A beautiful bedroom to nurture sibling friendship

Interior designer and personal stylist Stacey Gillies lives on Auckland’s North Shore with her husband and two children; Frankie, who’s four, and Sam, who’s 18 months. Her husband AJ is an architect and they’re combining their creative forces to slowly transform their Art Deco worker’s cottage.

Stacey is in her element when dabbling in painting, sewing, upholstery and crafts. Her corporate job didn’t quite satisfy her creative bent, so she swapped it to become a personal shopper and stylist, and launched her own interior design business.

Through clever design Stacey has found a way to bring harmony to her children’s shared space. The space has beautiful layers of texture combined with a daring colour palette that is soothing and gender neutral. 

What was your inspiration behind the room?
This room is on a journey. It started off as a very small bedroom that was originally Frankie’s. We extended it just before Sam was born in 2018 so the kids could share the room. A future renovation, where we plan to split it into two rooms, is now on the cards! I chose the deep purple (Resene Revolver) feature wall for Frankie as we knew we were having a girl; I also liked the strong colour paired with what was, at the time, subtle pink opposing walls. I decided to keep the deep purple with the redesign and pair it with a more gender neutral tone (Resene Quarter Joss) that would work well for a little boy – although we didn’t know we were having a boy when we painted the room!

What is your favourite aspect of the room?  
We have amazing views over Chelsea (a suburb on the North Shore) and this particular room looks out over the harbour to the Waitakere ranges. There is lovely sunlight that streams through in the late afternoons and it has a really nice feel about it.

What do your kids love most about their room?
They love that there’s a shared space to play in, but that they still have their own sides of the room. The teepee in the middle brings them together for reading books or playing hide-and-seek and acts like an added playroom.

What was your biggest splurge and your best bargain? 
I love thrift stores and managed to find several bargains for this room! Frankie’s fabulous vintage cane headboard was only $40.  My splurge would be the tassel garland which I got on Etsy for around $150. And a more recent splurge is the 1950s lamp for Sam’s chest of drawers, which I bought for $150.

How will you update the look as your kids grow up?  
I love art so I’d change the art with more age-appropriate pieces, whilst still incorporating the kids’ own artworks too. The colour palette I’ve chosen is pretty versatile and things like duvet covers and linen can easily be changed to suit your current aesthetic. I’d like to think that in a few years we’ll have done the next stage of our renovation, so it might be a new space altogether!

And what are your top tips for styling shared rooms for boys and girls?
If you’re going to change the wall colour, choose a palette that is fairly unisex. Greys, charcoals and neutrals can look fantastic with dusky pinks, mustards or olive greens. You can use these secondary colours in cushions on the bed, or through art prints. Toys can add additional colour and textures when displayed on shelves by each child’s bed, and books are also fantastic as some of the covers are like artworks themselves.

Find duvet covers that can be unisex. Frankie’s bed has a Città duvet cover with a zoo animal print – ideal for boys and girls. I’d steer away from textiles in bright pinks or primary blues so the room is more harmonious and easy on the eye.  

Interior Designer, Stacey Gillies
Photography: Wide Photography