Gender neutral

Brother and sister sharing a room? Resene and Gorgi create a complementary look that crosses the colour divide.  

Creating a shared bedroom in colour can be an interesting exercise. Short of choosing a neutral palette, how does one choose colour that will enhance existing fixtures but also lend itself to the treasures of siblings of either gender? Earth pigments or seascape colours are a great option and a good place to start when grouping colours together. Blues radiate the peaceful, calming qualities of a quiet ocean, whereby the dried-out sandy colours keep the palette fresh while adding warmth and depth. Additionally, these colours are a perfect background to retro or contemporary furniture pieces painted white or in light wood grains. We have progressed from the days when pinks and purples defined what girls are made of, and can now confidently choose blue and accessorise with colours such as greens, reds, browns, or yellows to create obvious femininity within the bedroom. Bunk sets are another way in which you can cluster groups of colour while orienting towards gender. Solid denims mixed with bold statement reds in a vintage retro style is befitting any growing boy, and is also complementary to the ocean blues and greens chosen for their sister!

THE RESENE COLOUR PALETTE
We chose a seascape palette for our gender-neutral children's bunk bedroom. We used Resene Coastal Blue - a pretty yet accessible aerial grey-blue, and Resene Canterbury Clay,  a very usable, warm, straw-like colour, for an interesting, yet sophisticated colour mix.

Both colours blend well together, or can be used on their own in half-strengths. They are easily accessorised to suit either gender. The trims and skirting were painted in Resene Norwester - a contemporary hue used to enhance the brown and grey tones of the walls. We painted the floor in Resene Wan White, and added an ochre-coloured rug to keep the palette fresh with neutrality.

Bedside table stylist's own. Duck night light $135 from www.naturebaby.co.nz. Rocking horse from TradeMe. Hat stand $565 from www.poiroom.co.nz.  Apple bunk set $1299 from www.drummers.co.nz. On lower bunk: Single denim reversible duvet cover $198, scarlet Alfred pillowcase $42, scarlet Alfred bed quilt $200, zebra-printed pillowcase $38, all from www.gorgi.co.nz. On top bunk: Full stripe single turquoise duvet cover $198, sage green polkadot pillowcase $36, sage green polkadot bed quilt $225, all from www.gorgi.co.nz

PHOTOGRAPHY: KEVIN EMIRALI • STYLING: KIRSTIN BAILEY