tween spirit

Being a 'tween' is tough. Too cool for kiddie stuff but not quite ready to live the teen dream, tweens are caught somewhere in the middle. They long for more recognition and responsibility but still need the time and space to just be a kid. It's a balancing act, and a tricky one at that.

Designing a room for a tween can be tough, too, but finding that age-appropriate sweet spot starts with investing in more grown-up furniture and bedlinen and picking a less kiddie colour palette to suit. Then, layer in décor and artwork that can easily be switched up for 'older' items once they reach the teen tipping point.

Get your tween more involved in the design of their room by letting them decorate their accessories or make DIY artwork using Resene testpots that match or coordinate with their new colour scheme.

Wall in Resene Eighth Joss with tongue-and-groove panelling in Resene Finch, floor in Resene Digeridoo, bedside table, canopy dowel and ladder in Resene Redwood, baskets and lidded container in Resene Fahrenheit and vases in Resene Black Forest, Resene Toffee and Resene Twine. Cushions, throws, bedlinen and lamp from Città, rug from Nood.

Top tip: Use double-ended screws to attach one or more lengths of dowelling to the wall above your tween's bed then create a simple canopy by draping over a length of calico cotton.

Creature feature

To create the initial hollowed out mask shape, build up a dome-like form out of plasticine – which won't dry out during your project – and cover it with a piece of cling wrap to keep your mask from sticking to the form. Be sure to add a little extra clay at the top of your mask so that it will be thick enough for the screw of your eye hook. Embed the hook while your clay is still wet, then leave your project to dry.

When your clay no longer feels damp to the touch, it's time for the fun part – decorating! Pick up some Resene testpots in a range of colours of your choice. For our bear, bunny and hedgehog trio, we chose to use colours that we matched to the hues in the statement cushion: Resene Groundbreaker, Resene Doeskin, Resene Black Forest, Resene Hairy Heath and Resene Sambuca. If you want to match the colours of yours to a piece of décor, simply upload an image of the item to the free online Resene Colour Match tool or the Resene Colour Palette Generator. You may also bring it in to your nearest Resene ColorShop and the staff there can help you find the right hues.

styling: Laura Lynn Johnston
images: Bryce Carleton

Want to get your own free copy of future issues of habitat magazine?

Printed copies of habitat highlights are available from late March 2024 at Resene ColorShops and resellers, while stocks last. You can view back issues of habitat magazine online.

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If you have an idea, project or story that you think would suit habitat, we’d love to hear from you. Please drop us an email with your details and include photos if submitting a project.

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