designing your child’s bedroomUnlike other rooms in your house, your children’s bedrooms must grow and adjust to their ever-changing needs – from newborn to teenager. This takes smart forward thinking, but thankfully there’s a world of wonderful decoration to choose from.

walls and colour The options are endless. Not only are there thousands of paint colours, but plenty of interesting finishes and types of paint. www.resene.co.nz has magnetic and chalkboard paint, as well as glitter and shimmer glazes. And there is a fantastic range of chalkboard colours at www.hudsonpaint.com.

From a style point of view, a flat matt paint finish looks best – just make sure it’s marmite finger friendly and can be wiped clean.

What hue to choose? Take into account the room’s aspect, natural lighting and its size. White walls will brighten a room and highlight the furniture and accessories in it. But don’t be afraid of deeper colours if the room allows. Bold sophisticated colour schemes can last as your child ages, such as aqua or charcoal, with white.

At www.thelivingroom.co.nz, www.lovemae.com.au, www.stuckonyou.com and www.stickytiki.com, to name a few, there’s a world of amazing wall decals. Check the quality first – most are made of fabric so won’t rip or wrinkle, and make sure they are removable for repositioning and won’t wreck the wall or surface.

Wallpaper adds yet another dimension to a child’s bedroom, as does artwork. All wall treatments should be thought through for longevity. For example, a beautiful floral wallpaper from Designer’s Guild will be perfectly feminine for a toddler’s room and will be just as fitting when she is a teenager. You can also try Resene and www.paperroom.nz for great wallpaper selections. The same thinking applies to artwork. Steer clear of TV and current movie heroes. Why not take the chance to introduce a limited print from an up-and-coming artist? www.etsy.com and www.felt.co.nz are goldmines for great pieces – not only for art, but also original or limited edition toys and accessories.

floors and windows These can be two large financial outlays and are permanent features, so choose carefully and wisely. Practicality also plays a part here. Wool carpet is the number one flooring choice in NZ as it’s warm, a good insulator and quiet. Floorboards are also an option and can be varnished, oiled or painted. Because they are dust-free and easy to clean, they are good in particular for asthma and allergy sufferers. You could buy rugs to decorate and warm the room, with the added ease of airing them outside regularly. Whatever you choose, flooring should be consistent throughout the other bedrooms in your home.

What to choose for window dressing? Fabric blinds or curtains, wooden blinds or shutters? In NZ, because of our climate, fabric curtains or blinds are best. Choosing thermal and/or interlined curtains, and ensuring they are generously-sized around the outer most of the frame, is the best way to ensure that heat stays in.

Choose a neutral-coloured, good quality fabric such as linen. Blinds cost more in the making but use less fabric, whereas curtains will use more fabric (allow for twice the width of the window, and always specify to the floor) but cost less to make.

bedding, furniture and accessories Is there such a thing as too much storage? Not when it comes to children’s spaces and bedrooms. Whether you are in a position to have built-in storage or non-permanent, flexibility is important. Remember that each age group has different storage needs – large plastic and wooden toys as a baby, then a change to smaller pieces such as lego or dolls house furniture, then to a study area. Wardrobes also need to be flexible in accommodating different sizes and types of clothing.

Make use of hidden areas, like under the bed. Higher cupboards are great for storing extra toys or out-of-season clothes. Think creatively and storage needn’t become a huge expense. Stacked painted crates can be a perfect toy sorter. www.trademe.co.nz has plenty of second-hand storage solutions that can be re-purposed to fit into your child’s bedroom. Choose good quality wood (even if it is going to be painted) and well-made pieces for longevity and style.

Birdhouse wallpaper

from paperroom.co.nz

Kids club bumblebees and caterpillars wallpaper from resene.co.nz

Chinese rose red wallpaper

from paperroom.co.nz

Kids club safari wallpaper from resene.co.nz

Raspberry bugs and butterflies wallpaper from paperroom.co.nz

Vintage cowboy fabric

from

tomtomjak.co.nz

Nautical fabric from tomtomjak.co.nz

Esprit kids wallpaper from resene.co.nz

Emily fabric from teapea.co.nz

Cheerful chirpy fabric from teapea.co.nz

Top: The nautical-themed room by urbankids.co.nz is perfect for boys and girls, or for shared rooms - there are so many opportunities for creativity. This theme accommodates so many colours and accessories -including all those collectables from holidays at the beach!

Above: Designers Guild Meadowsweet duvet from allium.co.nz combines a plethora of dainty detail and colours to create a very feminine girl’s room. This look would easily suit girls from 4- to 14-years with its vintage appeal.

Top: Keeping it soft? The new Wallace Cotton Rebecca range combines lovely soft pinks and greens with lots of ruffles, and all in natural cotton. Very pretty when combined with white painted furniture and walls.

Above: We love these traffic pattern sheets from teapea.co.nz. Cot sheets and pillow cases with just a strip of pattern on plain white is always striking, especially in a white room. You could bring in one wall of colour (from the pattern) or maybe a textural rug in a bright colour.

Banana Split

Hop Skotch

Snap

Hokey Pokey

Bubblegum

Dreamer Go Go Go

Sherbert

Splat

kids love colour …continued bedding, furniture and accessoriesFurniture needs will change as the baby grows into a child. It is important that a nursery has the right furniture for safety and ease of caring for the baby. Change tables should be the right height to protect backs, and have storage so that all necessities are close at hand. Some furniture is designed to grow with the child, such as the Stokke Sleepi. White painted furniture, especially the bed, makes a fantastic backdrop for showcasing bedding. Its worth investing in a good quality bed that will last the distance, such as those from Sleepyhead.

Bedding should be 100% natural fibre, check out options such as www.alpacadream.co.nz or www.naturebaby.co.nz for beautiful duvet inners. Keep away from commercial designs when choosing bedding – they will let the rest of your stylish room down. Choose designs that you like as well – remember it’s going in your house. www.teapea.co.nz and www.gorgi.co.nz are good starters for stylish bedlinen, and conveniently online for delivery to your door. Boys’ rooms look great with reds, blues, stripes and retro prints. For a girl – floral, colourful birds, or apples look great. Bunting strung above a bed, cot or window completes the look.

We have brought together a selection of colours from the Resene KidzColour range, and had a bit of fun creating a few dreams and themes for a child’s bedroom. Don’t feel you need to stick with our suggestions, this is the time to get a bit whimsical and create some magic of your own – and sometimes putting a name to your colour choice will give you inspiration for the other elements. What a wonderful opportunity to really be creative and have some fun!

pirouettes in wild thyme • pretty in pink• go go go

feijoa fizz• top secret• sherbet• snap

ginger berry• gobstopper• hokey pokey

sugared violets• splat• bubblegum• gobstopper

ladybirds in the garden• glitterbug• splat

rompa stompa• rocket• top secret• banana split

winter pixies• dreamer• go go go

golden delicious• go go go

• hokey pokey

land of treats• go go go• gobstopper• banana split

bells and whistles• rocket• go go go

Super DuperPretty in Pink

Gobstopper

Glitter Bug

Top Secret

Rocket

Above: Karlsson puzzle clock from allium.co.nz

Left: This butterfly wallpaper

from paperroom.co.nz makes the room come alive.

Picking a darker accent, like aubergine or charcoal,

is a great combination with clean colours, like

turquoise and raspberry.

Win $1500 worth of products for your bedroom makeover!