Craft - inspired by Resene, from Little Treasures magazine
When planning your nursery, choose a colour palette that stimulates baby’s senses from an early age and encourages a sense of calm for the parent.
In those early years, the nursery becomes the most inhabited room in the house, where your baby sleeps, feeds, grows and takes in their new world. At three to four months, your little one will start to distinguish depth and colour… and so choosing the right colours for your nursery will stimulate baby’s senses in a valuable way – not to mention provide a pleasing colour palette for you to enjoy. But which colours are the best? Here are our top three picks.
Natural greens are close to the centre of the colour spectrum, providing balance to the eyes and giving it a restful uality. It’s also said to provide a feeling of stability, as often when we see green in nature it means a sign of health and abundance. Keep it modern and beautiful by going with dusky greens.
Warm soothing beige is not only a trending colour in interior design right now, it’s also a wonderful way to set a haven-like tone in your nursery. Using natural browns in various tones and textures reminds us of the outdoors, the warmth of a bonfire and the all-round beauty of nature. Go for a sandy beige to create a comfortable, peaceful room for you and baby, with deeper tonal colours to complete the look.
Craft tip: Create the distressed look of this wall hook by painting it in Resene Bone. Once dry, add streaks of Vaseline and paint over with Resene Kalgoorie Sands. When it’s completely dry, take a cloth and rub off the Vaseline – this will show the colour underneath, finishing the look.
Send baby off to la la land with these dreamy blues. Sky blues have the effect of serenity and stability and are an almost universally loved colour. They’re also linked to creativity. Go for blues that remind you of a clear sky, and warm it up with furniture painted in lilac-tinged blues. Grey blues and white blues also work well with this gentle yet enriching colour scheme.
Accessories: Bird Flight Print Muslin, Moses Basket, Natural Muslin, Mushroom Nightlight, Birch Trees, Baby Hair Brush, Organic Baby Bottom Balm, Blue/Green Wobble Tower, Sunday Pants in Little Wave Marine Print, Merino Knit Cardigan in Meadow, Pocket Tee in Natural, Splash Sunhat in Meadow Blue Mist Print, Baby Deer and Merino Knit Blanket in Meadow from Nature Baby. Forget Me Not Muslin Wrap, Forget Me Not Cot Blanket and Selvedge Edge Hand Loom Rug from Citta. Bianca Lorenne Knitted Cotton Wash Cloth Set and Keko Wooden Pull Along Toy Duck from Tea Pea. Bashful Bunny Booties in Cream from Father Rabbit
Accessories: Kalon Caravan Crib, Sheet Set, Reversible Bib in Forest Print, Merino Knit Blanket, Baby Deer and Birch Tree from Nature Baby. Pale Whisper Chunky Throw and Coconut Tea Lite from Indie Home Collective. Keko Wooden Pull Along Toy Duck from Tea Pea. Forget Me Not Muslin Wrap, Forget Me Not Cot Blanket, Selvedge Edge Hand Loom Rug and Bob The Monster in Dusk from Citta. Plush Round Button Cushion from Wallace Cotton
Give your baby the nostalgic delight of seeing kites floating in the air with this do-it-yourself mobile, using Resene testpots
Accessories: Grotime Scandi 4 in 1 Cot and Sleepyhead Innersprung Cot Mattress from Farmers. Big Cloud Light, Sunday Pants in Little Wave Marine Print and Sheet Set from Nature Baby. Elm Square Cushion in Teal/White from Wallace Cotton. Bianca Lorenne Knitted Cotton Wash Cloth Set from Tea Pea. Sea Creatures Muslin Wrap, Whale Of A Time Cot Blanket and Wilfred the Whale from Citta.
Give your baby the nostalgic delight of seeing kites floating in the air with this do-it-yourself mobile, using Resene testpots
Cut the cardboard into multiple pieces of diamonds.
Paint the diamonds in various Resene testpot colours.
Once dry, take two of the diamonds and place white cotton down the middle, in between them. Leave a few diamond pairs without cotton to use later, but still glue together as below.
Glue the unpainted sides together. Repeat until all the diamonds are all glued together.
Take a couple of the diamonds with cotton and cut halfway up, vertically. Repeat with the diamonds without cotton.
Insert the cut diamonds together, creating a 3D shape.
Paint the dowel – we used Resene Super Duper – and leave to dry.
String the diamonds onto the dowel.
Finish by adding washi tape to the bottom of each kite.
(Optional) Hang fluffy clouds to create the look of skies.
Use Resene FX Metallic testpots to add a little extra shimmer and shine. Silver Resene So Cool and Resene Solid Gold metallic finishes are versatile and go well with most other colours.
To bring your child’s room colour palette together, you can use the same accent colours in more than one place. Why not use colours from the mobile in letters for their name, frame or furniture knobs?
Give your little one something to look at when the lights go out. Use Resene FX Nightlight glow-in-thedark paint on a few parts of your mobile. This will gently glow when the lights are out and slowly wane.
If you have older children, let them help with choosing the colours for the mobile and painting them on. You might be pleasantly surprised at their colour choices! Plus, it’s a good way for them to feel like they are helping a younger child in the family.
Use a semi-gloss finish, such as Resene Lustacryl waterborne enamel, or a gloss finish, such as Resene Enamacryl, on furniture and change tables. The higher gloss level finish will be easier to wipe clean than a lower sheen finish.
Make sure that you position your mobile so your child can easily see it when in bed, but so that it’s well out of reach.
Styling by Leigh Stockton. Photography by Bryce Carleton.
Kid's Bedroom Decorating Ideas
View more decorating ideas for kids from Little Treasures magazine in the Resene kid's bedroom inspiration gallery.