Childrens' shared room

Kids' Corner from Your Home and Garden magazine

Give a shared room individual style with cool and contemporary paint effects.

Painted toy box

Decorating a shared children’s room can be tricky, as the occupants are bound to have very different ideas about how it should look. Search for some common ground between the two – a theme, colour or object that both kids love – and use this as your starting point. In this case, it was doughnuts, and the fun bedlinen we found was not only the perfect unisex choice but the springboard for the entire scheme.

Decor tips

Give each child a separate area of the room to decorate, so they both get a say in how the room will look.
For a cohesive feel consider getting two of the same key pieces of furniture, such as beds, desks and chests of drawers.
Reversible duvet covers. If you use a different side on each bed it means each bed has a different pattern, but the overall colour palette of the room stays the same.
Add cushions and patterned pillowcases to mix up the bedding.

Shared bedroom - anged wall, diamond wall

“Consider dividing the room in half using a paint effect, so each child feels like they have their own zone. In this room, we painted the wall behind the bed in two different resene colours, separated by a diagonal line.”

Paint tricks

The entrance wall to the room is painted in a diamond pattern that mimics the bedlinen design. Using painter’s masking tape, mark your walls so each diamond is approximately 29cm high and 16cm wide. Paint diamonds with Resene SpaceCote Low Sheen and remove masking tape when dry.
Use toy boxes to keep a shared room tidy. Paint in Resene Quarter Alabaster (white) then paint the diamond pattern on the front to continue the theme

Accessories / colours

Top photo: Wall painted in Resene Sunkissed; floor painted in Resene Quarter Alabaster; white toy box, from Mocka, painted in Resene SpaceCote Low Sheen in Resene Sunkissed, Resene Frozen and Resene Tussock. Armadillo & Co Twine rug in charcoal/limestone, from The Ivy House; Seedling wooden sword, from Shut The Front Door; hula hoop, from Look Sharp; lightbox, from Kmart; wooden camera, from Decor Handled; glitter ball, from Kmart; Lego Mixel toy, from Farmers; ice cream money box, from Green With Envy. Books, stylist’s own.

Lower photo (left): Floor painted in Resene Walk-on in Resene Quarter Alabaster; side wall painted in Resene Foundry (grey); back wall painted in Resene Frozen (blue) and Resene Sunkissed (yellow); paint diamonds in Resene SpaceCote Low Sheen in Resene Quarter Alabaster, Resene Sunkissed and Resene Tussock. All walls painted in Resene SpaceCote Low Sheen. Bleeker St pendant light, from Freedom; ‘Grow Up’ print,(unframed), from miniandmaximus.com; Seedling wooden sword, from Shut The Front Door; doughnut Post-it notes, from Collected; Fenton grey bedside table, from Farmers; felt ball, from Good as Gold; diamond canister, from Me and My Trend; Lego Mixel toy, from Farmers; twirly ribbon wand, from Seedling; lightbox, from Kmart; Milk and Sugar checked blanket, from Home Etc; Sack Me Crispy Crème doughnut cushion, and Sack Me Crispy Crème pillowcase, both from Shut The Front Door; Sack Me Crispy Crème single reversible duvet cover, and Sack Me diamond pillowcase, both from Tea Pea; Castle pegboard pillowcase, and Castle spot pillowcase, both from Small Acorns; Baxter yellow cushion, from Freedom; fox soft toy, from Cotton On Kids; Armadillo & Co Twine rug in charcoal/limestone, from The Ivy House. Grey velvet cushion, books and shoes, stylist’s own.

Lower photo (right): Wall painted in Resene Quarter Alabaster, Resene Tussock and Resene Sunkissed; Heaven in Earth wooden pegs, from Tea Pea, painted in Resene Frozen.Doughnut Post-it notes, from Collected; ice cream skipping rope, from Tea Pea; Fenton bedside table, from Farmers; drawstring bag (comes with the Sack Me Crispy Crème pillowcase inside), from Shut The Front Door. Poodle decoration, stylist’s own.

Resene Sunkissed

Resene Quarter Alabaster

Resene Frozen

Resene Tussock

Created and styled by Vanessa Nouwens. Photography by Melanie Jenkins.

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Kid's Bedroom Decorating Ideas
View more decorating ideas for kids from Your Home and Garden magazine in the Resene kid's bedroom inspiration gallery.

More ideas

Resene Paints Ltd – www.resene.com