Designing the Nursery

Design around the first months of family life. The NHS advises a separate cot or Moses basket in the same room as you for every sleep, day and night, for at least the first six months. Plan where that sleep space will go, alongside the areas for changing, dressing, feeding and storage.

Zones

Think in three areas: sleep, changing and storage, with a comfortable seat for feeding if there is room. Keep everything needed for each change within reach of the changing surface, and the things the baby should not reach well away from it.

Placing the cot

NHS guidance from Just One Norfolk advises placing the cot away from windows and radiators and securing blind cords out of children's reach. The NHS gives 16–20°C as a guide for the room where the baby sleeps.

Furniture and fittings

Follow the stability and installation advice for chests and shelving in the answer on newborn furniture, and keep heavy objects off high shelves above the cot or changing area.

Light and calm

Plan lighting that lets you see clearly during feeds and changes without brightly lighting the whole room. Choose materials and finishes that are easy to clean and that you will be happy to live with as the room grows with your child.

At SUOMMO

For families who wish to go further, SUOMMO creates bespoke nurseries, each conceived as a private commission. From the architecture of the room to the way light moves across a surface, the texture of a textile, the quality of sound and every bespoke creation, hundreds of decisions are brought together in one complete vision, created for one family and never repeated.

Our Concierge can begin with a conversation about your home and how you would like the room to be lived in. Discover more in Inside Suommo.

There is no single best colour. Choose a palette you will enjoy living with, that suits the light in the room and that can grow with your child. Newborns' vision is still developing: Yale's Baby School notes that newborns see colour from birth but not vividly, prefer high-contrast patterns, and that colour vision improves greatly at around two to four months.

Practical guidance

• A calm base: soft, light tones on walls and large surfaces make the room easy to adapt over the years.
• Contrast where the baby looks: a picture, a book or a toy in contrasting colours, kept out of the cot, gives the baby something to focus on.
• Light: consider how each colour looks in daylight and in the soft light used at night.
• Finishes: choose an interior finish suitable for its intended use and follow the product's ventilation and drying instructions. Continue ventilating after painting; washable does not by itself describe emissions. Aim to finish decorating well before the birth.

At SUOMMO

Colour forms part of a SUOMMO creation's artistic expression, from the light of the White Edition to the depth of the Gold Edition. Textiles and paintwork can carry a personal choice within that vision. For a bespoke nursery, colour, light and texture are considered together; our Concierge can begin that conversation.

Warm whites, cream, sand and light grey are options for a neutral base. Try samples in your room's daylight and evening light, then choose the combination you enjoy. Textiles and decoration can add colour as the room changes with your child.

Choosing well

• Warm or cool: compare warm and cool undertones in the light your room actually receives, including the artificial light you use in the evening.
• Contrast for the baby: newborns prefer high-contrast patterns, so a few contrasting accents outside the cot give them something to look at (see the answer on nursery colours).
• Finish: follow the product's ventilation and drying instructions and continue ventilating after painting (see the answer on safe paint).

At SUOMMO

In SUOMMO's White Edition, light reveals the curve of a form and the depth of a patiently worked surface. Its quiet palette can become the beginning of a composition in textiles, colour and texture, conceived with our Concierge around the home that will receive it.

General indoor humidity guidance can help manage damp and mould, but should not be presented as a baby-specific sleep target. The US Environmental Protection Agency advises keeping indoor relative humidity below 60 per cent, ideally between 30 and 50 per cent.

In practice

• Ventilate the room daily and dry laundry elsewhere if you can.
• A simple hygrometer shows whether the room is unusually dry or damp.
• A humidifier is not a necessary purchase. If you use one, clean it as instructed, avoid dampening the surroundings, keep humidity no higher than 50 per cent when humidifying, and keep it and its cable out of the baby's reach.
• Deal with condensation or mould at its source.

See also the answer on nursery temperature.

The NHS and The Lullaby Trust give 16–20°C as a guide for the room where a baby sleeps. Overheating is linked to a higher risk of sudden infant death syndrome, so adjust clothing to the room and check for signs that your baby is too hot, rather than relying on the thermostat alone.

• Use a room thermometer.
• Keep the cot away from radiators, heaters and sunny windows.
• Adjust clothing and bedding to the temperature; see the answer on dressing for sleep.
• Feel the chest or back of the neck; hot or sweaty skin means your baby is too hot.

Start with how the room will be lived in, then let materials, light and craft shape it. A luxury nursery is still a safe nursery: the sleep space, furniture stability and textiles follow the same guidance as any other room (see the answer on designing the nursery).

