Sweet dreams are made of this

Kids' Corner from Your Home and Garden magazine

Gentle sorbet shades are the key to opening the door to the land of Nod.

Soothing pastel colours make for gentle bedtimes. They give children’s rooms a sense of adventure without overstimulating them when it’s time for lights out. The best thing about these quiet shades is they’ll grow with your child, particularly if you use an interesting combination of Resene paint colours.

A kids bedroom painted with soothing pastels

Using soothing pastel hues

Painting stripes with soothing pastel hues

Tongue-and-groove walls painted in Resene SpaceCote Flat stripes in Resene Oasis, Resene Half Pale Rose, Resene Eighth Joss and Resene Hawkes Blue. Arch and front wall painted in Resene SpaceCote Flat in Resene Reservoir. Floor painted in Resene Walk-on in Resene Half Black White. Curved bedside table painted in Resene Lustacryl semi-gloss in Resene Half Black White, all from Resene ColorShops.

Accessories: Pippin wardrobe; Maisie drawers; and Imogen single bed; all from Mocka. Pinstripe rug (200cm x 290cm), from Designer Rugs. Florence duvet set (single), from Allium. Little Unicorn quilt; Mobile Alexandra Cloud; Sun cushion; Animal BFFs: Even Animals Have Best Friends; Everything Under the Sun; The Kitchen Science Cookbook; Madame Badobedah by Sophie Dahl; Madame Badobedah and the Old Bones by Sophie Dah; all from Little Whimsy. Inaya portable rechargeable lamp; Plush panda; Unicorn; Slides; Junior Sandals; all from Kmart. Framed Daisy Boy artwork by Matt Jennings (A1), from EndemicWorld.

Fun ideas to try at home

Stripes are such a fun way to add colour, but if you don’t want them to dominate the entire room, try a mix of pastel shades. If you have tongue-and-groove walls, so much the better. We utilised the grooves to create our stripes.

Ground your selection with a neutral that will hold the rest of the colours. We used Resene Half Black White on the floor and bedside table to complement the pastels.

Remember repetition is the key to creating a great space. We used graphic stripes and grids on the wall and repeated this pattern on the bedding and rug. The curved edges are repeated in the arch, the shape of the rug, and the scalloped details on the drawers. And, because you can’t ever have enough repetition, we selected a black and white artwork and added a plush panda. Remember, you can paint your accessories with Resene testpots to help them blend in with your new look.

Stylists tip  Double-down on this dreamy theme with a magical cloud mobile or pendant.

Top tip  Add subtle highlights to stripes and accents with Resene clear finishes such as Resene Concrete Clear gloss which will help make your colour pop.

Colours mentioned in this article...

More Resene colours to try:

Products mentioned in this article...

Created and styled by Amber Armitage/Marigold. Photography by Wendy Fenwick/Flash Studios.

Download a PDF of this article

February 2025