Underwater mermaid's bedroom

Kids' Corner from Your Home and Garden magazine

Your child will have nothing but sweet dreams in this charming underwater mermaid’s bedroom.

Paint effect

Resene Paint Effects Medium was the perfect product to use on the wall for a dreamy underwater feel as it creates a two-tone, washed effect. To achieve the effect, paint your base colour first (we used Resene Riptide). Once dry, take a testpot of your secondary colour (ours was Resene Perfume) and mix it into the Medium, which is a watery, milky paint. Once mixed in, simply brush it on lightly across the wall.

To create the feeling of waves, the paint was applied in a scallop pattern. The finish you want is completely up to you and how you apply the Resene Paint Effects Medium to the wall. If you’d like the top colour to be more dominant, simply add more testpots to the Resene Paint Effects Medium.

Tip: Continue with the underwater theme by using the same wall paint colours for the bedside table and team with complementary bedlinen.

Wall painted in Resene SpaceCote Low Sheen in Resene Riptide and Resene Paint Effects Medium with a testpot of Resene Perfume. Floor painted in Resene Walk-on in Resene Half Fog. Furniture and accessories painted in Resene Lustacryl in Resene Riptide, Resene Hopbush and Resene Perfume.

Beside the bed

A bedside cabinet is always handy as kids seem to constantly collect things that need a home! This two-drawer cabinet is great for the bedside light and a book and it’s an ideal spot for storing small toys, stationery and other treasures. We transformed this natural wood cabinet from Kmart with a simple coat of paint. Because of its surface, no sealer was required; it just needed two coats of Resene paint. To make the drawers more appealing, the fronts were painted in Resene Perfume and the rest was painted in Resene Riptide.

Play space

If you have the room, consider adding a small table and chairs or stool set, such as this one from Mocka. To tie your scheme together choose colours from the room’s colour scheme. We used Resene Riptide for the table and Resene Hopbush for the stools. Enamel paint such as Resene Lustacryl semi-gloss waterborne enamel works well here as it is hard-wearing, easy to wipe clean and won’t chip

Accessories: Table and stool set, from Mocka. Tea set, mermaid plush toy, shell toy, mermaidtail blanket, foil backdrop, sheet set, side unit, wooden base lamp, wooden ice cream set, all from Kmart. A4 print, from Maiko Nagao. Duvet cover set, from Brampton House. Cotton pillowcase, from Spotlight. Mermaid cup, from Typo. Certificate frame, from Look Sharp. Pale rose cushion and round rug, both from Allium. Banter Vibes cushion (in box), from Warehouse Stationery. Mermaid wrapping paper (in frame), from Shut The Front Door. For toy box try starex.co.nz or mocka.co.nz for similar. All other items, stylist’s own.

Styling by Vanessa Nouwens. Photography by Wendy Fenwick

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May 2019

Kid's Bedroom Decorating Ideas
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