Kids bedroom projects you can knock off in a weekend

Transforming children’s bedrooms can be some of the most fun projects you can do in your house.

It’s an excellent opportunity for you and your kids to really play with colour and try out design ideas you might not feel bold enough to attempt in your living room or kitchen. Take a cue from your kids and allow yourself to get messy and be as creative as you'd like!

A nursery with a starry sky mural

A starry sky on walls or ceilings lends a soothing but fascinating touch to a bedroom.

Back wall painted in Resene Warrior with stars in Resene Black White topcoated in Resene FX Nighlight glow-in-the-dark paint, left wall and floor in Resene Mystic, toy box, shelves, wall hook, vase and plant pot in Resene Reservoir, other vases in Resene Half Jumbo, Resene Warrior and Resene Hermitage and kite mobile in Resene Proton metallic (hoop), Resene Reservoir, Resene Half Jumbo and Resene Black White. Project by Laura Lynn Johnston, image by Bryce Carleton. Cot from Mocka, rabbit from Toyco, aqua cushion and story books from The Warehouse.

Who said bedheads had to be square.

This iceberg bedhead is painted in Resene Sea Fog, Resene Frozen and Resene Blue Moon against an upper wall in Resene Quarter Frozen. Lower wall in Resene Spinnaker, floor in Resene Matisse, dresser in Resene Quarter Frozen (top section) and Resene Spinnaker (lower section) to match the walls, shelf in Resene Frozen, pendant light in Resene Bright Spark, box and round vase in Resene Matisse, pencil cup and case in Resene Fuel Yellow and small vase in Resene Bullitt. Duvet, blanket and navy pillowcases from Citta, puppet from Toyco, throw from Freedom, cushion from Briscoes. Project by Laura Lynn Johnston, image by Bryce Carleton.

If you don’t want to spend a long time or lots of money revamping a kids bedroom or playroom, there are some great, cost-effective ways to transform – or age up – the space over a weekend. Here are some ideas to get you started:

Bedheads

Adding a colourful or themed bedhead to a child’s bedroom is a really simple way to give the space a whole new look. If there’s already a bedhead in the room you could simply sand it back and paint it in a bold fun colour like bright orange Resene Outrageous, which looks striking against deep blue walls in Resene Indian Ink or try vivid purple Resene Daisy Bush against subtler walls in Resene Fog.

But don’t limit yourself to block colours and physical bedheads. You can simply paint a colourful shape or pattern on the wall behind the bed, or make it even simpler with a drop of a fun kid-friendly wallpaper like the mermaids in Resene Wallpaper Collection 30569-1 or the space-themed Resene Wallpaper Collection 34066-1.

Top tip: Try Resene FX Chalkboard Paint to create a headboard that doubles as a creative space.

Storage solutions

Can children’s bedrooms ever have too much storage? Upcycling can be a fantastic way to add in storage options without huge cost. Paint old crates or boxes and stack on their sides for a simple cubbyhole set, or give old suitcases and woven baskets a coat of paint for storing toys and games.

Dot sturdy wall hooks around the walls, painted in a contrasting colour to the walls, to hang coats, hats, bags and even fancy dress costumes to keep them up off the floor. Resene testpots are the perfect size for these small projects.

If you’re feeling handy, built-in furniture like shelves and drawers around the walls, is a great way to amp up storage – and can be safer than freestanding furniture. Use the built-in items as a vehicle for more colour by painting in your child’s favourite colours, or go neutral then paint on patterns with stencils.

Top tip: In a nursery, upcycle a dresser with a top surface large enough to fit a cot mattress, to create a change table – with drawers to hold everything you need.

A tonal blue rainbow painted in a kid's bedroom

Tonal blues create a subtle rainbow in this pretty room.

Rainbow painted in Resene Frozen, Resene Spindle, Resene Gelato and Resene Zircon against a wall in Resene Half Spindle, pendant light and ladder in Resene Black White, mobile toy box in Resene Gelato and large rear box in Resene Zircon. Project by Emily Somerville-Ryan, image by Bryce Carleton.

