Squiggle it

Paint trends – Resene, from Homestyle magazine

Squiggle it… just a little bit. We wanna see you get artsy around the edges in your young ones’ bedroom.

An artsy kids bedroom with squiggly painted headboards

Kånken Mini backpack by Fjällräven, paperplanestore.com. See full accessory list below.

How to...

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.

Green frames for artwork painted on the wall in Resene Envy

A bright yellow desk painted in Resene Bright Spark

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.

An artsy kids bedroom with a squiggle design

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. Accessories: Polar Bear rug by Ferm Living, ornament.co.nz. Arnoldino stools by Martino Gamper, paperplanestore.com. Toolbox by Vitra, cittadesign.com. Carved animal pens, sunglasses by Grech & Co, ornament.co.nz. Type 75 Mini desk lamp by Paul Smith for Anglepoise, cittadesign.com. Ceramic basket by Ferm Living, slowstore.co.nz. The Book of Bees book by Piotr Socha, fatherrabbit.com. Cabin blankets, cittadesign.com. Duvet covers; flat sheets, fitted sheets, dehei.co. Globe cushion, klay.co.nz. Ticking Stripe cushions, threaddesign.co.nz. Pillowslips, dehei.co. Teak bench, ornament.co.nz. Flowerpot VP3 table lamp by &Tradition, from cultdesign.co.nz. Silicone smoothie cup by Petite Eats, paperplanestore.com. Little People, Big Dreams books, ornament.co.nz. Bolster cushion, klay.co.nz. All other items stylist’s own.