While much effort in home decor goes towards creating light, bright, colourful spaces to live comfortably by day, when it comes to winding down for the night, adults and children will benefit from darker shades reminiscent of the night sky.
Using dark colours in bedrooms gives a cue to the eyes, mind and body to wind down and relax. Black or dark colours are certainly not boring, and there are many ways to be creative with these colours using Resene paints. There’s plenty you can do with tonal changes, imagery, DIY creative themes and interesting accessories to create a comforting and indulgent vibe. In a child’s room, you can let your imagination - and theirs - go wild by creating a full nightscape with moon, stars and other fun elements. In a media room, a darkbackdrop ensures that the screen is the main event and the eyes are not distracted. It also adds to the relaxing feel of settling down for an evening of film entertainment.
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Creating a night sky in a child’s bedroom
In this Matariki-themednursery, the back wall is painted in Resene Warrior with stars in Resene Black White.Matariki and southern cross constellations are topcoated in Resene FXNightlight glow-in-the-dark paint to bring them in relief against the backdropof stars in the night sky. To soften the look for a baby’s room, the left wallis painted in Resene Mystic. Floor in Resene Mystic, toy box, shelves and wallhook in Resene Reservoir, vases in Resene Half Jumbo, Resene Reservoir, ReseneWarrior and Resene Hermitage., star ornament in Resene Proton and DIY kitemobile in Resene Proton (hoop), Resene Reservoir (blue kites), Resene HalfJumbo (grey kites) and Resene Black White (white kites). Wooden bead accents inResene Reservoir. Blanket, fitted sheets, woven rug, star cushion, woodensensory pack and wooden beads from Kmart, cot from Mocka. aqua cushion andstorybooks from The Warehouse. Peter Rabbit toy from Toyco. Project by LauraLynn Johnston, image by Bryce Carleton.
The easiest way to create a night sky would be to paint the ceiling a very dark blue, like Resene Dark Knight, and use Resene FX Nightlight glow-in-the-dark to paint on the stars. This will give the effect of sleeping under the vast expanse of the night sky with its magical twinkling stars. You can keep it simple and just paint an array of stars in a random fashion. Or, if your child is a bit older, you can use the opportunity to teach them a little about commonly known constellations by mapping them out on the ceiling or wall. The secondary benefit of the glow-in-the-dark paint is that it acts as a night light so is particularly useful for children who are scared of the dark or need to get up in the night.
Stylist and interior designer Tracey Strange suggests using Resene FX Blackboard Paint for the opportunity to get really creative and involved children in drawing planets and stars with white or yellow chalks. “Painting a night sky in a child’s room is kind of magical, an amazing way to inspire the imagination and fuel dreams. Painting the ceiling in a rich deep blue such as Resene Indian Ink or Resene Wishing Well and then adding painted dots for stars using Resene White and Resene FX Nightlight glow-in-the-dark paint is a great option,”Strange says. “But I also love the idea of painting a feature wall or two in Resene FX Chalkboard Paint tinted to dark blue or charcoal and then chalking on the stars, constellations – even a supersized planet or two. It’s not difficult to find inspiration on Pinterest and one of the great things about chalk and chalkboard paint is that it’s easyto transfer designs to the wall – and just as easy to wipe them off if you need to start again.” There’s no need to stop at the ceiling. You could turn the whole room into a night sky so that your child is enveloped by the theme. Creating a seamless transition between the walls and ceilings will add to that feeling of infinite space. You can also add use Resene FX Metallic paint to give certain areas an extra twinkle.
Using magnetic paint
To make the chalk idea even better, use Resene FX Magnetic Magic paint formulated with iron oxides to provide a magnetic effect as your basecoat. Once dry, test your magnets on the Resene FX Magnetic Magic coating to ensure they adhere well before applying topcoats. If a stronger magnetic effect is needed, apply an additional coat. Magnetic paint is designed to be usedwith two topcoats - use Resene SpaceCote Low Sheen tinted to your desired shade. Once dry, you can write on it with chalk, which can be wiped off with a wet cloth or hang strong magnets on it. To avoid visible coating thickness differences between magnetic and non-magnetic areas, coat the entire wall with the magnetic paint or frame the magnetic area to clearly delineate it.
Tips
To set the scene in a child’s bedroom, three moons are painted inResene FX Nightlight glow-in-the-dark paint designed to keep shining after thelights have gone out. Two to three coats over a white painted circular basewill give off the best effect and leave your brushstrokes visible for alunar-like landscape. Colourful details added in a topcoat of Resene Sunshade,Resene Juniper and Resene Blue Lagoon. Back wall painted in Resene DarkSide. Project by Leigh Stockton, image by BryceCarleton.
Think creatively when it comes to accessorising the room. Look for moon and star-shaped knickknacks and consider paintings and posters or a framed version of an appropriate poem such as Goodnight Moon, Goodnight Stars. In a toddler’s room you could add a three-dimensional element of a moon-and-stars mobile. This could even be a crafting project with a small child.
Using a nocturnal theme in the master bedroom
A dark tone-on-tone theme in a bedroom can make for a dramatic space that feels both cocooning and welcoming, but also luxurious and opulent. By using furniture that almost blends into the wall colour you can create a minimalist, architectural feel and add more accessories and fabrics for a more layered look. Textures like wool and velvet add to the comforting and cosy feel.
Sticking to a very tonal colour palette means the room is restrained and elegant and you can easily lift things with a few accessories in a contrasting colour such as red or gold. Gold works particularly well with deep navy blues like Resene Indian Ink. If deep blue is not for you try bold tonal layers of charcoal like Resene Nocturnal with burnt orange or deep greens like Resene Palm Green with highlights of red.
In this nocturnal-themedbedroom, the wall, skirting, shelf and brackets are painted in ReseneNocturnal. Floor in Resene Viktor, side timber table in Resene Organic and pots,vases and tealight in Resene Paddock, Resene Seaweed, Resene Passport andResene Ciderhouse. Project by Vanessa Nouwens,image by Wendy Fenwick.
Decorating a media room
The other room that particularly suits a black or ultra-dark theme is a home theatre or media room. A starry night sky brings the wow factor and is reminiscent of the ceiling at The Civic Theatre in Auckland. A great addition is Resene SmartTouch paint. If you’ve got comfortable watching something and have forgotten to hit the lights, simply tap the wall to turn the lights out. Resene SmartTouch is a touch-activated paint that works like a light switch and can be connected into your electrical circuit by a professional electrician. The Resene SmartTouch is applied under your topcoats, so once the wall is finished it looks just like a normal wall. Double tap the wall to turn the lights on and off again.
