Magazine

Resene paint project: Squiggly DIY details for your young ones’ bedroom

In association with Resene.

Get the look

  This dynamic kids’ room uses bright spots to enhance a block-colour backdrop. Recurring details like the painted headboards and frames are a bespoke bit of fun that could inspire children and teens to engage with their own creativity. 

  To recreate these headboards, measure your beds to determine the width and height of the mattresses and bases. We made our headboards 40cm wider than the beds and twice the height (to accommodate pillows propped up against the wall). 

  Use a metre ruler and pencil to draw a rectangle for each headboard on the wall, then one at a time, starting in a top corner, draw squiggles that extend out from each line and back to meet it again.

  Paint the squiggly outer edges of your headboards with two coats of Resene SpaceCote Low Sheen in Resene Bright Spark, using a speed brush for clean lines. (You could also use a small brush to touch up the edges with your wall colour if you want to sharpen your squiggles even more.) Then, use a roller to fill in the rest of the headboards with the same colour, applying two coats.

  To make these picture frames, measure and mark out four squares on the wall, then draw on your squiggles using the method above. Leave enough room between your squares to ensure your frames have 5cm spaces between them. To achieve straight lines, mask the inside of each square with painter’s tape, then use a speed brush to apply two coats of Resene SpaceCote Low Sheen in Resene Envy to create and fill in your squiggly frames. Allow to dry, then remove the tape.

MAIN IMAGE, PAINTED ITEMS Walls in Resene SpaceCote Low Sheen in Resene Westar; frames in Resene SpaceCote Low Sheen in Resene Envy; desk in Resene SpaceCote Low Sheen in Resene Bright Spark (top), Resene Float (edge) and Resene Pendragon (base); skirtings in Resene SpaceCote Low Sheen in Resene Greywacke; floor in Resene Walk-on in Resene Envy; storage box in Resene SpaceCote Low Sheen in Resene Float; wardrobe in Resene SpaceCote Low Sheen in Resene Greywacke, with handles in Resene SpaceCote Low Sheen in Resene Float; headboards in Resene SpaceCote Low Sheen in Resene Bright Spark, resene.co.nz. ITEMS CLOCKWISE FROM FRONT Polar Bear rug by Ferm Living, $529, ornament.co.nz. Arnoldino stools by Martino Gamper, $150 each, paperplanestore.com. Toolbox by Vitra, $80, cittadesign.com. Carved animal pens, $10 each; sunglasses by Grech & Co, $39, ornament.co.nz. Type 75 Mini desk lamp by Paul Smith for Anglepoise, $590, cittadesign.com. Ceramic basket by Ferm Living, $175, slowstore.co.nz. The Book of Bees book by Piotr Socha, $40, fatherrabbit.com. Cabin blankets, $299 each, cittadesign.com. Duvet covers, $170 each; flat sheets, $155 each; fitted sheets, $126 each, dehei.co. Globe cushion, $295, klay.co.nz. Ticking Stripe cushions, $115 each, threaddesign.co.nz. Pillowslips, $90/pair, dehei.co. Teak bench, $240, ornament.co.nz. Flowerpot VP3 table lamp by &Tradition, from $740, cultdesign.co.nz. Silicone smoothie cup by Petite Eats, $26, paperplanestore.com. Little People, Big Dreams books, $26 each, ornament.co.nz. Bolster cushion, $255, klay.co.nz. ADDITIONAL ITEM Kånken Mini backpack by Fjällräven, $155, paperplanestore.com. All other items stylist’s own.

Stylist’s tip

  A cost-effective way to add even more interest is to use inexpensive Resene testpots to paint flat planes and boxy shapes with a contrasting colour. We painted the edge of our desk, our storage box and the handles of our floor-to-ceiling wardrobe doors with Resene SpaceCote Low Sheen in Resene Float.

Resene Westar, Resene Envy, Resene Greywacke, Resene Bright Spark, Resene Pendragon, Resene Float

Styling Alice Lines
Photography Melanie Jenkins

Filed under:

error: Copyright The Pluto Group Ltd 2022 - contact us for usage licence

Homestyle shares
modern ways
to make a home
in New Zealand


Sign up to receive the latest in your inbox

Thanks for subscribing to Homestyle's newsletter - we'll be in touch soon.