Dot a lot

From the Resene colour inspiration – latest looks gallery

When your kids are very little and their personalities and preferences are still emerging, coming up with a design scheme for their bedrooms often still falls primarily onto mum and dad’s shoulders – and it can sometimes be hard to know where to start.

Often, girl’s bedrooms can fall victim to being too ‘pinky-pinky’ and ‘girly-girly’. But choosing a couple of unexpected accent colours, such as a vibrant coral orange or a caramel brown, can make for a really nice alternative, adding a sense of fun and keeping things from looking too precious.

A hand-painted polka dot pattern on the walls

Mood board: Background in Resene Pearl Bush, A4 drawdown painted swatches in (from left to right) Resene Double Alabaster, Resene Swiss Caramel, Resene Wafer and Resene Big Bang and mason jar in Resene Spring Wood. Paint: Walls in Resene Wafer, Floor in Resene Pearl Bush, Hand-painted dots in Resene Double Alabaster, Bedside table in Resene Big Bang, Toy box in Resene Urbane with triangle design in Resene Big Bang, Cacti pot in Resene Dust Storm, Large mason jar in Resene Umber White, Small mason jar (with colouring pencils) in Resene Spring Wood.

If you like the look of a well-matched space, bed linens can be a great place to start off a colour palette in a kids’ bedroom. Once you find a set you like, bring in a pillowcase or sheet to your local Resene ColorShop and the staff can help you find the perfect paint colours to match it. Or, upload a photo of the bedding (either from a store’s website or a well-lit one you’ve taken yourself) into the Resene Colour Palette Generator to get a list of Resene colours to try.

That’s what led us to pick Resene Big Bang and Resene Swiss Caramel as the accents to add some whimsy to an otherwise dusty pink palette which has walls in Resene Wafer and a floor in Resene Pearl Bush. We used a bit of high-quality painter’s masking tape to create the triangle design on the toy box in Resene Big Bang over a base coat of Resene Urbane. Layering in other soft pinks and dusty whites, such as the cacti pot in Resene Dust Storm, the small mason jar (with the colouring pencils) in Resene Spring Wood and the large mason jar in Resene Umber White, adds further depth to the scheme.

Bedroom with an unexpected vibrant coral bedside table

Accessories: Eden Single Bed Headboard in Rose Gold from Incy Interiors; Sweet Pea Quilt Cover; Sweet Pea Pillowcase; Blush Linen Flower Pillowcase; Watermelon Velvet Euro Cushion; Large Petal Throw from Castle; Home Republic Mongolian Sheepskin Cushion in Blush from Adairs; Face Vase with Flowers; Braided Floor Rug in Pink from Kmart. All other props are stylist’s own.

Other colours that could be added or swapped for Resene Big Bang and Resene Swiss Caramel which would have matched just as well with the bedding are Resene Escape, Resene Blue Moon and Resene Elephant. These three blues would be a great option to incorporate in a room that your little girl shares with a little boy. Or, forgo pink altogether and use Resene Ming on the walls, Resene Sea Nymph on the floor, Resene Possessed on the nightstand and add in a few accents of Resene Chilean Fire, Resene Beethoven and Resene Snow Drift.

The hand-painted polka dot pattern on the walls is easy for anyone to replicate at home. We used a level as a ruler to lightly draw vertical pencil lines across the wall 5cm apart as a general guide. Then, we dotted on Resene Double Alabaster using a large, round artist’s brush along each line approximately 5cm apart – though these we measured much less carefully, as we liked the casual look that the imperfectly spaced dots created.

Bringing in a low-pile rug in a kid’s room can provide a soft place for play. Look for one that’s made of cotton, so that’s its easily washable. Or, to keep things super easy to clean, try painting a rug on to the floor. It’ll give your design the same sort of look and a quick mop up is all you will need if any accidents happen. Plus, it’s simple to paint over it when your child’s tastes change as they grow up – or if things get a little crazy with the crayons.