Popular oranges

Add optimism to your colour palette with these favourite oranges!

Resene Cest La Vie
A rose white, this colour has a beige neutrality that is very appealing.

Resene Dust Storm
A dry pink oxide with a brown edge.

Resene Wafer
A pink biscuit, delightful with sweet ice.

Resene Pearl Bush
A warm pink based brown oxide.

Resene Sazerac
A pastel peach coloured up with cream and ochre.

Resene Despacito
A delicate beige meets pink with a undertone of modest ambiance in it.

Resene Outrageous
A clear bright orange, full of frenetic adrenalin and purpose.

Resene West Side
A bold sunny orange with a large dose of style and pizazz.

Resene Hyperactive
A pulsating frenetic orange harking back to the late 1950s.

Resene Adrenalin
A razor sharp slice of fluoro orange.

Resene Daredevil
A fluoro orange, not to be ignored.

Resene Tangerine
An Algerian inspired red based orange.

Resene Clockwork Orange
A bold statement of iconic orange, a 1960s retro perspective.

Resene Moroccan Spice
A touch of spice in a rich bitter brown edged orange hue.

Resene Rusty Nail
A dry lemon tinged ochre.

Resene Twizel
A terracotta hit of burnt brick orange, full of dynamic energy and boldness.

Resene Tuscany
A dusty orange raw terracotta.

Resene Desperado
A ginger brown, reckless and wild.

Resene Scorched Clay
A fiery red orange.

Resene Alert Tan
An ochre based tan, too yellow to be called orange.

Orange peel

Orange, a secondary colour made from a combination of yellow and red, is equidistant from both these primary colours in the colour spectrum.

An attention seeking, aggressive colour, orange is full of lively vitality and energy. While bright, hot and exciting, it is also a symbol of warning at traffic lights. Strong, bright and easy to distinguish from other colours, it is often used to warn of danger or advertise new events. Orange is the colour of fire, and like fire, it can be overbearing emotionally if used in large undiluted amounts.

Lightened to peach or apricot tones, orange warms and creates a social ambience. Darkened to terracotta or rust it is a versatile decorating colour that works well in both cool and warm colour schemes. It appears sporty and full of fun when coupled as a minor accent with blues and whites. Alongside olive green and charcoal it is sophisticated, in a cool blue/green room invigorating.

Historically, orange was one of the fashionable shades of the Art Deco period, teamed with sizzling lime and cool aqua-blue.

Oranges absorbs a good deal of light and can look gloomy if it is in a situation where the lighting is weak. Orange is a warm, advancing colour and often extra lighting or mirrors will do much to counter balance the enclosed effect that orange tends to have on a room. Tungsten-halogen lights are the best lighting choice as they have a minimal effect on colour, even strong ones like orange.

Beyond these basic rules, your use of orange depends on the mood you wish to create – stimulating, intimate, exciting, unique... with the right combination of colours you can use orange to create all these moods.

Decorating with orange...

Always try out your colours using a Resene testpot in the area you plan to paint before you start your painting project – that’s the best way to confirm the colour looks right before you start painting. You can also can order drawdowns online.

Resene has changed the way it measures and creates electronic colours – read more

Resene Paints Ltd – www.resene.com