She Turned an All-White Nursery Pink, but Didn’t Stop at the Walls
White walls, white trim, and a white ceiling gave this nursery a neutral backdrop for its natural wood crib, matching dresser, and reclining chair. After the makeover, pink covered almost every painted surface, including the ceiling and interior doors.
Instagram creator @accentwalls_neo shared the transformation of a nursery in Chicago’s Lincoln Square neighborhood. The project was one of six rooms the team was completing for a family moving into a new home.
Instead of using one shade throughout, the design combines soft pink upper walls and ceiling with deeper rose board-and-batten paneling. The original oak flooring and nursery furniture remain, providing a warm wood contrast against the two pink tones.
White Walls and Oak Floors Defined the Original Nursery
The original nursery had smooth white walls without paneling or decorative molding below the existing baseboards. A single window occupied the far wall, with a white ceiling fan and integrated light above the center of the room.
A natural wood crib stood against the left wall, with a matching dresser opposite and a white reclining chair positioned near the entrance. Long oak floorboards extended toward the window, providing warmth in a room dominated by white surfaces.
Deep Rose Board-and-Batten Wrapped the Lower Walls
Custom board-and-batten paneling now covers the lower portion of the walls, with a horizontal top rail and spaced vertical battens forming rectangular sections. The deeper rose paint extends across the panels, baseboards, and lower window wall.
Beneath the window, shorter rectangular panels fit between the floor and sill. The same rose color covers the window casing, while the upper walls retain a lighter pink finish.
The paneling adds architectural detail without changing the nursery’s layout or taking floor space away from the furniture.
Soft Pink Extended Across the Ceiling
The ceiling received the same soft pink treatment as the upper walls, removing the former white division at the top of the room. The existing white three-blade ceiling fan stands out against the pink surface.
From the opposite end, the deeper rose continues across the closet doors and their surrounding trim. The adjacent interior door also received the darker shade, with its recessed panels and frame painted to match the wainscoting.
The two paint colors create a clear division at the chair rail, while the doors blend into the lower section rather than appearing as separate white elements.
Natural Wood Furniture Stayed Against the Pink Walls
The wood crib and matching dresser retain their natural finish, contrasting with the rose paneling behind them. The white reclining chair sits beside the crib, and the center of the nursery remains open.
Another view shows pink bedding and a textured throw inside the crib. The oak floorboards run across the room without rugs or additional furniture covering the wood.
Instead of painting the furniture to match, the makeover uses the existing wood tones to break up the pink surfaces.
Before and After: Two Shades of Pink Replaced White
The side-by-side comparison shows how the added paneling changes the lower walls, while pink paint extends the design across surfaces left white in the original room.
The contrast comes from the treatment of the entire room rather than a new furniture arrangement: deeper rose defines the architectural details, soft pink covers the upper walls and ceiling, and oak flooring remains exposed.
Would you paint a nursery ceiling pink to match the walls, or keep the ceiling white?
Image credits go to @accentwalls_neo.