A child's workspace painted in bold colours

Bold colours and smart use of painted cork placemats carve out a child’s work space that is fun and creatively inspiring.

Upper wall and floor in Resene Poured Milk, lower wall in Resene Coast, desk in Resene Influential, chair in Resene Shilo, bookshelf in Resene Raging Bull, plant pots in Resene Influential and Resene Coast, pencil pot and vase in Resene Yes Please and circles in Resene Influential, Resene Coast, Resene Shilo and Resene Yes Please. Rug and alarm clock from Allium, stationery accessories from The Warehouse, glasses and baskets from Citta. Project by Vanessa Nouwens, image by Bryce Carleton.

Decorate to a theme

Superheroes, dinosaurs, space, flowers, unicorns – whatever your kids are into, designing to a theme can be a quick way to pull their room into a cohesive look. A simple drop of wallpaper to match your theme can be added to with framed pictures from books, comics or magazines and come complementary paint colours. For Resene Wallpaper Collection 36158-1, complement the unicorn design with rainbow coloured cushions and even a rainbow bedhead painted to the wall in Resene Roadster, Resene Grenadier, Resene Turbo, Resene Japanese Laurel, Resene Optimist, Resene True Blue and Resene Paua.

Another simple, quick way to decorate is to simply theme the room around your child’s favourite colour. If you don’t want to paint the whole space look for ways to add bursts of their chosen colour wherever you can in different shades or intensities. If the walls are a neutral shade like Resene Half Tea and your child is a big fan of pink try pops of bright Resene Cranberry or candy Resene Cabaret with softer notes of Resene Vanilla Ice in furniture and fittings.

Paint the floor or ceiling

Though walls get the most attention, painting the floor of ceiling in a child’s bedroom can immediately change the feel of it.

Try painting their favourite colour on the ceiling, so they see it from bed. In rooms with a high stud, painting the ceiling a darker shade will make the space feel cosier, which can be calming. A fun idea for fans of blue – or space – is to paint the ceiling in dark Resene Jaguar with stars and moons in Resene FX Nightlight glow-in-the-dark paint.

Remember ‘the floor is lava’? That simple game almost every child has played at some point where they have to get around a room without stepping on the floor. Why not paint the bedroom floor in swirls of toasty shades like Resene Lava, Resene Sebedee and Resene Vesuvius with ‘stepping stones’ painted in irregular shapes in Resene Scarpa Flow that the kids can hop between. It need not be lava. Try painting a river through the centre of the room in blues and greens like Resene Calypso or Resene Gondwana.

If you have space an indoor hopscotch grid painted on the floor can be a fun idea. Paint the grid in a tonal gradient of one favourite colour from top to bottom, for example try yellows from pale Resene Quarter Moonbeam to Resene Half Moonbeam, Resene Moonbeam, Resene Sweet Corn and Resene Energy Yellow. Stencil numbers on each square in a contrast shade like Resene Bokara Grey or clashing Resene Studio purple.

Create a zone

For a weekend project choose just one part of your child’s bedroom to transform instead of attempting the whole space.

Create a study or art zone by framing a table or desk in a bold block colour. Use Resene FX Magnetic Magic under your topcoats so the colour block can double as a magnetic memo board. Extend your bold study colour out over a section of the floor and ceiling as well to really mark out the space as its own area.

Using a similar idea, add a fun fantasy play zone or reading area to your child’s room but sectioning off an area with paint then transform it into an exotic jungle landscape with Resene Wallpaper Collection 91310 paired with primordial green Resene Permanent Green, or go underwater using a wash paint effect with walls in Resene Wishing Well and Resene FX Paint Effects Medium mixed with Resene Undercurrent and notes of foamy Resene Sea Fog. Use Resene testpots with plain paper to let your kids paint their own fish, seaweed and sea monsters to stick to the wall.

Top tip: For wipeable walls opt for Resene SpaceCote Low Sheen waterborne enamel.

When it comes to decorating children’s room, take the time to experiment and try out different ideas. A little imagination and creativity is all you need to create a space just right for your child.