Curious? We were, too! So we tracked down the top trends in nursery decorating for 2011. See what we’ve found!

5. Minimalism

This mom and dad create a simple and serene space for their little one.

A long-time favorite of urban dwellers, minimalistic décor has made its way to nurseries across the US. We’ve seen some absolutely stunning kids’ rooms that scream “serenity.” While minimalistic design may seem easy (just pick one or two things and keep it simple), it actually requires more thought, more research, and more precision. Parents who use this approach to nursery décor must pick from what can be an overwhelming amount of products in an effort to find that one piece of art, that one wall decal, that one piece of furniture to serve as the statement piece for the room. We all know how easy it is to get sucked into the 12-piece nursery bedding set! With a valance! And blanket! And nightlight! And rug! And drawer pulls! And on and on! By paring down to the basic essentials, accenting with one or two design elements and creatively using color, parents are creating refined, sophisticated nurseries for their babies. We particularly like this minimalist nursery we found on ChicCheapNursery.

4. Begging, Borrowing, & Stealing

The popularity of Pinterest has absolutely exploded in 2011! This social discovery platform now boasts up to 3 million users, and once you spend an hour (or six!) on the site, it’s easy to see why people are gravitating to pinterest for design inspiration. Moms everywhere are able to “beg” for feedback, “borrow” a concept and modify it to make it their own, and “steal” creative and unique ideas of other crafty parents when designing their nurseries. Pinterest gives parents access to a world of clever, beautiful, and sometimes profound collections of images and tutorials. While you’re on the hunt, visit weeDECOR’s pinterest page to see some of our favorite finds.

3. Form, meet Function in these Darling Nightlights

This tabletop giraffe nightlight would look fabulous in an animal-themed nursery.

Nursery nighlights are a must for new parents! There is no better way to avoid fumbling around blindly for the burp cloth while keeping things on the dark side so that baby is compelled to go back to sleep after the feeding. This year, we have come across some absolutely adorable nightlights for nurseries. Gone are the days of the pitiful little plastic piece with exposed light bulb that is relegated to the corner of the room. Moms and dads are integrating decorative nightlights into their themed nurseries. The one above from Jonathan Adler is one of the cutest we’ve seen! This nightlight is more of a design element, and less of an afterthought.

2. Growth Charts

Track your wee one's growth with our removable, reusable, growth chart wall decal.

Who is more surprised by the rate that children grow, the parents, or the kids themselves? It’s tough to make that call. Decorative growth charts are all the rage in nurseries and kids rooms this year because parents and children delight in having something tangible to track what is happening before their very eyes. In 2011, we’ve seen some unique variations on the standard paper-version of growth charts. At weeDECOR, we have an adorable collection of growth chart wall decals. Our designs are interactive, meaning the kids can take part in marking their height each year. Our friends over at Petite Lemon offer another interesting spin on this design element with their canvas growth charts.

1. Non-traditional paint colors

This Canadian mom just said "no" to baby blue.

This year, we’ve seen a radical departure from overly babyish nurseries. Some parents are selecting furniture and design elements that grow with the child. So instead of completely revamping the room as the child ages, parents just switch out the accessories and leave the major features the same. One way to accomplish this look is through the use of non-traditional paint colors in the nursery. The nursery above features a sophisticated dove gray wall color. A Canadian mom enveloped her baby’s nursery in Benjamin Moore’s Collingwood OC-28, but incorporated some child-like accessories. The room doesn’t scream “baby,” but isn’t overly mature, either. This mom, like many others this year, chose a paint color that will see her baby well into the teen years.