made for sharing

• Give each child a separate area of the room to decorate, so they both get a say in how the room will look.
• For a cohesive feel, consider getting two of the same item for key furniture pieces, such as beds, desks and chests of drawers.
• Reversible duvet covers can be flipped to a different side on each bed so that each has a different pattern but the overall colour palette of the room stays the same.
• Add cushions and patterned pillowcases to mix up the bedding.
• Use toy boxes to keep a shared room tidy and paint them in a pattern that echoes the theme of the room.
• Use a paint effect to give each child their own ‘zone’, like this diagonal device, or just straight up and down between the beds.

Fair is fair

Just because your children share a bedroom doesn’t mean they necessarily need to share a colour scheme. And using colour to clearly – and fairly – divide the space could serve as a way of keeping the peace between older children. The wall and floor on the left side of this room are painted in Resene Finch while the right side is in Resene Thor. To make the scheme feel cohesive, paint all the furniture in the same colour, such as Resene All Black, and choose artwork that shares a similar vibe or colours in common.

Note: Use a stencil to trace shapes on to paintable wallpaper from the Resene Wallpaper Collection, available at your local Resene ColorShop. Paint them with Resene testpots, cut them out and tack them up to take your wall mural from two to three dimensions.

Top tip: For wipeable walls opt for Resene SpaceCote Low Sheen waterborne enamel.

› Learn more about this look

Shared interests

One child is crazy for dinosaurs, the other is obsessed with butterflies. When decorating a kids’ bedroom or play space, there is no need to play favourites if you use a cohesive colour palette to tie together two or more seemingly conflicting ideas. Shades of dusty pink and silvery sage blend beautifully on walls. Use fun stencils so you can make sure both kids’ interests are enjoyed in a shared space.

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