By Kim Cook

Associated Press

When it comes to creating the perfect sleep space for little ones, there are more fun options than ever.

Styles range from haute to homespun, vintage to vanguard. A look at some of the best:

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BLURRING THE LINES

Traditional parameters like gender-specific motifs and colors, and room-specific furnishings, are giving way to a more free-spirited approach. Designers are deploying to the nursery dressers, credenzas, art, lighting, mirrors and seating more typically found in grown-up rooms like the master, dining or living room.

Joanna Gick and Jennifer O’Dowd, interior designers in Scottsdale, Arizona, like to use vintage dressers, toys and books as nursery inspiration. Art’s a big element, too.

“Gallery walls seem to be a hot trend,” Gick says. “The fun thing about them is they’re totally customizable to the child’s interests, and easy to swap out as they grow. We like to use mixed media — prints as well as wood and metal sculptures — to create a really interesting gallery.” (www.jandjdesigngroup.com )

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BABY GLAM

Parents-to-be should view the baby’s room as a place to let their own imaginations fly, says Naomi Alon, owner of the Irvine, California-based Little Crown Interiors.

“I encourage my clients to think about the nursery as their inner child’s fantasy space,” she says. “This is the one room in their home where they can get away with neon pink wallpaper or an over-the-top chandelier. The nursery is just as much about the parents as it is about the baby, and making it a place where mom and dad feel comfortable is key.”

In one of Alon’s favorite projects, a nursery in Newport Beach, California, she used pink and gold damask wallpaper, a baroque mirror, organza furniture skirts and a big fluffy rug to create a glamorous, girly confection. (www.littlecrowninteriors.com )

Los Angeles duo Emily Current and Meritt Elliot designed gold, arrow-shaped lamps and finials, and gold-woven storage bins for their new Pottery Barn Kids collection. A bold, black-and-white diamond pattern graces a quilt. (www.potterybarnkids.com

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GRANNY CHIC

Antique (or antique-looking) furniture, quilts and afghans give baby’s room homespun charm.

Connecticut-based designer Eileen Blanchard crafts sweet pillows, bedding and soft toys using chenille and fabrics with vintage children’s prints and winsome cottage florals. (www.etsy.com/shop/scarlettscozycottage )