Calm & cosy make for an inviting kids' room delight

Calm neutrals paired with cosy textures make this bedroom an inviting space for any child.

Art direction + Styling: Vanessa Nouwens

Photography: Wendy Fenwick 

Over the past decade there’s been a huge move away from the traditional kid-style room designs (think Disney princess, cars, dinosaurs or wildlife themes) to a more neutral-toned scheme, one that compliments the rest of the house and grows with the child from toddler to teen.

In a look like this, texture and pattern are key for creating interest. Throughout this room you will see texture at play, starting with the boucle bed and cushions. The rug, ottoman, throw blankets, and even the 3D checkerboard artwork are textured elements that make this room interesting, inviting, and cosy – all things you want in a child’s bedroom.

The large format checkerboard artwork (60 x 60 cm squares) is on the main back wall and painted in Resene Triple Parchment and Resene Half Parchment. This classic design is the perfect backdrop in which to layer items upon, and as the neutral colours are subtle, it’s calming and easy to live with. The checkerboard pattern is also repeated throughout the space in the form of cushions, pillowcases, artwork and toy box – which ties the whole space together making for a cohesive look.

In the corner of the room we have placed a bench seat, which makes for a great reading zone and play area. To create some interest on this side of the room we have created a mini art gallery wall with a mix of store-bought and DIY artworks which you can customise to suit your scheme and design. Remember to have fun creating your kid's room and get them involved where you can so they have some ownership of their special space.

BOOKSHELF

Storage and kids’ rooms go hand in hand. Whether you opt for buying new or upcycle an old one, a bookshelf is the perfect place to display favourite toys and items, as well as books. If you can’t find the perfect colours to match your scheme simply grab yourself some Resene testpots and paint up some crates and boxes to match.

DIY ART

Creating an art gallery wall can be expensive by the time you buy the prints and frame them, however you can keep costs down by creating some art yourself and matching it with some bought ones. 

TOY BOX ON WHEELS

Having a toy box on wheels is a simple and fun way to keep toys and clutter at bay. Here we customised a plain storage box by painting a simple checkerboard pattern on it to match the scheme. Simple yet very impactful and practical.

BOWIE ARTWORK

To make the personalised named artwork we took an inexpensive box framed canvas and painted the frame and canvas in Resene Triple Parchment. We then measured and drew 10 cm squares in pencil onto the painted canvas. The squares were then painted in Resene Half parchment and Resene Triple Parchment. The wooden letters were painted in Resene Rice cake and glued onto the canvas once everything was dry. 

CHECKERBOARD 3D ART

To create this 3D artwork we took a boxed canvas and painted the frame and canvas in Resene Triple Parchment. We then got some small kraft boxes (you will need 8) which are 5.5 cm and painted the boxes in Resene Black, and the lid in Resene Rice cake. Once dry, glue the boxes onto the canvas in a checkerboard pattern.

CHECKERBOARD TOY BOX

To keep storage at bay we took a pre-made toy box on wheels and gave it a new look by painting the box in Resene Half Parchment. We then drew in pencil approximately 8 cm squares onto one side of the box and painted the alternating squares in Resene Doeskin. You can use Resene painter’s masking tape if you want a clean line or you can just freehand paint.

SKATEBOARD

The skateboard art was created by using a ply skateboard base from Spotlight. We gave it a coat of Resene Rice Cake and then taped up some stripes using Resene painter’s masking tape and painted in some different size stripes (small stripes in Resene Black, large stripe in Resene Triple Parchment).

We then added some black string through the holes (where you would normally bolt your wheels through) in a cross design and tied at the back. We glued a small hook to the board to hang it up. You can be as creative as you like with this skateboard deck, so have fun!

Checkerboard wall in Resene Triple Parchment and Resene Half Parchment. Floor in Resene Triple Parchment. Round side table (1 of a Set of 2 Oak Look Side Tables) painted in Resene Oilskin, $69, kmart.co.nz. Bookshelf painted in Resene Oilskin. Wooden Balance Board painted in Resene Rice Cake, $39, kmart.co.nz. Wall light painted in Resene Black. Plant pot on top of bookshelf painted in Resene Oilskin. Pencil pot painted in Resene Rice Cake. Storage boxes on bookshelf painted in Resene Black & Resene Oilskin. Crates painted in Resene Triple Parchment, resene.co.nz/colorshops. Belinda Boucle Teddy King Single Bed in ivory, $439.95, and Boucle Standard Throw Cushion, $24.95, mocka.co.nz; Stonewased Cotton Double Duvet Cover and Standard Pillowcase (1 of a pair) in sand, $159.99, and $49.99, and Manhattan Boucle Throw in natural, $109.99, adairs.co.nz; Monty Checkerboard Pillowcase, $59, kinshiplinen.co.nz; Maisie Round Pouf Cushion in chocolate, $159, nood.co.nz; Nana Huchy Karen The Crocodile, $56, littlewhimsy.co.nz; Koo Urban Paradise Planter with Handle (on bedside table), $25, spotlightstores.co.nz; Little People, Big Dreams – Nelson Mandela by Maria Isabel Sánchez Vigara (on bedside table), $22.99, Goki Nature Cement Mixer (on top of shelves), $64.50, Goki Nature Dump Truck (on second shelf), $119.50, Jellycat book Otto the Loyal Long Dog by Lizzie Walkley (on third shelf), $42.50, Liewood Leni Helicopter, $81, and Goki Nature Forklift, $149.50 (on ground), all from littlewhimsy.co.nz. All other items, stylist's own.

Maisie Ottoman in chocolate, $799, nood.co.nz; Charlotte Braided Wool Rug in natural marle, $599.95, mocka.co.nz Liewood Pete Drum Set in faune green, $98, and Chas Banjo in sandy and oat, $99, both from littlewhimsy.co.nz. 

Bench seat painted in Resene Oilskin. Round side table (1 of a Set of 2 Oak Look Side Tables) in Resene Parchment, resene.co.nz/colorshops. Belgian Black Vintage Washed Linen Cushion, $89.99, adairs.co.nz; Monty Checkerboard Cushion Cover, $49, kinshiplinen.co.nz; Round Boucle Cushion, $29.95, mocka.co.nz; Liewood Chas Banjo in sandy + oat (on bench seat), $99, littlewhimsy.co.nz; Smiley Face and Cool Dude digital download prints, $26.45 NZD, White and James shop on etsy.com in black picture frames, $5 for small and $10 for large, thewarehouse.co.nz; Bouclair Home Soft Tropics Terah Throw in beige (in toy box), $50, spotlightstores.com; Skateboard Deck (painted in Resene Rice Cake, Resene Triple Parchment and Resene Black), $37, spotlightstores.com; toy dog, stylist's own.