A sweet and simple woodland-inspired nursery

This sweet and simple woodland-inspired nursery features a timeless colour palette that will never fall out of style. 

Art direction + Styling: Vanessa Nouwens

Photography: Wendy Fenwick

Neutral or beige colour palettes have fallen in and out of style over the years, but when it comes to interiors, I would say these tones are timeless and very much here to stay. The key reason being that they're so easy to live with and when it comes to nurseries or kids' rooms specifically, they will grow with your child right through to their teens. Neutrals are also great for a nursery if the sex of your baby is a surprise.

When it comes to designing a nursery, it should be a serene and relaxing space for your baby to sleep and grow. This light, muddy-toned mushroom colour is the perfect palette for that. To add some interest, the main wall behind the cot has a two-tone paint effect applied which is created using Resene Medium Paint Effects. You basically paint the wall in the darker colour first (we chose Resene Joss then mixed in the Medium Paint Effects with the top colour Resene Swirl), then, using a cloth or rag, wipe the paint onto the wall in a dab or swirl pattern depending on the look you are after. No two walls will be the same and that's the unique feature of this paint design. We only painted the back wall in this effect, while the rest of the walls have been painted in the same base colour: Resene Joss.

We have used soft dusky pink tones with Resene Wafer, and soft white tones with Resene Half Blanc to add a little contrast to the tone-on-tone scheme. A pop of brown in Resene Lignite has been added as an accent colour and appears throughout the room in small doses with the floor lamp, picture frames and storage box. Of course you can also add colour through your décor and accessories as well, if you feel like you need a little more of it in the room.

The arch alcove has had a cute scallop paint design added around the arch to make a feature of this space. The scallop is around 8 cm wide and 6 cm tall but you can make the design bigger if you wish. A large sideboard has been painted in Resene Wafer which is great for storing baby toys, extra clothes, nappies, and other bits and bobs. The scallop pattern has also been repeated in the space in the shelves, lamp, DIY bookends and coat rack. A baby spends a lot of time on the floor so a soft rug is ideal and also adds texture to a space. A small soft boucle ottoman is also a handy addition and can be used in your child’s room for years to come.

Above: Smooth Boucle Ottoman in hazelnut, $149, mocka.co.nz; Lily & George Bernice Plush bear, $45, littlewhimsy.co.nz; Other credits previously listed.

Above: Wall in Resene Joss. Floor in Resene Quarter Joss. Scallop paint design around arch in Resene Swirl. DIY Scallop bookends painted in Resene Almond Frost, resene.co.nz/colorshops.  Oslo Buffet painted in Resene Wafer, $529.99, and Sarah Scalloped Wall Shelf painted in Resene Swirl, $44.99, mocka.co.nz. Tabatha Table Lamp painted in Resene Blanc, $42, kmart.co.nz. Grimm's Stacking Flower Tower painted in Resene Joss, Resene Quarter Joss, Resene Almond Frost, Resene Swirl, Resene Wafer, Resene Serene and Resene Half Blanc, $104, Tikiri Ralphie the Reindeer Teether, $29.50, Muskhane Large Dotty Mushroom, $21, Small Dotty Mushroom, $13, and Medium Chestnut mushroom, $15.50, Natruba Leaf Sensory Ball Set in brown, $48.50, Bloomingville Soft Toy Gaston Mushroom and Hedgehog (on rug), $109, all from littlewhimsy.co.nz; Indieandblue Toadstool A3 Print, $38.98 NZD, etsy.com; Hedgehog Night Light, $54.99, adairs.co.nz; Olli Ella Child’s Luggy Basket in natural, $135, teapea.co.nz; mini Peter Rabbit vintage books, faux plant, stylist's own. Other credits previously listed.

Above: Background in Resene Quarter Joss. Resene drawcards from left to right in Wafer, Joss, Almost frost and Serene. Picture Frame in Resene Lignite. Flower stack in Resene Joss, Resene Quarter Joss, Resene Almond Frost, Resene Swirl, Resene Wafer, Resene Serene and Resene Half Blanc, resene.co.nz/colorshops. All other credits previously listed.

SCALLOP COAT RACK

You can never have enough storage in a child’s room so making a coat rack is a really useful storage option. To make our one we took a piece of 1 cm thick pine which was 65 cm in length and 13.5 cm wide. We drew a scallop design along one edge of the wood in pencil and using a jigsaw, cut out the design. Before painting in Resene Wafer, we gave the scallop a good sand to ensure a smooth edge. We also took three wooden knobs and painted them (also in Resene Wafer) then screwed them to the wood. This is an easy and simple project that once again can be used for years to come, from hanging clothes to school bags, once they start school.

SCALLOP BOOKENDS

To coordinate with our scallop theme we decided to make some inexpensive bookends using small offcuts of wood. Our bookend base is 2 cm thick, 14 cm long and 14 cm wide. You will need four pieces of wood this size, two for the base and two for the scallop detail. Draw your scallop design onto two pieces of the wood and using a jigsaw, cut the detail out. Sand edges before painting, we used Resene Almond Frost. Attach the upright scallop pieces to the middle of the base pieces, and secure underneath using screws.

Top image: Back wall behind cot in Resene Joss with Resene Swirl added with Resene Medium Paint Effects. Other walls in Resene Joss. Floor in Resene Quarter Joss. Carter Wood Floor Lamp with base painted in Resene Lignite and shade in Resene Blanc, $55, kmart.co.nz. Aspen Cot, $4429.99, painted in Resene Wafer, and Aspen Change Table painted in Resene Swirl, $319.99, both from mocka.co.nz. Large wooden box in change table painted in Resene Wafer. Two storage boxes with holes (in change table) painted in Resene Almond Frost and Resene Lignite. DIY Scallop coat rack painted in Resene Wafer, resene.co.nz/colorshops. Indieandblue Acorn A3 Print (frame in Resene Lignite), $38.98 NZD, etsy.com; Dakota Rug, $119, kmart.co.nz; Baby Bath Time Bunny Hooded Towel (folded in change table), $44.99, and Cocoa Libertine Sheet Set in king single, $184.99, adairs.co.nz; Cam Cam Baby Ball in dreamland (in change table), $76.50, Over the Dandelions Woodlands Knitted Heirloom Blanket in mushroom (folded in change table), and Billie Knitted Heirloom Blanket (draped over cot), $79.90 each, all from littlewhimsy.co.nz; Sepia Rose Gingham Growsuit (hanging on coat rack), $10, postie.co.nz; Olli Ella Dolly Chari Basket (on coat rack), $29, teapea.co.nz.