A place to come home to

Craft - inspired by Resene, from Little Treasures magazine

When there’s a baby on the way, it’s time to nest... to create a comfortable space that will be your baby’s special place.

Where should I start?

• Choosing a nursery colour is the fun part. Pick up a paint chart from a Resene ColorShop or visit the Resene website.
• Resene has a special KidzColour range, as well as thousands of other colours. The Resene website’s Decorating Inspiration Gallery has heaps of ideas. Use Resene EzyPaint virtual painting software online to try out different colour options.
• It’s testpot time! Paint a large board and move it round the room both day and night to see how it looks in different lights.

Keep it neat

Babies attract stuff, so think about storage when you’re planning your nursery. Look for sweet cane baskets or a row of matching boxes to keep everything neat. If you’re short on space, a row of painted wooden boxes stashed under the cot gives you extra storage space. Try Resene KidzColour Pretty in Pink for a girl, Resene Three Wishes for a boy or Resene Sherbert if you’re not sure!

Dasiy brights

Buy cut-out shapes from a shop such as Spotlight and paint them in bright and breezy Resene KidzColour shades. What about a field of daisies for a little girl or a scattering of stars in Resene FX Metallic paint for a would-be spaceman?

DIY art

To brighten white walls, paint affordable plain canvases in bright colours and hang them on the walls. Not a hint of artistic talent needed! Or paint a wooden photo frame or two and add family photos.

Just a stripe or two...

If your house’s décor is neutral but you want some colour for your baby’s space, think about introducing a stripe or two of a rich colour. This baby girl’s nursery was painted in subtle Resene Merino. But stripes of Resene KidzColour Pink Panther and Resene Princess give it a funky, girly twist.

Babies love bright colours – so how about going a little crazy with stripes of Resene KidzColour Clowning Around and Resene Lickety Split or Resene KidzColour Rocket and Resene Zappo. A room in these colours will easily grow with your child through to the school years.

Spice it up

If you’re renting and can’t paint the walls, jazz up old furniture with colours to give your baby’s room an original touch. If you’ve got better things to spend your money on than designer baby furniture, give your baby an original start to life. Jeanette Troon, of Wellington’s Doodah Design painted a cot in bright multicoloured stripes. For cot safety information visit www.consumeraffairs.govt.nz, go to consumer information and search “cot safety checklist”.

Softly, softly

If it’s a traditional soothing baby’s nursery you’re after, take a look at some of the softer shades in the Resene KidzColour range – such as Resene Soft Whisper, Resene Dreamer or Resene Squirt.

White on white

White-on-white is a safe option for a nursery, especially if you want a room that is gender neutral and easy to update as an older child’s space. It’s a popular choice among mums and dads with minimalist tastes as it relates well to the rest of the neutral tones in those houses. Remember that there are lots of shades of white on the paint charts so talk to your Resene ColorShop professional about the best white to go with your favourite accents. A soft antique white such as Resene Quarter Spanish White is popular for nurseries.

Window-wise

Choosing a gorgeous curtain fabric is often a great start for a room’s décor. It’s often easier to match the paint to the fabric than the other way round – a divine fabric may well spark off your whole nursery scheme. If you can’t find the right paint match, ask the Resene ColorShop staff to create a custom colour for you.

A well-made window treatment will keep the room cosier and also block out the light, so your baby knows when the blinds are down, it’s time to sleep. If you select a black-out lining, it will pay dividends during sunny summer evenings when you’re desperate to get a toddler off to dreamland.

Stick em up

The stripes in this room were undercoated with Resene Magnetic Magic. As your child grows she’ll love to play with magnets scattered on the wall. Or fill magnetic photo frames with snaps of favourite people and create your own gallery.

DIY touch

Got an old chair or a cute second-hand stool that needs a spruce up? This bargain fold-up chair was given a new lease of life in metallic effect Resene KidzColour Super Sonic. Team it with a little cushion and cute red gumboots that you can’t believe will ever fit your tiny newborn.

Picture perfect

If your artistic skills won’t stretch to creating a fabulous princess room like the one at right, what about stencilling? You’ll find stencil designs on the Resene website. With just a litre or two of paint you can give your baby’s room an original look. And it’s easy to paint over later as tastes change.

Rest a while

A comfy feeding chair is one of the best investments you’ll ever make in a nursery. So plan ahead for midnight feeds with a cosy corner – you’ll be spending plenty of time there! Ask your electrician to replace your conventional light switch with dimmer switches so that you can control the light you need to see you into baby’s room safely at night without tripping over anything. Keep the lights low for midnight feeds to get your baby used to the idea that night-time is for sleeping and day-time for playing.

Warm it up

Wooden floors may be fashionable, but they may be chilly for middle of the night wake-up calls. Look for luxurious rugs – and they don’t always have to be rectangular. A circular rug, or even two or three, are fun to dot around as a contrast to the rectangular lines of most cots.

Paint-wise

Use a low-sheen paint such as Resene SpaceCote Low Sheen or Resene Zylone Sheen VOC Free on walls, a semi-gloss or gloss waterborne enamel, such as Resene Lustacryl or Resene Enamacryl, on trim and joinery and a flat finish on the ceiling, such as Resene SpaceCote Flat or Resene Ceiling Paint. Waterborne paints are more pleasant to use, have less odour and are better for your family’s health. Brushes and rollers wash up easily in water.

Kid's Bedroom Decorating Ideas
View more decorating ideas for kids from Little Treasures magazine in the Resene kid's bedroom inspiration gallery.

More ideas