Baby Shower Style & Themes

Decorations

Baby shower décor often embraces the nature of the party in a literal way, from folding cloth napkins into diaper shapes to creating table centerpieces with baby bottles as vases. But you can certainly dress up the room as you would for any other party. Guests already know they’re at a baby shower, so you have only to immerse them in an environment that’s simple, attractive and festive. Outfit tables with linens, china, and floral arrangements. Your local stationery or party supply store, and many online boutiques, sell stylish paper goods and disposable flatware that will also work well when it comes to beautifying your tables or buffet area.

Color scheming

The simplest way to develop a cohesive theme for the baby shower is to establish a compelling color palette. These hues should be represented in the design of the invitations; then, for the actual event, select a few key elements to communicate your color story. The table linens, china or paper goods, floral arrangements and other decorations are a great place to start. Even the beverages you’re offering are potential participants in the scene you’re creating. The same is true of your snacks and desserts- just keep in mind that a dollop of blue frosting on a cupcake is one thing, but dyed-blue tuna salad tea sandwiches will probably scare people.

Punching up pink and blue
If you know the sex of the child, your shower can certainly embrace one of the traditional gender-specific color schemes-pink for girls, blue for boys. However, you needn’t feel limited to the greeting-card-industry versions of these colors, which many shower hostesses (and guests) may find uninspiring.

Here are some ways to modernize these hues.

Alternative interpretations Instead of traditional pink, try sophisticated alternatives like coral, magenta or watermelon. Consider replacing the usual key or baby blue with navy, slate or royal blue.

One color, multiple shades Rather than sticking to one, specific hue, work within a family of colors-say, three or four different shades of pink or blue that display a range of light-to-dark values.

Mix it up Combine the standard baby-shower pink or blue with a more “grown-up” shade. Sage green and chocolate brown pair well with baby blue; dove gray and charcoal are great with cotton-candy pink.

Beyond the basics

Of course, you can also ignore tradition altogether and opt for a brilliant color scheme of your own choosing. Don’t know the sex of the child? Adopt the same strategy. Here’s where you might find inspiration for a gender-neutral color scheme.

Take a look at the baby’s due date- let’s say it’s March- and use that month’s birthstone as the foundation for your shower colors: aquamarine- shades of aqua and/or ice blue. The mother’s birthstone color can be used as an accent hue.

Yellow is the default “unisex” color. Also consider hues in the turquoise, green and orange families.

The mother’s or both parents’ favorite colors are perfectly valid sources of inspiration.

Check out baby shower favors to match any of your shower themes.

Baby Shower Color and Pattern Palettes

There are three elements of design that you can use to tie your decorating scheme into your shower’s theme. Color creates a mood and unifies the party space, a mix of patterns and solids creates interest, and theme icons remind guests that this is a baby shower.

Using colors

Any colors can be incorporated in the baby shower decorating theme. When using colors for party décor, avoid a smorgasbord-too many colors is visually distracting. Tie things together by using no more than three colors-main colors, on slightly lighter, and the third slightly stronger or brighter for accent. For example: use a soft pink with white and touches of black for drama. Substitute bubble-gum pink for the pastel and chocolate brown for the black to create a trendier look.

The following table shows some traditional and trendy color palettes that you can consider in your décor. Use this table to select your color palette. Carry the color scheme through in paper goods like napkins, plates and cups, flowers, and favors.

Using solids and patterns

Patterns add interest and depth to the decorating scheme. When using patterns, the scale of the design must be considered. Large, bold graphic designs make a definitive, modern statement, but can also be overwhelming. Small floral and geometric designs, too much of a good thing is simply too much-black and white polka-dot napkins can add a perky touch, but a whole room attired in dots is dizzying. Save strong patterns for accents; use solids or subtler patterns for larger areas like tablecloths.

Using icons

If you have chosen a theme based on a particular image or item-a baby carriage, an angel, a duck, a rattle-you may want to incorporate this into your decorating plans. You can use the icon on invitations, as part of the centerpieces, or perhaps as a featured design on the paper plates, napkins, and cups you plan to use. By using graphic software or even a color copy machine, you can incorporate cute icons into your decorating plans and put your own creative signature on the baby shower.

Find elegant baby shower favors here.