As I prepare to welcome my first child, creating a nursery has become a labor of love. I dream of a space that feels cozy, inviting, and distinctly ours. Last week, I spent all of my Sunday morning thinking of different ideas and themes for the nursery from tropical vibes, to ocean dreams and even looked up into the stars. Through this process, I asked myself, “how do I want this space to feel?”
I thought that this would be an easy process. But then I started to think about, “how do I want to feel when I enter this room? What do I want my child to experience and feel when we’re in the room? What type of dreams do I want him to have? Is this space for me and my husband or for him?”
And so I drafted my first three themes – Tropical Haven, Ocean Dreamscape and Shoot for the Stars.
Tropical Haven: Soothing sage green nursery with beach and jungle vibes a mix of both land and see. I was thinking the walls can either have palm leaf and ocean wave accents. For the furniture, I thought of keeping it natural with neutral wood, rattan baskets, and soft textiles and white-to-beige curtain set a cozy tone. Here’s my Pinterest board for the look.
Ocean Dreamscape: I love this one. I wanted really cool blues and greens for the color theme. I love the playfulness of the different animals – turtle, jellyfish, whales, dolphins. It puts “sea” in serene and I feel that it’s very fitting as Dennis (my husband) loves the ocean and one of my favorite movies growing up were Lilo & Stitch and the Little Mermaid. I was thinking of the phrase, “my love is deep like the ocean,” while I was thinking about this room. Here’s my Pinterest board for the look.
Shoot for the Stars: While I was thinking of this, I had this thought of, “what do I want my son to aim for?” I want him to pursue his dreams and reach for the stars. Sometimes an all-out galaxy room can feel really dark, so I opted to add some brighter elements through the walls or the neutral furniture. I love seeing the solar system mobile. Thinking of this theme, I was looking back at one of my favorite books, The Little Prince. Here is the Pinterest board for the look.
The Representation Gap
While I’ve enjoyed bringing these ideas to life, I’ve noticed something missing as I search for inspiration on platforms like Pinterest and Instagram: representation. While thinking about these themes, I wondered how will I incorporate Dennis & I’s Chinese and Filipino heritage? Has there anyone done a more cultural theme to their nursery? I was hopeful as there are a lot more representation in the wedding space. But I searched Pinterest and Instagram and I was shocked when I couldn’t really find anything. Through the global distribution of social media and content, there really wasn’t anything that I saw as “this is what a Filipino-inspired nursery looks like” or “this is a Chinese-inspired baby room.”
In this search, I felt some sort of way. I cannot believe that there’s distinct lack of space or content that showcase Asian American and Pacific Islander (AAPI) cultural influences in home design, let alone nurseries. Much of what I’ve come across leans heavily into Eurocentric or minimalist aesthetics, with little room for diverse, culturally rich designs.
This absence has made me even more determined to attempt to create a inspo board that celebrates my heritage and share it with my child. It’s a way to not only share a piece of me and a piece of my husband, but also to normalize and elevate AAPI-inspired design in broader conversations about home and family.
Incorporating Cultural Themes
While thinking about how curating pieces or this nursery will look like, I went to ChatGPT and started to load up some prompts for it to generate some images. And like any cultural outputs, I was prepared to be offended and for AI to generate some very weird things (as I’ve learned in the tech space). But I was determined.
Here’s what I first had with the prompt, “I want to make a baby room that’s a mix of Chinese (Hong Kong), Filipino elements. What are some ways to blend and can we make a sample image?”. Now this prompt can really use some more refinement, but it’s an ok start with an atrocious first image.
The pandas and heavy on the Chinese silk. It’s giving Kung-Fu panda vibes but like on a different level. I didn’t really see the Filipino elements I asked for, but this is the part about AI Prompting that we need to enhance. So I added prompts like, “let’s incorporate Filipino weaves and more natural elements.” I also was thinking of, what are some common themes in the Filipino and Chinese culture and that’s when I had the idea of, “what about the cities?”. From there I incorporated more of Hong Kong and Manila and taking inspo on cityscapes, the double-deck Hong Kong buses and the famous Filipino jeep.
Here is what DALL-E generated.. and I’m not mad. I feel a little bit more hope and I got into Pinterest and started to add more products from brands that I love like ANTHILL Fabric. Here is my collage from Pinterest (which I hope some of you will use as a starting point for inspiration for your own Filipino-Chinese inspired nurseries or rooms!) I call these theme, Best of Both Worlds. It’s vibrant, it playful and showcases both cities that we hold dear to our hearts.
Building a Legacy
For me, this nursery is more than a project; it’s a story that’s crafted from our own journeys. It’s about being able to share with our son who he is and who we are. It’s a place where I will spend my sleepless nights nursing and dreaming along with my child. This nursery will be his space of comfort and growth. This process has been a reminder for me that our spaces can and should tell our stories, celebrate our roots, and inspire others to do the same.
A Call for More Representation
If you’ve felt the same frustration looking for culturally inspired home design ideas, I encourage you to share your creations. Representation starts with us. By showcasing these spaces, we can create a richer, more inclusive narrative about what family and home mean.
Do you have ideas or inspirations for designing a culturally meaningful nursery or room? Let’s start a conversation—leave a comment or connect with me on social media!
Jea Dreams Of 
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