Get the look with Josh and Jenna
Creating a whimsical children’s bedroom while honouring heritage features
The original "renovator's delight"
Serial renovators and former Block contestants, Josh and Jenna Densten, are known for their minimalistic style. However, after working through the design to renovate for the heritage home they purchased in Rutherglen, Victoria, in 2022, they have enjoyed experimenting with a much broader colour palette.
Josh and Jenna embraced soft pastels for their girls' bedroom, drawing inspiration from the 2023 Dulux Colour Forecast Balance palette. Refined and reassuring, the Balance palette features weathered pastels, gentle greens and serene marine blues, with a focus on immersive colour that runs from wall to ceilings and exquisite detailing, such as the sweeping curve of a bedhead or borders around a fireplace.
Josh and Jenna loved the ethereal feeling of the palette, describing it as “a modern muted take on nature that works seamlessly together”.
Desk
Casper White Quarter
A slightly warmer white, Casper White Quarter is a great neutral white that can be used as a main wall colour, trim or an exterior colour. This soft and flexible white works well with many colours including bold dark and lighter shades.
Neutral detail
For Josh and Jenna, it was important to create a whimsical and fun room for their girls, that also worked in harmony with the existing architectural features of the home.
“The rooms in the heritage home have such a beautiful grandeur and we felt that the sophisticated dusty pink shade of Mornington was perfectly complementary to the heritage features of the home and the playfulness that we wanted to achieve within the space.”
Explaining that the pink hue selected for the walls evoked a sense of nostalgia for them, Josh and Jenna added that “Mornington brings you back to your fun, shared childhood room or even the room at your grandparents’ home full of trinkets, interesting artwork and vintage elements”.
The couple selected neutral accent colours from the palette to complement the dusty pink walls and skirtings to add detail and interest.
“We painted the vintage child's study desk and chairs in Casper White Quarter, which has a nice balance between a cool and warm white, yet still feels traditional enough to be incorporated subtly through our décor.”
Vintage touch
Josh and their carpenter also crafted handmade elements around the room, including a custom curved mantle, scalloped pelmets, a fireplace toy shelf and ornaments around the windows, doors and robes.
“Vintage elements collected over years add a unique and curated aspect to the bedroom that creates a sense of nostalgia. These unique features include a vintage mirror from Rachel Donath and a handmade timber Volkswagen Kombi purchased at a market.”
Adding contrast and interest, Josh and Jenna also applied the deep and moody blue shade of Sea Kelp to accent pieces, including a vase and a child’s toy high chair.
Blending in with tall ceilings
Completely enveloping the space in colour, Josh and Jenna created a seamless blend from the walls to the floor. “We love that the wall colour matches the skirting, it allows the generous space and fit-out of the room to shine yet feels grounded against the white ceiling. The floor-to-ceiling curtains also showcase the height of the ceiling upon entry to the room and visually soften the rendered walls and oak flooring.”
Radiating sophistication
Carefully selecting objects and fixtures that balance out the old and new played a key role in achieving Josh and Jenna’s desired feel for their girls’ room.
“We love the sophisticated yet playful feel of the scalloped glass wall lights that perfectly complement the ethereal look and feel of the Balance palette, as did the sheer floor-to-ceiling curtains.”
Creating nostalgia through colour
“The end result has added so much interest to the room. Traditionally we have used Natural White™ in our projects and allowed our furniture and objects to add detail, but Mornington has brought a certain nostalgia and shared interest among the architecture, furniture and décor.
"We have found that the room is a shared hero piece amongst our objects now. We have been able to perfectly capture the balance between playful and modern, while also complementing the beautiful heritage features of the bedroom."
Josh and Jenna’s biggest tip when selecting colour?
Consider the architecture of the property and use of the room! “When experimenting with colour, it is important to consider how each space is linked so each room has its own distinct character, yet still feels like you are within the same home.”
“If you are wanting to be brave and incorporate more colour within your home, particularly to the walls, it is important to understand why you want to paint the room a colour, and how this will complement the space. We have found that darker colours work best in rooms that don’t necessarily require an abundance of reflective natural light, such as master bedrooms that are more prone to relaxation.”
Visualise your home
"It can help to create a mood board or plan for the entire home to make sure rooms aren’t being painted a colour just for the sake of it and that each colour serves its purpose within every room.”
Recreate this look at home
Don’t be scared to move toward some of the moodier colours such as Sea Kelp (pictured), Nephrite or Deep Garnet when using the Balance palette. It’s been fun experimenting with different shades to set the perfect mood for each room.
Curate as many objects as you can. We have been collecting ceramics, vintage art and furniture for more than 10 years. We’re huge fans of rehoming old objects that can add new colours and textures to our spaces and can be great conversation starters with guests. You can always paint these objects a fresh shade to better complement the space as well.
Don’t compromise on window furnishings, this is a space that is often overlooked in project planning but can make a huge impression on a room. The correct selection of furnishings assists not only with privacy, but heating and cooling and acoustics.
To be confident in your colour choices, order Dulux A4 colour stickers or sample pots in your chosen colour(s) for your projects to see these in your home. Alternatively, Dulux has an online colour advice team and a Colour Design Service if you want a design expert to assist in curating your space.
Balance palette: Refined and reassuring
Josh and Jenna were particularly drawn to the way the soft pastel pink and green shades of the Balance palette, such as Mornington and Green Alabaster Half, became accentuated when complemented against the neutrals such as Casper White Quarter and Terrace White.
Explore Balance at home
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Disclaimer
Colours displayed should be used as a guide for your colour selection. To ensure best accuracy, test your colour choice at home by ordering Dulux sample pots, stickers and A4 colour swatches.