A fine vintage

Modern, mass-produced furniture pales in comparison to vintage pieces with colourful past lives, and with a little creativity, you can give tired classics a whole new lease of life.

Creating a nursery from scratch needn't be expensive or boring! Retro, vintage, and pre-loved furniture pieces can create an artistry which is not easy to fInd in today's market. With a little imagination and some elbow grease, any piece of furniture (as long as it has good bones) can take on a new life. Paint is a most satisfying reviver and assists in the coordination of a room's style and colour. Floor-standing shelves can be remodelled into wall shelving; vintage teacups into an eclectic array of bud vases. Pages from retro annuals and storybooks also make for great framed imagery. The best advice is to get started early and take some time to shop around: If chosen carefully, your newly acquired "vintage fInds" will both enhance and complement existing modern furniture purchases. You will also relish the knowledge that your baby's nursery didn't cost a fortune to create!

THE RESENE COLOUR PALETTE
If you are looking to create a retro or vintage-look nursery, use paints which are reminiscent of the era. We chose Resene Buttery White from the Karen Walker Paints range as it was a perfect match with our Crown Lynn "Swan" vases, which formed the basis of this room's style direction. The bookshelf and change table were given a quick sand and painted to match the walls. To further complement this look, we used an anaglypta paper from Vision Wall Coverings painted in Resene Beryl Green, also from the Karen Walker Paints range to bring textural interest and colour to the nursery.

Chest of drawers, shelves, cot, and change table all sourced secondhand. Cot mattress from Touchwood (www.touchwoodcots.co.nz). Miniature 1950s Inspired furniture from Let's Go Retro (027 305 3648). Dress Up Rua art by Penny Stotter (www.pennystotter.com). Saarinen & Eames chair $800 from Homage (09 520 5711). Pegs from Little Housewife (www.littlehousewife.co.nz) Vintage cot sheet set $100, cot quilt $106, merino aircell cot blanket $159, vintage-inspired merino shawl $159, vintage foral lamp $106, all from Gorgi (www.gorgi.co.nz). Roman Blinds in Gorgi's Natural Linen fabric, POA.