From Disney characters to landscapes and the weather, a new study from find-a-tradesperson platform Rated People reveals the top 20 most popular nursery décor styles of 2021.
Relaxed, nature-inspired designs with soft palettes dominate the top 20, and star-themed nurseries take the top spot as the most popular theme for decorating nurseries in 2021.
To develop the ranking, the nursery trends report calculated the total number of Pinterest boards and the total number of Google searches made in 2021 for over 150 different bedroom décor trends for children. The number of boards and the search volume was combined to create an overall trend score, which was then used to rank the trends.
2021’s Top 20 Most Popular Nursery Design Trends
Shining bright in first place, it’s star-themed nurseries, with nearing 1,000 Pinterest boards dedicated to the trend and a whopping 267,273 Google searches made so far this year.
Close behind are two relaxing landscapes. Sky, with pastel blues and fluffy clouds, takes second place with over 400 Pinterest boards and almost 100,000 searches for inspiration made on Google. In third place, with more than twice as many Pinterest boards but fewer Google searches, it’s woodland themed nurseries.
In fourth, it’s the first fictional character in the top 20, and an old classic, Winnie The Pooh, and rounding off the top five is the hero of the 2016 Disney film, Moana.
The Top 20 Nursery Decor Trends in 2021:
| Rank | Theme | Trend | No. of Nursery Pinterest Boards | Google search volume – 2021 | Nursery trend score |
| 1 | Decorative | Stars | 973 | 266,300 | 267,273 |
| 2 | Landscapes | Sky | 412 | 94,400 | 94,812 |
| 3 | Landscapes | Woodland | 1,008 | 88,000 | 89,008 |
| 4 | Disney | Winnie the Pooh | 800 | 76,000 | 76,800 |
| 5 | Disney | Moana | 33 | 61,900 | 61,933 |
| 6 | Weather | Rainbows | 981 | 56,100 | 57,081 |
| 7 | Colours | Green | 1,101 | 49,500 | 50,601 |
| 8 | Weather | Sunshine | 371 | 38,200 | 38,571 |
| 9 | Fictional Characters/ films | Harry Potter | 840 | 34,000 | 34,840 |
| 10 | Landscapes | Forest | 1,002 | 29,600 | 30,602 |
| 11 | Landscapes | Jungle | 999 | 27,500 | 28,499 |
| 12 | Animals | Elephant | 1,004 | 24,900 | 25,904 |
| 13 | Animals | Dinosaur | 1,010 | 22,900 | 23,910 |
| 14 | Fictional Characters/ films | Star Wars | 957 | 22,200 | 23,157 |
| 15 | Fictional Characters/ films | Peter Rabbit | 798 | 22,100 | 22,898 |
| 16 | Colours | Black | 921 | 21,300 | 22,221 |
| 17 | Transport/ vehicles | Hot air balloon | 14 | 19,200 | 19,214 |
| 18 | Fairy tale | Enchanted forest | 252 | 17,800 | 18,052 |
| 19 | Colours | Neutral | 1,019 | 16,100 | 17,119 |
| 20 | Colours | Pink | 910 | 15,400 | 16,310 |
Back To Nature
Sunshine, rainbows, jungle, woodland, sky and forests are among the most popular trends for children’s bedrooms, and landscapes and weather are the most popular themes overall, accounting for a third of the top 20 trends.
Fictional characters from famous children’s books and films make up a quarter of the top trends – Winnie The Pooh is in fourth place, proving our love for honey is still going strong in 2021. Moana’s in fifth place and Harry Potter takes ninth. Another classic, Star Wars, takes 14th place, and in 15th, it’s Beatrix Potter’s most infamous bunny – Peter Rabbit.
The Most Popular Colours For Nurseries in 2021
The trends report also reveals the most popular colours for nurseries, and according to the research, green is the most popular choice this year, with over 1,000 Pinterest boards and almost 50,000 searches on Google. Impactful black, often combined with Scandi styling, takes second place and neutral pink and yellow make up the rest of the top five.
| Rank | Colour | No. of Nursery Pinterest Boards | Google search volume – 2021 | Total trend score |
| 1 | Green | 1,101 | 49,500 | 50,601 |
| 2 | Black | 921 | 21,300 | 22,221 |
| 3 | Neutral | 1,019 | 16,100 | 17,119 |
| 4 | Pink | 910 | 15,400 | 16,310 |
| 5 | Yellow | 1,094 | 12,500 | 13,594 |
The Most Popular Animal Themed Nurseries in 2021:
The majestic and maternal elephant takes first place in the animal category, with over 1,000 Pinterest boards and almost 25,000 Google searches made this year.
Nursery staple, dinosaurs, are just behind in second place, and fish, dogs and pandas make up the remainder of the top five.
| Rank | Animal | No. of Nursery Pinterest Boards | Google search volume – 2021 | Total trend score |
| 1 | Elephant | 1,004 | 24,900 | 25,904 |
| 2 | Dinosaur | 1,010 | 22,900 | 23,910 |
| 3 | Fish | 238 | 9,080 | 9,318 |
| 4 | Dogs | 228 | 7,520 | 7,748 |
| 5 | Pandas | 459 | 5,980 | 6,439 |
The Most Popular Decorative Nursery Trends in 2021:
Behind stars, bunting takes second place for nursery decorations, with 237 boards dedicated to the vintage-inspired decoration and just over 15,000 Google searches. Floral designs take third position, with just over 1,000 boards and around 9,000 searches on Google.
