Spiced just right

From the Resene decorating blog

From masala to saffron, spicy shades continue to capture our imaginations.

The popularity of spicy shades has stayed strong. In fact, they may have even overtaken desert pinks, silvery sage and coastal blues as the hottest trending hues of the moment. Not unlike the way certain spices warm our bodies from the inside out, these rich colours evoke warmth like no others and carry with them a sense of exoticism.

In Eastern spice markets, baskets of saffron, nutmeg, turmeric, cinnamon, cayenne and coriander perfume the air and offer a feast for the eyes. You can recreate the visual appeal of a Moroccan market in your own home by decorating with a palette of spicy paint colours. These zesty shades bring a distinctive elegance to any room.

As the trend continues to heat up, keep your eyes out for:

• Cinnamon and masala shades like Resene Chelsea Gem, Resene Korma, Resene Jambalaya and Resene Sambuca

• Fully saturated saffron yellows steeped with hints of orange or brown. Richer and more vibrant than mustard, variations like Resene Tulip Tree and Resene Fuel Yellow

• Bitter oranges such as Resene Mai Tai, Resene Moroccan Spice, Resene Smoke Tree and Resene Ayers Rock

Spicy colours can be toasty warm or fiery hot and range from soothing to stimulating depending on their tone – and how and where you use them. While beautiful, some spicy shades can overwhelm a home if used to excess. When choosing a palette of spicy paint colours, select one or two main shades and add a few complementary colours as accents.

A warm and sugary shade like Resene Chelsea Gem, for instance, looks lovely on walls in a scheme that incorporates a pastel peach like Resene Sazerac, a deep dark grey like Resene Cod Grey or a palm green like Resene Bush.

Similarly, a base of Resene Moroccan Spice can be built upon with colours like Resene Lemon Grass, Resene Racing Green or Resene Bullitt for an interesting and engaging look.

For those who love the look of a tonal colour palette, you’re in luck. Spicy shades are ideal for layering with one another. Try Resene Beethoven, Resene Crail, Resene Twizel and Resene Hot August together in a single scheme. Or pair a bold paprika like Resene Raging Bull with a rich clove like Resene Rustic Red, a deep dusted capsicum like Resene Red Oxide, rich curries like Resene Korma and Resene Mai Tai and a golden saffron like Resene Meteor. These complementary combinations of reds, yellows and browns can be used to create a dramatic backdrop for furniture and accessories in a space where you like to eat and entertain such as a lounge, kitchen or dining room.

When decorating with spicy paint colours, begin with the largest surfaces in the room. Paint the walls in one of your spice palette's neutral colours, such as lighter shades of nutmeg like Resene Mocha or Resene Cinnamon, and then use a deeper shade such as Resene Brown Pod on larger pieces of furniture. Create drama in a dining room with a luxurious saffron- or clove-coloured table with Resene Pirate Gold or Resene Toorak. An ornate bed painted capsicum red such as Resene Red Red Red gives a master bedroom a striking focal point while a coat of curry-coloured paint in Resene Fuel Yellow can be used to give drab kitchen cabinetry a trend-forward pick-me-up.

Paint your rooms and furnishings with patterns that give them a global feel. To imitate the look of Moroccan tiles, stencil spice-coloured borders around the door frame of a bedroom, bathroom or kitchen. To create an all over pattern on living room or bedroom walls, use a stamp or stencil to apply a graphic motif with a coriander like Resene Stinger over walls in Resene Golden Sand. For a more subtle look, try Resene Chamois over Resene Apache.

Woven rugs and textiles are a natural fit for playing up the exotic nature of spicy shades. Another idea is to paint a diamond pattern on the floor of a kitchen or foyer in alternating shades of Resene Flax and Resene Kalgoorie Sands. For floor décor that doesn’t require you to touch the timber, paint heavy canvas to create a custom floor cloth.

Embellish small furniture pieces and decorative accessories with bold combinations of spice colours or warm metallics like Resene Blast Yellow, Resene Spark or Resene Rose Gold. With a small brush, paint stylized floral designs on the drawers of a dresser or sideboard. Or bring the spice of life to an old chandelier with a cayenne red like Resene Lusty and accent the lamp's details with a turmeric like Resene Noosa. Paint wooden trays in cinnamon and clove like Resene Desperado and Resene Digeridoo, and then add stencils or freehand designs in bold reds and yellows such as Resene Jalapeno or Resene Galliano. Canisters, boxes and even a simple thrift-store spice rack can become global décor when painted in rich and spicy hues.

December 19, 2019

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