START 'EM YOUNG

Raising a decorating genius? A bold nursery is a good way to begin.

- KATHRYN O'SHEA EVANS

At the risk of offending a flotilla of momfluencers, I'll say it: Having an aesthetically flawless nursery does not matter. Not to the baby, at least. "We have to remember when we design these rooms that we're human animals," says New York designer and mother of three Celerie Kemble. "And the less perfect an environment, the more tolerant and flexible the child. Probably." To be clear, Kemble nurseries are fantastical visions that could have been dreamed up by Ludwig Bemelmans himself. But she tries to pare them back as much as possible.

"The people who spent four months of their pregnancy buying everything they're supposed to buy and getting lists from friends, I think they just end up with a wretched child," she says. "It can't sleep in daylight. A cold baby wipe on its butt and the night's over!"