Ball Pit Colour Ideas for Nurseries and Playrooms
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Quick answer: For a calm nursery or living room, pair a neutral pit (cream, grey, ecru or khaki) with two or three soft ball colours such as white, pearl and pastel mint or grey. For a bright playroom, use a neutral pit with four or five bold colours. Keep about half the balls in one base colour so the pit looks deliberate rather than random. Our balls come in boxes of 750 in one colour, so mixing two or three boxes gives you full control over the combination.
Most parents who ask us at Soft Play Market about ball pit colours aren't really asking about the balls. They want the pit to look good in a room they also live in. Ball pits used to come in primary red, yellow and blue only. Now you can choose the fabric of the pit and every colour of ball, which is great until you have to decide. Here are combinations that work, and how to put them together.
How do I choose ball pit colours that suit my room?
Start from the room, not the balls.
- Pick the pit fabric to match the furniture. Cream, ecru and light grey disappear into most living rooms. Khaki, sage green, dune and brown suit warmer, natural schemes. Raspberry red or sky blue make the pit a feature.
- Choose one base ball colour that's close to the pit or the walls. Around half of the balls in this colour gives a calm look.
- Add one or two accent colours picked from cushions, rugs or artwork in the room.
- Use pearl or metallic-look balls sparingly as a highlight. They look best as about a fifth of the mix.
Which ball pit colour combinations work best?
| Look | Pit colour | Ball mix | Suits |
|---|---|---|---|
| Soft neutral | Cream or ecru bouclé | White, beige, pearl | Living rooms, Scandi-style nurseries |
| Calm pastel | Light grey | White, mint, light pink, grey | Baby nurseries, shared bedrooms |
| Natural and earthy | Khaki or brown corduroy | White, turquoise, mint | Rooms with wood, rattan and plants |
| Warm and rich | Raspberry red velvet | Gold, beige, white pearl, burgundy | A pit that's meant to stand out |
| Sea and sky | Sky blue or light grey | White, light blue, turquoise, navy | Ocean or space themed playrooms |
| Classic bright | Grey | Red, yellow, blue, green, orange | Playrooms, nurseries and childminders |
Some of our playsets already come with a coordinated 100-ball mix, for example the raspberry red velvet playset with gold, beige, white pearl and burgundy balls, and the Bearly cream playset with mint pearl, white pearl and silver.
What colours suit a baby nursery ball pit?
For babies, a calm room usually helps at nap time, so most parents go for soft colours: white, cream, light grey, pastel mint, light pink or light blue. A few higher-contrast balls (black and white, or one bright colour) give a young baby something to track and grab. You don't need a full rainbow for a baby to enjoy the pit.
What colours work for a nursery, preschool or childminder?
In early years settings, bright and clearly different colours are useful, because the balls double as a sorting and counting resource. Four or five distinct colours, with roughly equal numbers of each, make colour games easy. A neutral pit keeps the room from feeling cluttered. If you're kitting out a venue, our sibling guide on ball pit colour schemes for venues covers branding and larger pits.
How do I order a custom ball colour mix?
Our 7cm balls are sold in boxes of 750, one colour per box, at £142.50 a box. Price per ball drops when you buy more boxes: 19p each for one box, 17.3p for three, 16.9p for seven and 16.5p for fourteen. To make your own combination, order one box per colour. If you'd rather not decide, the 800 mixed-colour pack is £178.80.
A practical tip: if your pit came with 200 or 300 balls in a neutral shade, adding one box of an accent colour changes the whole look. You can choose colours on the box of 750 product page.
Frequently asked questions
Do pastel balls show dirt more?
White and pale balls show marks sooner, which some parents see as a good thing because they know when to wash. Wash them in warm water with mild washing-up liquid and let them air-dry fully.
Can I change the colour of the pit later?
The pit's cover is part of the product, so it's easier to change the ball colours. Choosing a neutral pit gives you more freedom later.
Which pit fabrics are easiest to live with?
Cotton is the simplest. Velvet, corduroy and bouclé look more like furniture. Our guide on round vs square ball pits helps with size and shape.
Are the balls safe for babies?
Our 7cm balls are made in the EU, contain no PVC, BPA or phthalates and are EN 71 tested. Always supervise babies in a ball pit.