b'top tip When choosing colour, buy your bed-linen first. Its a lot O nce upon a time, little girls were indulged with pastel pinkeasier to find a paint colour to match as there are endless choices in the Resene range. Have fun pulling it together, playing with ideas by creating a storyboard with swatches of fabric and matching them with Resene testpots. Choose fairy or princess rooms. Little boys had blue rooms dressedthree coloursa main colour, and two accents. up with maritime, car or cowboy paraphernalia. Now few of us have unlimited budgets to splash out on traditionalLeftResene Coastal Blue and Resene Canterbury Clay are themes that may not be appropriate as children grow. As interiorjoined by trims in Resene Norwester and a floor in Resene Wan White. The bed linen is Vintage Retro Sky and Scarlet designer and colour consultant Debbie Abercrombie says: Parentsby Gorgi (www.gorgi.co.nz) with a Vintage Inspiredare looking for longevity. Most want the room to last into the teenageZebra print. years but that can be as simple as a paint colour change.AboveWhen six-year-old Bridget announced she wantedChildren are a joy to work with. They know what they like anda rainbow in her room, designer Debbie Abercrombie effected a clever interpretation by painting the various arent afraid to pick exactly the colours that and they love. Every childpanels of the bungalow bedroom in a range of soft sorbet I have worked with has their own ideas and very individual theme.shades, defined by battens in Resene Milk White. The Girls, however, do tend to pick pretty, soft colours while boys go forcolours used are Resene Heartbreaker (blue-mauve), Resene Oxygen (ice blue), Resene Soft Apple, Resene stronger, more saturated tones, says Debbie.Mellow Yellow, Resene Frangipani (pale orange) and Resene Pink Lace. My challenge is to take the colours of choice and incorporate them into a theme that the kids love as well as work with the scale of theResene Resene Reseneroom, and mum and dads preferences, and what they have chosenCoastal Blue Mellow Yellow CeleryResene Resene Resenefor the whole house. Norwester Daydream Pink Lace'