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From Habitat plus - decorating and colour trends 2021

If you’re looking to adopt a more optimistic mood in your home, look to rich warm colours, bold patterns, shapes and textures.

Yellows, oranges and reds do the job like no other when it comes to bringing cheeriness and energy to enliven and invigorate a space.

A yellow lounge in Resene Chenin
A summery living room in Resene Moon Glow and Resene First Light
Lounge (yellow): Walls in Resene Chenin, floor in Resene Mellow Yellow, sideboard in Resene Double Spanish White, coffee tables and small accessories in Resene Stinger, Resene Mellow Yellow, Resene Chenin, Resene Gin Fizz, Resene Laser, Resene Golden Sand and Resene Double Spanish White and picture frame in Resene Blank Canvas. Sofa from Freedom Furniture.   Lounge (light green/yellow): Fresh and summery, this living room soothes with walls in Resene Moon Glow (left) and Resene First Light (right) and a floor in Resene Orchid White. Sofa, coffee table, basket, vase and cushions from Città.

Trend: watercolour effects, see "different strokes"

Feel–good hues

Trending sunshiny yellows come as a ray of positivity in a world that is increasingly challenging. According to colour experts, no hue expresses hope and reassurance more than yellow. Building a scheme anchored with soft and buttery shades like Resene Mellow Yellow, Resene Chenin, Resene Essential Cream and Resene Chamois is an easy way to add a refreshing burst of brightness to our homes.

Yellow is also known to bring out the best in other colours. If your current scheme could use a pick-me-up, what better way than with a cheerful corn-coloured cushion, art, picture frame or throw? Use softer shades like Resene Sweet Corn and Resene Manuka Honey as accents to duck egg blues, earthy greys or olive greens like Resene Duck Egg Blue, Resene Schooner or Resene Quarter Grey Olive. Or, stick with classic mustards like Resene Cleopatra or Resene Influential with sapphire blues, greyed whites or coffee browns.


Resene Cleopatra

Resene Influential

Top tip:  Yellows intensify more than any other colour when used inside. Consider choosing a lighter shade of your favourite yellow for large areas. Test your colour before you commit by painting the entire contents of a Resene testpot using two coats onto an A2 card, leaving an unpainted border around the edge. Move it around your space at different times of the day and evening to see how it looks in different lighting. Roll the sample with the colour innermost and look down into the tube to see how the colour will look once all four walls are painted.

Dayroom featuring dramatic red and soothing pink
A sitting room in shades of orange and teracotta.
Dayroom: Heart pumping Resene Red Oxide was used for the lower wall and floor in this romantic dayroom. The upper wall in Resene Soothe keeps the rich red from overwhelming the space. Drawers, cushion, throw and headboard from Città, coffee table from Good Form, art by Runa and Holly.   Lounge: Upper wall in Resene Dark Buff, shelf wall in Resene Korma, floor in Resene Eighth Drought, coffee and side tables in Resene Twine, vases in Resene Alpaca (tall), Resene Cobblestone (medium) and Resene Gold Coast (low), bowl in Resene Cod Grey and DIY art in Resene Korma and Resene Gold Coast. Chair from Me & My Trend, cushion, rug, throw and lamp from Cittá.

Trend: tide line, see "tide lines swell"


Buoyant brights

Another way to instantly inject liveliness in a space is with a few pops of bold brights. The best part is that you’re free to use just about any hue you like, so long as it contrasts with the rest of your space. And, by painting these colours on furniture and accessories instead of on the wall, it’s easy to switch them out if your tastes change or you get tired of a certain shade, or even just to switch furniture pieces to different rooms for a whole new look. Oranges like Resene Tangerine, hot pinks like Resene Glamour Puss and energetic aqua like Resene Java are just the ticket for perking up a dining or living room. Try one of them yourself or head to your nearest Resene ColorShop to view the large A4 colour swatches in the in store colour library to find a colour that speaks to you. Resene staff can help you find the right shades to complement your home’s colour palette. Chances are, you already own a picture frame or plant pot that could be given a sunnier outlook with a lick of paint.

Paint two basecoats of Resene FX Magnetic under your painted wall feature topcoats to turn it into a handy noticeboard capable of holding up strong magnets.

A feature wall in bitter orange
An orange sitting room with orange shelves
Study: Bitter oranges are a trending colour that’s really heating up. Previously, we saw shades like Resene Alert Tan primarily on accessories. Today, the trend has progressed to see these hues used in much larger doses. Back wall in Resene Sour Dough with whiteboard circle feature in Resene Whiskey Sour topped with Resene FX Write-on Wall Paint for a coloured whiteboard, floor in Resene Colorwood Natural timber stain, right wall and shelving in Resene Alert Tan, desk legs in Resene Leather and chair in Resene Sour Dough.   Reading corner: Wall and shelving in Resene Alert Tan and floor in Resene Colorwood Natural timber stain. Chair, pendant lamp Paint two basecoats of Resene FX Magnetic and rug from Good Form.
 
 

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Colours shown on this website are a representation only. Please refer to the actual paint or product sample. Resene colour charts, testpots and samples are available for ordering online.   See measurements/conversions for more details on how electronic colour values are achieved.

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