It’s 2013. And I consider myself a pretty open-minded person. But I’ll confess, I naturally stay away from all things pink and purple when it comes to my boys. I try to resist the impulse to dismiss something as too “girly” for them. But I often fail. Why is this? They’re just colors! Well. History has in fact “assigned” certain colors to boys and to girls, thus conditioning many of us. For example, our boys have gotten a lot of wonderful gifts from friends and family in Sweden–a country that’s, generally speaking, much more gender neutral and equal than the US. Yet, once or twice, because of the feminine shade or design of a onesie or shirt, I just couldn’t bring myself to put them on the boys. In public anyway.

So recently when a dear friend of mine, who is expecting for the first time, revealed she’s having a boy, we discussed this color/gender issue when it comes to nursery decor. Again, I personally wouldn’t go for the more “feminine” colors when it comes to a boy’s nursery. But I wouldn’t be afraid to buck traditional themes and matchy matchy designs either. A nursery should feel fun, yet uncomplicated and relaxing. And with a little paint, using touches of colorful fabric, and grounding with clean-lined furniture, it’s pretty easy to do that. Love these boy-friendly nurseries I found over at Houzz.com.