In fourth, it’s pom-poms, often popular on garlands draped around the room, and in fifth, it’s marvellous macrame – the art of knotting to make patterns.
| Rank | Decorative Trend | No. of Nursery Pinterest Boards | Google search volume – 2021 | Total trend score |
| 1 | Stars | 973 | 266,300 | 267,273 |
| 2 | Bunting | 237 | 15,300 | 15,537 |
| 3 | Floral | 1,001 | 9,380 | 10,381 |
| 4 | Pom poms | 110 | 2,320 | 2,430 |
| 5 | Macrame | 215 | 1,470 | 1,685 |
The Most Popular Fictional Characters From Children’s Books and Films for Nurseries in 2021:
Popular through the generations, Winnie the Pooh and Peter Rabbit are trending in the top five fictional characters, and tropical-themed inspiration comes from the inspiring and empowering 2016 Disney film Moana.
| Rank | Fictional Character | No. of Nursery Pinterest Boards | Google search volume – 2021 | Total trend score |
| 1 | Winnie the Pooh | 800 | 76,000 | 76,800 |
| 2 | Moana | 33 | 61,900 | 61,933 |
| 3 | Harry Potter | 840 | 34,000 | 34,840 |
| 4 | Star Wars | 957 | 22,200 | 23,157 |
| 5 | Peter Rabbit | 798 | 22,100 | 22,898 |
The Most Popular Landscape and Weather Trends For Nurseries in 2021:
Sky themed designs, with 412 boards dedicated to the trend on Pinterest and almost 100,000 Google searches so far this year, land the top spot. Woodland themed nurseries have been added to over 1,000 Pinterest boards, which bags second place, and rainbows, with just shy of 1,000 boards and 56,000 Google searches, come in third position.
| Rank | Landscape and weather | No. of Nursery Pinterest Boards | Google search volume – 2021 | Total trend score |
| 1 | Sky | 412 | 94,400 | 94,812 |
| 2 | Woodland | 1,008 | 88,000 | 89,008 |
| 3 | Rainbows | 981 | 56,100 | 57,081 |
| 4 | Sunshine | 371 | 38,200 | 38,571 |
| 5 | Forest | 1,002 | 29,600 | 30,602 |
The Most Popular Fairy Tale Themed Nurseries In 2021:
Combining nature and magic, enchanted forests are one of the top trending fairy-tale themes for 2021 nurseries, with 17,800 Google searches and 252 Pinterest boards created. Unicorns, mermaids and princesses are all also highly searched for and pinned.
| Rank | Trend | No. of Nursery Pinterest Boards | Google search volume – 2021 | Total trend score |
| 1 | Enchanted forest | 252 | 17,800 | 18,052 |
| 2 | Fairy Tale | 1002 | 8,060 | 9,062 |
| 3 | Unicorn | 882 | 7,240 | 8,122 |
| 4 | Mermaid | 997 | 6,640 | 7,637 |
| 5 | Princess | 1,008 | 5,810 | 6,818 |
The Most Popular Sport Themed Nurseries in 2021:
Team sports dominate the sports themes this year and with 4,930 Google searches for rugby nurseries, the sport takes the top spot. Baseball is a close second, followed by football, hockey and cricket.
| Rank | Trend | No. of Nursery Pinterest Boards | Google search volume – 2021 | Total trend score |
| 1 | Rugby | 0 | 4,930 | 4,930 |
| 2 | Baseball | 987 | 2,980 | 3,967 |
| 3 | Football | 159 | 1,250 | 1,409 |
| 4 | Hockey | 74 | 1,240 | 1,314 |
| 5 | Cricket | 0 | 1,200 | 1,200 |
The Most Popular Transport and Vehicle Themed Nurseries in 2021:
Flying high, hot air balloons and rockets are adding a dash of colour to nurseries this year. Pinned in 14 Pinterest boards and searched for on Google nearly 20,000 times, hot air balloons are providing plenty of inspiration for rooms for little people. Closer to the ground, cars, trains and tractors make up the rest of the top five trends.
| Rank | Trend | No. of Nursery Pinterest Boards | Google search volume – 2021 | Total trend score |
| 1 | Hot air balloon | 14 | 19,200 | 19,214 |
| 2 | Cars | 959 | 3,840 | 4,799 |
| 3 | Trains | 143 | 4,190 | 4,333 |
| 4 | Tractor | 98 | 760 | 858 |
| 5 | Rockets | 106 | 740 | 846 |
Adrienne Minster, CEO at Rated People commented:
“More of us are embracing home improvements than ever before. A lot of painting and decorating is going on, and so we were curious to uncover the top trends shaping one of the most important rooms in our home – the children’s bedrooms.
The days of pink for girls and blue for boys seem to be long gone, and it’s easy to understand why calming backdrops inspired by nature are so popular in 2021. This is echoed around the wider home too, with dark green walls, Scandi styling and macrame also some of the biggest décor trends in 2021 outside of the nursery.”
To read the full nursery décor trends report and to see the top five trends in fairy tales, sport, vehicles, landscapes and fictional characters, visit: https://www.ratedpeople.com/blog/nursery-decoration-trends-report-everything-you-need-to-know-to-create-the-perfect-nursery-in-2021