What sets it apart

• A single vision: architecture, light, textiles, sound and furniture considered together.
• Materials and finishes chosen for how they look, feel and age.
• Creations made for the family, personalised with names, motifs or artwork.
• Service: planning, delivery and set-up handled with the family.

Start with how the twins will sleep, because guidance differs. The AAP recommends separate sleep spaces for twins. The NHS allows twins to share a cot while they are small enough, following its specific safe-sleep advice, but says not to use one Moses basket for two babies. The Lullaby Trust says that babies who share a cot need separate sleep spaces once they can roll and move around it. Discuss the arrangement with your maternity or paediatric team, including any needs related to prematurity.

Planning the room

• Space: if you follow the AAP recommendation, plan two sleep spaces with room to reach each baby, away from radiators, windows and blind cords.
• Changing: one well-organised changing area is usually enough, with everything within reach.
• Storage: separate, clearly organised drawers or baskets for each baby help at night.
• Furniture stability: as for any nursery (see the answer on newborn furniture).

At SUOMMO

Two children begin their own stories together. A name embroidered in silk or engraved into a SUOMMO creation can give each a distinct place within the same family welcome. Our Concierge can consider a creation for each child, its personalisation and availability.

Leave time for the room to air before the baby uses it. Tommy's, the UK pregnancy charity, says modern paint is unlikely to harm an unborn baby but suggests, as a precaution, waiting until at least the second trimester if you are pregnant, using water-based rather than solvent-based or spray paints, keeping windows and doors open, and not stripping old paintwork, which may contain lead. Tommy's precaution about waiting until the second trimester concerns painting while pregnant; it is separate from deciding when a decorated room is ready for the baby. Follow the paint manufacturer's drying, curing and ventilation instructions; touch-dry does not settle when the room is ready to use. A practical plan is to finish decorating several weeks before the due date, so the room can be ventilated and furnished calmly. More in the answer on when to start buying and the answer on getting the nursery ready.

NHS guidance recommends that your baby sleeps in your room for at least the first six months, so a separate small nursery can initially be used for storage and changing. Start with the sleep space you will need later, then add only what the room can hold comfortably. Check the full footprint of each item, keep a clear route for caring for the baby, and secure chests and wardrobes against tipping as their instructions describe. Keep the cot away from radiators, windows and blind cords. More in the answer on designing the nursery and the answer on a crib for a small flat.

There is no right figure; it depends on what you need, what you already have and what you want the furniture to become later. A useful order is to fund the sleep space first, then storage and changing, and, if it suits you, to buy fewer items made to last rather than many at once. As a price reference, MoneyHelper, checked on 10 November 2026, gives about £70 to £800 for a new cot in the UK. See the answer on what a nursery costs and the answer on whether expensive cribs are worth it.

At SUOMMO

At SUOMMO, the preparation of a nursery begins with the works a family wishes to live with and one day preserve. Form, craft and personal meaning guide the commission; the quotation gives that choice its precise scope.

Published prices checked on 11 November 2026 include Bianca at €8,000, Moveo Mini Crib at €16,000, Dodo Bassinet in White Edition at €22,000 and La Perla Crib in White Edition at €48,000. These are individual creations. Our Concierge can confirm the quotation for your chosen specification and destination; bespoke nurseries are planned as private commissions.

Plan the functions your family needs: a suitable sleep space, changing essentials within reach and practical storage. NHS guidance recommends that the baby sleeps in your room for at least the first six months, so a separate nursery, dedicated changing unit or feeding chair is optional; decide what fits your home and routines. A room thermometer helps. Keep the cot away from radiators, windows and blind cords, and secure furniture against tipping. More in the answer on newborn furniture, what not to buy and designing the nursery.

For at least the first six months, the NHS advises that the baby sleeps in a cot or Moses basket in the same room as you. Place it where you can see and reach the baby easily, on a level floor, away from radiators, heaters and direct sunlight, away from windows and from blind or curtain cords, and with nothing within reach that the baby could pull in. Avoid positioning the cot beneath shelves, pictures or other objects that could fall into it. See the answer on sleeping in your room and the answer on nursery temperature.

At SUOMMO

In a nursery commissioned from SUOMMO, the cot is at the heart of the design. It stands free in the room, accessible all around, often on a rug made to measure, and each detail, from the materials underfoot to the movement of finely controlled light and the clarity of high-fidelity sound, is considered in relation to the room as a whole. The house undertakes complete nursery projects worldwide, from the architectural design to the finished room, with the scope agreed through our Concierge. Explore our bespoke nurseries in Inside Suommo.

