wood plaques shaped like mountains. This is a great nursery theme since it creates a sense of wonder and exposes children to nature.

21) DIY Crate Dresser

Crates are an easy building material if you want to make inexpensive furniture from wood, and they make a room look unique. You can use this article from Sawdust 2 Stitches to make a dresser using crates and stain it a dark color. This style looks good in dark brown, creating a rustic look that’d be perfect for a forest or rustic farmhouse theme. Consider adding some drawer pulls for convenience, using black metal for a rustic look and dark wood for a forest theme.

22) Very Light or Dark and Moody?

Overall, there are two major decisions you might have to make before choosing the exact color you want. If none of the suggestions so far have caught your attention, you might simply need to step back and consider the overall impression you want before choosing a color. This article from Finding Silver Pennies could be a good way to help you decide. The gist of it? If you want a dark and moody room, choose dark, earthy colors. If you want a lighter space, choose light colors like tan or white.

23) Pink and Mint

While the room in this article by The DIY Mommy isn’t a nursery, it still gives ideas of what you could do in a nursery with dark wood. This bedroom has dark wood furniture with pink accessories and pink and mint walls, creating a beautiful floral look that children and adults alike would love. If you have a son, you might not want a floral space, but this color combination creates a tasteful and serene atmosphere for a little girl.

Do you have a favorite item that you wish we’d included on our list? We’d love to hear about your own ideas and see your dark wood nursery progress! Please tell us about it in the comments below.