Special touches
The Birch family's home is neutral throughout, except for the children's rooms that each have their own special and unique personality to suit the child that sleeps within.

Their daughter's room was always going to be green, inspired by a handpainted plate given to Tammy as a child. The challenge was to choose the right shade and tone of green to bring to life the bedroom she had always imagined for her daughter. The atmosphere and feeling had to be girly, pretty and 'princess like' - something that would be appreciated by a two year old but still sophisticated enough that she wouldn't grow out of it.

The bright pink curtains set the stage for the rest of the room, necessitating a green paint with sufficient depth to complement the curtains without competing with them. Resene Snow Flurry proved to be the ideal choice offset with Resene White on trims, joinery, drawers and the mirror surround and a custom made duvet to link the fresh green and pink together.

With their second child on the way but with no knowledge of whether it might be a boy or girl, the decision was made to go with a blue room that could be complemented and accessorised with either hot pink or greens and yellows depending on whether they ended up with a son or a daughter.

Blue with coloured stripe curtains were used as the start point, with the fabric also being incorporated into a handmade cot quilt. Resene Spindle was the perfect tone of blue, but too dark, but Resene Spindle reduced to quarter strength proved to be perfect.

In case they had a daughter they did not want a dark blue as it would have a definite masculine feel. Although Resene Quarter Spindle was more subtle, it had sufficient depth that if they had a son the room would still look blue enough to be a definite boy's room. It was also a more flexible backdrop for accessorising different colours such as pinks, yellows and blues.

With the room painted and awaiting accessorising, they ended up having a son. The finishing room touches could now be added, comprising blue and yellow accessories together with a handmade animal picture and moon and star mobile.

Daughter's bedroom	Son's bedroom
Resene Snow Flurry	Resene Spindle

Thanks to Tammy Birch of Auckland.