Paint trends
Spaces that can multitask have never been so essential. Let us teach you how to use paint to create kids’ rooms that are both this and that.
Techniques for teens and tots.
For teens
Sleep meets study in this space that caters to both equally well, thanks to a built-in desk that itself does double duty for learning and as a surface on which to arrange decorative vignettes.
- Get fit This room celebrates simple, bold forms and a hero piece of furniture: the desk. Finding the right desk to fit a bedroom can be tricky, but build your own and you can specify the perfect width and length for your space. -
Check it To create this tiled effect, paint your desk with Resene SpaceCote Low Sheen in Resene Quarter Tea, allow to dry, then apply a second coat. Use a ruler and pencil to mark alternating increments of 1cm along the long edge of the desk (these are the pale ‘grout’ lines ) and 4.5cm from these lines (the wider blue ‘tiles’), repeating until you reach the end. Repeat the process on the remaining edges, then use a ruler and pencil to join the marks to create a grid. Use 1cm painter’s tape to mask the 1cm lines, then use a roller to paint the desk with three coats of Resene Enamacryl in Resene Wishing Well, letting the paint dry between each coat. Remove the tape, then use a rubber to erase any pencil lines.
- Round & round Our scalloped ‘headboard’ brings definition to the sleep zone. Copy it by using pencil and ruler to draw a line 1m from the floor, then apply a strip of painter’s tape along it. Do the same on the floor, masking an area 40cm from the wall. Paint the masked-off area with two coats of your chosen colour (we used Resene SpaceCote Low Sheen in Resene Raging Bull), allowing it to dry in between, then remove the tape. Draw a 40cm-diameter semi-circle on a piece of card and cut it out. Place the flat edge on top of your painted area, trace around it with pencil, repeating along the wall, then fill in with two coats of your chosen Resene colour.
For tots
Use contrasting colours and shapes for visual stimulation in a dedicated play area within a baby’s bedroom, which you can re-style as your little one grows and develops.
- Middle ground Loosely inspired by the work of late French artist Henri Matisse, who considered colours as forces, this Resene palette (like the one on the previous pages) sits in the zone between harmony and tension. Here, the warm undertones of the dominant green and red have a friendly friction with the cooler pastel mauve on the floor.
- Squiggle top To make the mural, sketch the composition for your face on a piece of paper to get the proportions right for your walls, then use a pencil to translate the design onto the walls, before painting it. To apply Resene SpaceCote Low Sheen in Resene Untamed and Resene Wet N Wild, we used a mini speed brush for better control over the width of the line and accuracy on the curves. -
Low regardez Position a mirror low down on the wall and hang a mobile on a long string to foster curiosity during tummy time. -
Next steps To transition this area as age dictates, remove the mirror and mobile, and add bookshelves and a nest of cushions to make a reading nook. Or create a spot for imaginative play with a chest full of dress-up outfits and a table or mat for arts and crafts.