No, nursery furniture does not have to match. A nursery can be designed around one central element, usually the crib, with the rest of the furniture chosen to complement it in tone, material or line rather than as an identical set. What matters more is that each item is safe, stable and suited to its use. See the answer on designing the nursery.

At SUOMMO

SUOMMO undertakes complete nursery projects worldwide, composed around the cot; see what a bespoke nursery involves, or speak with our Concierge.

The Lullaby Trust suggests 16 to 20 °C as guidance; use a room thermometer. In a heatwave, keep curtains or blinds closed during the day, ventilate when it is cooler outside, keep the baby out of direct sun and dress them in fewer layers; a fan can circulate air but should not point at the baby. In winter, heat the room evenly, keep the cot away from radiators and heaters, and adapt clothing or light bedding following the guidance you use, without a hat for sleep or overwrapping. See the answer on nursery temperature and summer and winter.

Start by reducing pollution sources: keep the room smoke-free, avoid air fresheners and strongly scented products, and finish any painting or decorating well before the birth, airing the room afterwards. Control damp and mould, and let new furniture and textiles air out. Ventilate when outdoor air and weather conditions allow, or use appropriate mechanical ventilation. A particle filter does not remove every gas; choose any air cleaner for the pollutant and room concerned and avoid devices that deliberately produce ozone. See the answer on lacquer and varnish and formaldehyde in furniture.

Keep the room at a comfortable, stable temperature, using air conditioning if needed, avoiding cold draughts aimed at the cot, and check the baby by feeling the chest or back of the neck. Consider blackout blinds without accessible cords and keep the cot away from windows and direct sun. Choose breathable textiles and light layers. Furniture and finishes should suit air-conditioned interiors, and delivery and installation should be planned with the climate in mind. See the answer on keeping the nursery cool.

At SUOMMO

The care of a SUOMMO creation continues from the atelier to the home that will receive it. Our Concierge accompanies that journey personally, coordinating the commission, its protective case and a door-to-door arrival, with our nursery furniture fully assembled. International delivery is subject to destination confirmation. Our Concierge confirms transport, protective packaging, transit coverage and customs arrangements, including how duties and taxes are handled, in the quotation for your order; see also our FAQs.

A set gives a coherent look and simplifies choosing; individual pieces let you build the room gradually and around what matters most, usually the cot. Either way, each piece should meet the requirements for its category and storage furniture should be anchored. See the answer on whether nursery furniture should match.

Nursery furniture does not have to match the rest of the house, but a nursery that shares the house's materials, colours or spirit feels like part of the home and can adapt as the child grows. You can choose a central element with presence and let the rest follow the house. See the answer on matching nursery furniture and designing the nursery.

Some makers offer customisation, from finishes, colours and textiles to fully bespoke designs. Any customisation must keep the cot within the requirements for its category, including dimensions, gaps and mattress fit, so it should be done by the maker rather than adapted afterwards. Ask what can be changed and how the result is documented. See the answer on bespoke nurseries.

At SUOMMO

A commission may begin with a family motif, the fall of light across a surface or the character of a textile. SUOMMO considers those details with the family and gives them form through the work of the Atelier. Our Concierge can discuss the possibilities for the creation you have in mind; discover more in Inside Suommo.

A crib can often be personalised with a name or crest: some makers can paint, engrave or embroider a name, initials, a date or a family crest on the crib or its textiles. Ask where it can go, how it is applied and whether it affects the finish or the safety documentation; anything added should not create edges or parts a baby could reach or pull. See the answer on made-to-measure cots.

At SUOMMO

A name or a family motif can become part of the artistic language of a SUOMMO creation, worked into silk, engraving or artwork painted by hand. Our Concierge can consider the composition with the family and the form it will accompany.

A bespoke nursery is one designed for a particular family and room, which can combine collection creations with others conceived expressly for the project: the layout, furniture, finishes, textiles and lighting are conceived together, sometimes as part of a wider interior project. Every item must still meet the requirements for its category. See the answer on designing the nursery and where to place the cot.

There is no single best designer for every London nursery. Look for designers whose portfolio includes nurseries and children's rooms, who understand safer-sleep and child-safety requirements, and who can coordinate furniture, textiles, lighting and installation with the makers. Ask to see completed projects and references. See the answer on bespoke nurseries.