Child's play – your questions

17 Jul 2014

From picking out nursery colours to jazzing up a room, we answer all your questions.

Q. I am painting my boys’ room (they are eight and six) in Resene Thorndon Cream and want a colour for a feature wall. They like Resene Home Run (a bright green) but I am not sure how it would look. It doesn't have to be a bright colour – I like colours like Resene Tapa, too.

A. Children are often avid choosers of vibrant lively colours. Other bright clean greens to consider are Resene Moxie (emerald colour), and Resene Howzat or Resene Salem, which have a little more green as opposed to blue to them.

Resene Tapa may be a little sombre for the boys. If you are uncertain about using bright colours, consider painting a few pieces of furniture or some toy storage boxes. This is a sneaky way of getting colour into a room without painting the walls and allows for change at a later date without disrupting the room.

Another way is to accessorise with bright curtains, blinds and duvets. Sometimes it pays to think outside the box as children's colour tastes are likely to change every two or three years as they mature.

Q. We would like to make our eight-year-old girl’s room a little more funky. Our main colour scheme is Resene Quarter Tea ceilings and Resene Half Tea walls. 

A. Funky is good. Mid toned or bright colours look great with Resene Half Tea. Pale pretty pastels won’t work so well as they suit being with whites rather than the slightly muddy neutrals.

Investigate the following colours: Resene Glamour Puss, Resene Serenity, Resene Kumutoto, Resene Birdcage, Resene Boogie Wonderland or Resene Smitten.

The other way of jazzing up the room is with patterned/colourful curtains or bed linen, some painted furniture or bright coloured storage bins for toys and books or lovely decor wall stickers that can be peeled off when she doesn't fancy them any more.

Q. We are looking for a light blue for a baby boy’s room. The room is small so we want to it to be light but not cold.

A. A lot of people consider blue of any kind to be a cool colour; however blues with a bit of depth and a hint of watery green seem warmer than a very pale true blue.

Check out the following colours:? Resene Cut Glass; ?or for something a bit deeper/warmer try Resene Onahau; ?or for something paler/cooler, try Resene Pattens Blue.

Blues always make spaces seem bigger, but the amount of natural light, and the colour of the carpet and curtains etc will have a great bearing on whether the blue looks warm or cool. If the room doesn't feel as warm as you would like after you have painted it, add some orange to the scheme – a small rug or a lamp shade perhaps.

Q. I am trying to find paint colours for a nursery. I want it to have a vintage feel and I am leaning towards blues and yellows. I would like the colours to be subtle and warm without being too bright.

A. I could spend hours listing colour options – something that wouldn’t be of much help. The room’s natural light can radically change how a colour is seen. That, along with the existing elements of the room (carpet, curtains etc), has a huge impact on the suitability of a colour for a nursery. 

When decorating a room, paint is the last decision to be made. This allows you the freedom of choosing the other components of the room without feeling constrained in any way. To make the whole exercise a little easier, consider finding a picture of something that you feel epitomises the look you are trying to achieve. Even a colourful cot duvet or curtain fabric that you would like to use can be a starting point.

A couple of vintage-style blues and yellows matches that I recommend are Resene Melting Moment and Resene Escape (which represent 1950-1960s vintage mid-toned pastels), Resene Moon Glow, and Resene Pattens Blue which are chalky/subtle and slightly warmed pastels.

Q. I am painting my daughter’s walls Resene Princess. I am painting the ceiling and the cove in Resene White. Would you paint the wardrobe doors and the room door pink or white? Would you paint the window/door trims and skirting another colour other than white? If yes, what would you recommend? I like the look of Resene Sherbert.

A. I think you should consider painting all of the woodwork (trims) Resene White and only do the wardrobe doors a definite colour – that way the wardrobe doors create a 'feature' in the sweet pink room. I understand that you like Resene Sherbert but you might consider Resene Tutti Frutti or even the gorgeous sparkly Resene Go Go Go.

You don't say how old your daughter is and this is just an idea which may appeal or not – you could use Resene Magnetic Magic paint as a basecoat on the wardrobe doors and then the colour of your choice over the top. This would allow your little girl to decorate the doors with magnets – fairies or alphabets or whatever – and if she stops doing that sort of thing then the magnetic paint isn't 'on show' because it hides beneath the topcoat and isn't apparent.

Remember curtains or blinds and duvets can still add extra colours and patterns to the room apart from toys, posters and all of the other stuff that young children need to make their bedroom fabulous.

Published: 17 Jul 2014