One for the boys

From the Resene decorating blog

When decorating a boy’s bedroom, you can let your imagination run wild. Jungles, dinosaurs, space, cars, animals – the themes around which you can let paint do the talking in a boy’s bedroom are endless. Of course, you can also use these same things to spark ideas for a girl’s bedrooms too.

A blue music room

Let the creative juices flow within this cool and edgy music room. The walls are in Resene Zircon, the floor is in Resene Bullitt with ‘sound waves’ in Resene Alabaster, the sideboard is in Resene Matisse, the piano shelf is in Resene Alabaster with keys in Resene All Black, the record centres are in Resene Dust Storm, Resene Lemon Ginger, Resene Half Rivergum, Resene Bullitt, Resene Matisse and Resene Vesuvius, the books are in Resene Half Rivergum, Resene Lemon Ginger and Resene Bullitt and the vases and plant pots are in Resene Dust Storm, Resene Lemon Ginger, Resene Half Rivergum, Resene Bullitt, Resene Matisse and Resene Vesuvius. Armchair from Contempa, wall hanger from KBB Music. Project by Laura Lynn Johnston, image by Bryce Carleton.

Start by talking to your child about their favourite things, their hobbies, what makes them happy and what they consider to be fun. Once they’ve made some suggestions perhaps you could too and go from there.

Murals are a sure-fire way to bring the perfect balance of colour and playfulness into a bedroom setting. A woodland theme evokes fantasy and mythical creatures. Its driving colours of grey, green and brown are rich, warming and lively. Once you’re ready, paint a base – be it a warm white neutral or a sky blue. When dry, grab a pencil and sketch an outline of your trees.

A jungle scene is also hugely popular and is a chance to bring in a multitude of colours through the different animals you’ll feature, from tigers to elephants and birds. Of course, you don’t have to stick to the real colours seen in nature on these creatures, bring in any colour palette you desire.

Any type of green setting such as these jungle or woodland themes, will bring the outside in, reminding of the fun to be had climbing trees and playing in nature.

A mountain mural that extends around all four walls will connect with their adventurous side. Bring an element of surprise to the walls with a jagged horizontal line separating two colours.

If you’d like to keep the bedroom more pared back, paint a mid-toned grey and paint scattered blue clouds throughout for a sky setting.

For a fresh, coastal look that encourages tales of sailing ocean and rowing to other seas, paint a bedroom white except for a thick horizontal stripe that extends across each wall. Whatever colour you choose, extend this colour to other aspects in the room, such as a cupboard, bookshelf and bedlinen.

Let your child’s imagination run wild and draw to their heart’s content on the walls. Don’t panic – you won’t having trouble cleaning it – if you use Resene FX Blackboard Paint and Resene FX Chalkboard Paint. It is a playful way children can interact with their paint colour and serves as a handy resource for older children to write the reminders of homework or after-school activities. Or if you prefer to avoid chalk dust, use Resene Write-on Wall Paint to create a whiteboard finish instead.

An Antarctic themed boys bedroom

A serene ocean blue bedroom

Antarctic themed room: Let your child choose a favourite animal or place and explore this theme with paint in his bedroom, as seen here in this Antarctic-themed bedroom. The upper wall is in Resene Quarter Frozen with the lower wall in Resene Spinnaker and iceberg painted ‘headboard’ is in Resene Sea Fog, Resene Frozen and Resene Blue Moon. The floor is in Resene Spinnaker, the dresser is in Resene Quarter Frozen (top section) and Resene Spinnaker (lower section), the shelf is in Resene Blue Moon, the pendant Lamp is in Resene Bright Spark, the box is in Resene Matisse, the vases are in Resene Frozen, Resene Bullitt and Resene Fuel Yellow and the pencil cup is in Resene Fuel Yellow. Bedlinen from Citta, penguin puppet from Toyco, throw from Freedom Furniture, Resene Living cushion from Briscoes. Project by Laura Lynn Johnston, image by Bryce Carleton. Blue room with skateboard: Evoke the clarity and serenity of the ocean with blues in a wide-ranging array of depths. The main wall colour is painted in Resene Bismark, the floor is painted in Resene Botticelli, the side wall colour is painted in Resene Cut Glass, the battens are painted in Resene Ziggurat, the bedside table is painted in Resene Teal Blue, the chest of drawers outside and legs is painted in Resene Norwester, then each drawer is painted in Resene Ziggurat, Resene Ming and Resene Botticelli, the lamp is painted in Resene Teal Blue, the DIY animal mirror is painted in Resene Botticelli, the large plant pot is in Resene Ming and the plastic animals are painted in Resene Teal Blue, Resene Ziggurat and Resene Moby. Bedlinen and cushion from Adairs, artwork from Etsy/themiddlevillage, faux plant and book from The Warehouse, blanket from H&M Home. Project by Vanessa Nouwens, image by Bryce Carleton.

