Left: Resene Quarter Thorndon Cream in a project designed by Susie Cropper. Right from top: Print from Endemic World. Resene Alabaster in a kitchen created by homeowner Chris England. 4 | Like a chameleon More than any other colour, whites and off-whites are influenced by other elements in the room. If you have off-white walls and a lot of green accessories, expect your walls to take on a green look. Use a strong blue rug or furniture, and your walls will pick up on the blue. You can use this to your advantage. For example if you have a rich reddish timber floor that you find a bit overpowering, then using a cool white on the walls (one with a grey or green base) will diffuse the effect of the floor. Different parts of the room also reflect light differently. An off-white used under a window will look darker than the same colour used on the opposite wall. An off-white used on the ceiling will look much darker than the same colour on the wall because there is less light reflected. Use a half or quarter strength of your wall colour on your ceiling to ensure the two are well balanced. Resene Alabaster Resene Quarter Thorndon Cream