Vintage Photos

Vintage baby nurseries have a lot of style to bring back.
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Vintage Baby Nurseries Full Of Darling Details

Can we please bring back wallpaper and paintings on the sides of cribs.

by Samantha Darby
Updated: 
Originally Published: 

Every mom-to-be daydreams about her baby’s nursery, whether it’s her first child or her third. There’s just something about nesting and creating the perfect little haven for your baby that really gets a mom going. And finding photos of vintage baby nurseries might even inspire you to go back to the good old days of ridiculously bright wall hangings and wallpaper covered in baby chicks and bunnies.

OK, so maybe we shouldn’t bring back all of the extra frilly crib bumpers and blankets and pillows — you absolutely want to follow safe sleep guidelines. But there are some really cute trends that have faded over the years and I think we should bring back. Like actual rocking chairs instead of gliders, and hand painted deer or bunnies or cherubs on the sides of cribs. (Also, we can keep drop-side rails in the past where they belong.)

But of course, the beauty of motherhood is evident in every baby nursery, no matter when the picture was taken. It takes a lot of work to put together a sweet room for your baby, and you’re in good company with these mamas who just wanted a safe, lovely place to put their baby to sleep — and maybe with a very specific animal theme, too.

1

The Sweetest Wallpaper

Constance Bannister Corp/Archive Photos/Getty Images

Wallpaper has made a comeback in recent years, but I just can’t get over this perfect vintage design with the sweet little kittens. Add in a cherubic baby in 1950s knitwear and I’m 100% in love with this vintage photo.

2

When The Baby’s Room Holds Everything

George Marks/Retrofile RF/Getty Images

Baby nurseries used to hold literally everything the baby needed — including the baby’s highchair and even a way to display the perfect baby outfit. But what I really can’t get over are all those pillows and blankets in the crib, along with a drop-side rail just waiting for baby to hop over. (I do love those lacy curtains and shelves though.)

3

Needlepoint & Comfort

H. Armstrong Roberts/ClassicStock/Archive Photos/Getty Images

This photo, dated 1939, features a darling family gazing at their little baby getting a bottle before bed. I love everything about this, from the wingback chair to the needlepoint ABCs up on the wall.

4

Patterns & More Patterns

ClassicStock/Archive Photos/Getty Images

Taken in 1973, this photo encompasses everything I imagined a 1970s baby nursery to look like. A sweet four-poster white crib, lots of bright colors (including mom’s dress, I need it), and an extremely detailed, kitschy wallpaper. So good.

5

Vintage Wall Hangings

Peter Bischoff/PB Archive/Getty Images

German singer Cindy Berger is seen here with her child in 1978, and I just can’t get over everything happening in this picture. There’s a mustard-colored changing pad, a pastel floral wallpaper, and so. many. wall hangings. (How many of these were crocheted by mom?) Also, can we talk about Cindy’s sweater? Because I need it.

6

When You Go Totally Classic

Sasha/Hulton Archive/Getty Images

For the record, this is the exact kind of baby nursery I pictured when I was a kid daydreaming about being a mama. It reminds me of Mary Poppins, with a fireplace and a giant dollhouse and lots of little child-sized furniture. So classic and traditional.

7

Picture Perfect In Pastels

Constance Bannister Corp/Archive Photos/Getty Images

This looks a lot like a photo taken for a magazine ad (LOOK magazine, obviously), but I still love everything in it. All of the sweet colors like the green bottle and pink labels, but that striped wallpaper and the little girl painted on the dresser are just so gorgeous.

8

A Bunny Theme

Constance Bannister Corp/Archive Photos/Getty Images

Bunny wallpaper, a bunny figurine, the world’s most perfect little end table with lamp — I love everything in this room. Baby rooms are so often on a strict theme these days, but this vintage photo proves that sometimes simple is just best.

9

The Perfect Baby Blue

Henri Bureau/Sygma/Getty Images

French singer Sylvie Vartan and her baby son David are shown here in his nursery in 1966, and it’s just delightful. Bright blue carpets, a blue door (even the radiator matches!), and the prettiest wallpaper with blue and yellow ducks. Guys, we have to bring back kitschy wallpaper.

10

Pure Magic

Bettmann/Bettmann/Getty Images

How much do you love Jayne Mansfield showing off this sweet nursery in 1958? Look at those window treatments! I think the one thing I really want us to bring back (other than wallpaper) are sweet paintings on cribs. Just perfect.

11

Darling & Geometric

Universal History Archive/Universal Images Group/Getty Images

This photo from 1953 is described as a “photograph of a modern nursery in a small town house with washable rugs to cover the linoleum-covered floor.” Oddly specific, but I love it. I especially love more of those crib and bassinet paintings.

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