8 IDEAS FOR A SAFARI NURSERY THEME

Safari and jungle decor bring a wild edge to your little one’s space. Here are 8 elements that I incorporated to create my own son’s safari nursery theme!

MY SON’S SAFARI NURSERY THEME

Welcome baby Nolan!

My first son, Everett, was born during the height of Covid. Since we decided that I would stay at home and not continue working with patients beginning in my second trimester, I had A LOT of time to focus on his nursery.

His was a forest-theme nursery, complete with a DIY board-and-batten wall, DIY reupholstered and refinished rocking chair, handmade embroidery art, and painted furniture that had been handed down for generations.

It’s safe to say I went a little overboard with the DIY projects during that time, but it kept me sane during a time when nothing was normal!

Fast-forward to baby #2 – and wow, was this pregnancy different! Working part-time and chasing a one-year-old around meant less time (and energy) for Nolan’s nursery, but I was determined to put the same amount of effort and personal touch into his room. No favoritism in this household!

The result was a safari nursery – and I’m pretty excited for the reveal. Here are 8 elements of the nursery that gave it a fun, wild edge while still maintaining the coziness necessary for a baby’s space.

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1. SAFARI WALLPAPER

I was on the fence about wallpaper for a feature wall in this nursery. I decided (at nine months pregnant) to go through with it. It wasn’t fun hanging it with a big ol’ belly in the way, but in the end, it tied everything together.

There were a ton of options for safari/jungle/animal wallpaper, but I ultimately went with this “On the Savanna” wallpaper from Burke Decor. They were the least inexpensive option at the time.

2. DIY JUNGLE UPHOLSTERED ROCKING CHAIR

I refinished the wood and reupholstered this antique rocking chair for my first son’s nursery, and lucky for me, the theme and color scheme still fit with Nolan’s room. Since Everett will soon be two-years-old and no longer tolerates being rocked (“I’m not crying,” sniff, sniff), I moved it to the new nursery and set him up a teepee tent in its place. You can see all the details on the DIY Rocking Chair Makeover here.

3. ANIMALS, ANIMALS, ANIMALS

Besides the wallpaper, I incorporated animals in a few other areas, like these fun animal-theme wall hangings from Hobby Lobby.

This incredible mobile pattern was bought from Wool and Pine Lullaby – you can check out an abundance of felt sewing patterns like the safari one I purchased for my mobile at their Etsy shop. The directions are super-easy to follow and I loved adding as many DIY touches to the room as I could to make it feel more special for my boy!

These safari stuffed animals were the focus of my vintage hanging baskets (more on that below).

4. BRIGHT COLORS

I’m no interior designer, but I know that color, patterns, and texture are the trio of elements that influence a room’s mood and- especially in the case of a nursery – the room’s theme.

There are plenty of nurseries with a neutral color (nothing wrong with beige and gray if that’s what you like). However, I like bold colors so I took advantage of the safari theme and focused on sunny yellow, burnt orange, and jungle green.

My favorite bursts of colors were the yellow in these tasseled curtains and t his tasseled rug as well as the burnt orange of these crib sheets and this ottoman.

I intentionally chose neutral gray or natural-wood colors for the furniture pieces, including this modern toupe crib, which is also featured in my post about Vintage Style Cribs.

5. TRIBAL PATTERNS

The patterns I chose for the decor in this nursery had a tribal/boho feel. The rug was a neutral cream but with a yellow diamond pattern which was also mimicked on the tall armoire. The crib sheets had an African mud cloth pattern but were buttery soft for my kiddo.

6. TEXTURE: RATTAN, CANE, AND SEAGRASS

Rattan, cane, seagrass, jute, wicker, and hyacinth are some of the natural fibers that are shaped and woven to create all kinds of home products. In Nolan’s nursery, I used this to add texture and keep within the boho and outdoorsy feel.

The cane wall shelf, this rattan light fixture, this plant container basket, and the yellow storage basket are some examples. The vintage hanging baskets were also made from wicker.

7. DIY SAFARI HANGING BASKETS

What better way to showcase cute baby safari animals than to suspend them from the ceiling? This project was quick and easy and gave me a unique way to use vintage baskets, which I seem to collect these days. You can see the full tutorial in this post. Another DIY for the win!

8. JUNGLE GREENERY

In my opinion, every room in the house should have plants, preferably real ones. Since I couldn’t stick a bunch of living (and possibly poisonous plants) in reach of a baby and a toddler, I opted for faux greenery in the hanging baskets, and again with this jungle tree from Hobby Lobby.

There’s some safari inspo to help you start your own safari nursery or kid’s room! If you’re looking for more nursery ideas, check out this post on my oldest son’s Forest Theme Nursery or these 12 Vintage Crib Ideas.