Alice and Caleb Pearson’s home transformation is well underway – a project they’ve dubbed That 70s Reno. The couple has been refreshing and reinvigorating their Stillwater “forever home” with a non-demolition makeover. So far they’ve used Resene paint and wallpaper to revamp their kitchen, courtyard, older children’s room and the parental pad (a minor dwelling on-site where Alice’s parents live), and next on the list was the smallest yet mightiest family members’ bedrooms – their youngest daughters Blake and Brooke.
“We have two identical spaces for two very different personalities,” says Alice.
“First up we have Blake’s bedroom, who’s four. She dreams of a pink paradise with her own craft zone and plenty of space for her dolls,” says Caleb.
“Then there is Brooke’s room,” continues Alice. “She’s three and wild about animals, colour and adventure and wants all of that in her room,”
The original bedrooms were quite the step back in time, with blue walls, floral curtains and old-fashioned carpet. But Alice and Caleb are the masters of conjuring an entirely different aesthetic by harnessing the power of colour and prints, and in this instance the world is their oyster.
As Caleb says, “When it comes to designing for toddlers, the bigger the imagination, the bigger the result!”
Professional help
While Alice and Caleb are incredibly confident with their concepts and design dreams, they always visit their local Resene ColorShop to talk through the process of bringing them to life.
Alice chatted to Gill about how to best bring out the pink tones in the floral wallpaper in Blake’s room – Resene Botanica Wallpaper Collection 33954 – as well as how to add some shimmer to the colour palette. Gill suggested Resene FX Metallic in the colour Resene Bedrock, a lustrous soft neutral metallic paint with hints of silver and gold tones. Then for the bed they decided on a deeper colour to pull out the tones from the wallpaper and chose Resene FX Metallic in Resene Galaxy, a warm pink-hued metallic paint.
For the flooring, they also used Resene FX Metallic in Resene Bedrock, which then needed to be coated with Resene Concrete Wax waterborne stain glaze to protect the metallic finish.
The creative process
Armed with their Resene paint and wallpaper, Alice and Caleb emptied the rooms and got them ready for their makeovers. They prepped all the walls for painting and papering by sanding, filling holes and gaps and cleaning every surface, before priming with Resene Waterborne Sureseal pigmented sealer.
To lift the spaces even further and add some practical storage solutions, the couple built custom features from MDF and pine, including barn-style wardrobe doors, open shelving and a craft desk for Blake.
The finished results are fun, fabulous and perfectly suited to the girls’ individual personalities – a pink paradise for Blake and “a room as wild as she is” for Brooke.
“These aren’t just bedrooms, they’re places for adventure, creativity and dreams,” Alice says.
“With the help from Resene, they’re all wrapped up in colour and personality,” agrees Caleb.