When you visit the bach, let him choose some shells he loves. Help him select some paint colours and paint them. When they’re dry, hang them from string and turn them into a mobile, hanging below driftwood from his bedroom ceiling.

If you’re building bunks, consider the fun element of incorporating a built-in wooden slide for a playful feature. Add another playful feature by painting over stencils in animal shapes against his white furniture. Kids love creatures, especially when they’re illustrated in a vibrant, bright colour.

A camouflage theme is fun and adventurous for a little boy. Using khaki and brown paint, you can paint the pattern yourself onto a feature wall, then coat the remaining walls in one of the hues. Then add a camouflage patterned duvet cover and complementary sheets to continue the theme.

Nursery with glow-in-the-dark painted stars

Evoke the dark blue of the night sky and its magical stars with glow-in-the-dark paint. The back wall is in Resene Warrior with stars in Resene Black White, Matariki and Southern Cross constellations topcoated in Resene FX Nightlight glow-in-the-dark paint, the left wall is in Resene Mystic, the floor is in Resene Mystic, the toy box is in Resene Reservoir, the lipped shelves are in Resene Reservoir, the wall hook is in Resene Reservoir, the vases are in Resene Half Jumbo, Resene Reservoir, Resene Warrior and Resene Hermitage, the star ornament is in Resene Proton Metallic, the DIY kite mobile is in Resene Proton metallic (hoop), Resene Reservoir (blue kites), Resene Half Jumbo (grey kites) and Resene Black White (white kites) and the wooden beads accents are in Resene Reservoir. Cot from Mocka, sheets, blanket, cushion, rug, sensory pack and beads from Kmart, aqua cushion and story books from The Warehouse. Project by Laura Lynn Johnston, image by Bryce Carleton.

Don’t be afraid to go bold and joyful for a boy’s bedroom. Choose a lively hue such as yellow, terracotta or red, these don’t only apply to girls’ bedrooms. You may have grey or white walls, apply bright accent colours to the bed frame, bed bunks drawers.

Remember your wooden floorboards are also a place to bring colour. Once you’ve chosen your overall room palette, paint the floorboards a matching hue, or alternate each floorboard with a different shade.

Colour is a brilliant and practical way to deal with storage. Paint baskets and hang the on the wall in different colours for storage options. Or if you have cubby holes under a window seat cushion or in a set of shelves, paint each box in a complementary colour. He can label each box for toys, art supplies or shoes. Bring in hexagonal shelving coloured in a bright hue for storage too.

A black and white bedroom is one that won’t date quickly, and to this you can apply accents in a colour, changing it whenever you get bored of it.

If your son has trouble choosing just one colour for his walls, introduce him to the idea of blocks of colour being painted on his walls as a feature wall or simply curved shapes of colour.

In a room with warm grey whitewash walls, apply décor in primary colours – a colourful rug, stools, chairs, floor cushions and bedspreads in red, blue, mustard and cream.

Older boys will look for a bedroom that is slightly less playful. A teenage boy’s bedroom is one in which he will prioritise seclusion and time with his friends. Studying and storage space will both need to be considered in his bedroom’s decor, but so will be his way of expressing his personality. To avoid him growing out of his room too quickly, let him choose his favourite colours, but use them in stripes of colour on the walls that aren’t too childlike.

An industrial theme is one that can work well for teenage boys, a moody, sage green, dark grey or muted blue setting can be achieved with a tone-on-tone approach. Apply a lighter hue to the top of the wall and the darker tone at the bottom of the wall. From here you can bring in pops of brighter accent colours, try tangerine, yellow, grass green and red. All of these colours can be used on wire baskets or crates for storage, pendant lights or wooden furniture.

If you don’t want your son’s bedroom to change much as he matures, achieve a dusky blue and moody grey colour scheme, holding it together with mid-century-inspired furniture. To bring it to a young boy’s age level, apply playful elements such as a mobile or wall decals. For young teens, place a large painted pinboard on the wall. This can act as a place for him to keep track of his study deadlines, pieces of writing he likes, pictures, music posters and photos.