Modern nurseries come in many shapes and sizes.  Traditionally, we think of pinks, blues, yellows and greens for our dear sweet newborns.  Today’s nurseries, however, embrace bold new color palettes and, as Emeril would say, kick it up a notch.

If you are searching for a bedding set in a color anything but traditional, let the color orange tickle your fancy. A few great reasons why orange is becoming all the rage:

• Though green and yellow have been the traditional gender-neutral colors, today’s modern families are looking for more than soft pastels, and orange is a perfect solution. Orange baby bedding works for both baby girl and baby boy nurseries.
• The color orange — which can range even in itself from carrot orange to burnt orange to tangerine — looks great with a multitude of other colors. The color orange blends with hues from chocolate brown and turquoise to yellow and lime green. Pinks and blues, in the right tones, pair expertly with orange in a contemporary, non-overwhelming baby girl/baby boy way. Therefore, if you are looking to decorate in gender-friendly tones, you will have great color coordination in a surprising multi-colored palette.
• Designers today offer a multitude of orange crib bedding sets to choose from along with all of those necessary nursery accessories. Whether you are looking for a sweet baby theme, such as elephants and giraffes, or are looking for modern geometrics, designers today offer orange bedding for everyone!

Three of our favorite orange crib bedding sets:

Litto Kids Magic Garden Crib Set:  Fun orange crib bedding with bright turquoise, lime green and yellows.  A contemporary forest scene in amazingly retro colors.  The print-bumper reverses to an amazing orange-and-white {which is also the same great pattern used on the bumper ties}.

Olli & Lime Billie Crib Bedding:  Amazing chocolate brown, stark white and orange together in a pattern that reminds me of when I used to create spiral paint pictures as a child.  Creatively simple, elegant and just plain perfect.

Aunt Bucky Pinky Panda Crib Bumper: I love the way Aunt Bucky combines a retro-geometric print with cartoonish panda bears. which lend both complete sophistication and an element of fun to the nursery {and who cannot love Aunt Bucky’s MADE WITH LOVE ribbon ties}.  The bumper is pictured with Aunt Bucky’s Orange Crush Crib Sheet but would be well suited with any of Aunt Bucky’s sheets, which are perfect for mixing and matching!

A few other amazing orange sets:  Inspired Crib Bedding Geox Orange and Green Crib Bedding; Serena & Lily Ben Crib Bedding; RIkshaw Design Udaipur Crib Bedding, Pixel Organics Lions, Tigers & Kittens.

It is one of those moments that will define the rest of your life: The moment that it is determined –whether planned or unplanned — that you are about to raise a baby in this world. It is a moment that comes and goes so quickly — the precise moment that your pregnancy test is positive, the precise moment the adoption agency says the paperwork is complete — and yet the impact of that one moment will last the rest of your life.

And so it goes, from that moment on, that you start decorating. In preparation for baby’s arrival, you spend hours — if not days — sifting through magazines and browsing through stores to determine which exact nursery set is exactly right for your impending baby bundle.

An idea developed in ages past that babies could only rest in cribs decorated with pastel pinks and baby blues. Modern baby bedding, however, is a far cry from this belief and crib bedding is now offered in dozens of colors — in hues from turquoise to purple to brown. These days, modern baby bedding is bold, bright and unique. Modern baby bedding is full of character and personality, typically with clean lines for design-conscious parents.

Polka Dot Peacock is proud to salute our modern designers – full of style, grace and just plain fun – as we kick-off our “Redefining the Nursery” series.

We will feature some of our favorite (and best-selling!) crib sets from our amazing designers, who have all helped us redefine the nursery:  Area Baby, Aunt Bucky, Baby Star, Caden Lane, CottonMonkey, Egg by Susan Lazar,  Inspired Crib Bedding, Litto Kids, The Modern Baby Company, Modern Basics, Olli & Lime, Pixel Organics, Rikshaw Design, Serena & Lily and Whistle & Wink.

Coming up next:  The Color Orange Takes on Modern Baby Bedding

As the Texas July temperatures were only expected to reach 93 degrees on Saturday, we decided to take our kids to the Fort Worth Zoo. After an immediate stop for a sturdy rental buggy (we own a kazillion strollers and didn’t remember to bring a single one) and six overpriced AA batteries (my camera conveniently ran out of juice as we walked past the entrance), we entered the monkey house.  To take three children (all three years old and under) to a zoo is an amazing thing. Their eyes are wide open and they are (in true form) in a constant hurry to see what is next.  At the end of the day, the girls loved the flamingoes the most (because they were pink), Henry and Matt leaned towards the white tigers and I had an unexpected affinity for the mountain goat.  All in all, a lovely day.

My current zoo favorites:

1.  Whistle & Wink’s Itsazoo Nursery Collection: Whistle & Wink’s signature contemporary nursery goes on safari.  Soft, neutral colors make this perfect for baby boys or girls. Elephants, giraffes, lions and turtles adorn an ivory ground with khaki piping and mini-check accents.  The crowining jewel, though, is the fantastically embroidered canopy, with tiny appliqued animals.  Oh, Itsazoo out there alright.

2.  Byrdie Graphics’ Animal Circle Wall Decals:  Whimsical images in grand color; May you now decorate without fear.  These self-adhestive vinyl decals can be easily removed and leave no residue behind.  Four animal cut-out circles (one elephant, one rhino, one lion and one monkey) and four circles bearing their name are included.  We highlight here the orange (perfect for Serena & Lily’s Ben Collection and Pixel Organics Lions, Tigers and Kitties nursery and big-kid bedding) but offer twenty hues!

3.  Kee-ka Organic Monkey Onesie Bodysuit:  In signature style, Kee-ka’s organic bodysuit is the perfect gift for baby boys everywhere.  Simple in design but big in message, this supersoft onesie make the morning clothing choice easy, even before you’ve had the first cup of coffee.