Other trends

From habitat plus - decorating and colour trends 2023

Chit chat

For design elements that are immediate, eye-catching conversation starters, it’s hard to go past Resene wallpaper. Whether you want to go for bold drama in a whole room or a simple statement wall, the latest wallpaper designs are a good place to start.

A few drops of the right wallpaper design can instantly change a room but to really get people talking think about designs that are unique, unexpected or even outrageous.

Playful and colourful options will let you experiment with complementary Resene paint colours in other parts of the room. Try out on-trend neutrals and textures or embrace the trend for flamboyant jungle and botanical designs. That’s a great feature of wallpapers – their versatility. You can experiment with different design and colour trends at once, whether it’s tonal neutrals, bold nature designs, glamorous geometrics or simple stripes.

Trend: tropical - see tropical touches

Colourful contrast

Vibrant contrasting colours can completely elevate an everyday room into something mood-lifting and remarkable, but they can also be used to create visual links and depth to connecting rooms for dramatic impact.

Take a plain, neutral bedroom and add bold shades of deep Resene Coast, bright Resene Jordy Blue with a yellowed neutral like Resene Lime White for a beachy, nautical transformation. Or go maximalist with jewelled shades of emerald Resene Fun Green and garnet Resene Red Ochre with finishing touches of gold to create the warmth of a luxury hotel retreat.

Using unexpected or bolder contrasting colours together creates rooms that inspire, but they also expand your design library to include a huge range of eras and places.

Round up

Painted archways are a quick and easy way to makeover a room without the need for complete reinvention. Arches make a great focal point to show off items of furniture or decor, and are an inventive way to mark out different spaces in a single room. Try an arch as a headboard, a dining room backdrop or even to frame wall shelves painted in the same shade. Paint them in a bold contrast to your wall colour or try a tone just a shade or two darker for a more subtle finish.

Going up

If you’re looking for a sense of height and airiness in a space, vertical stripes or lines will make a room feel taller – just as horizontal stripes can make larger spaces feel cosier and more contained.

A wide stretch of wall in a block colour can start to make your room feel squat in shape. Adding groups of three or five narrow stripes, or painted battens, spaced around a room will balance that out by drawing the eye up, rather than out.

This stripe effect is also worth remembering if you’re putting in a fence or deck outside. The direction you lay your timber will change how long or wide your outdoor area feels. Looking along long lengths of timber over a deck, then up vertical lines on a fence, will elongate your space, while upright posts will shorten the space and make your garden feel more compact.

Trend: battens and panels - see natural healing

Framed

The plainest of walls can be easily dressed up with battens, which continues to be a popular trend. But there’s another option to create interesting walls without needing any building skills – simply add frames!

Upcycle or buy new inexpensive frames depending on the style and look you are after. Op shops are a great place to find these. Remove the glass and backings – you can put them aside for another project. Paint the frames inside and out with your chosen Resene colour. Use masking tape to decide where you will place the frames on the wall or lay your frames out on the floor and get the combination right before you start hanging the frames. For a fun alternative look, add a mirror, a piece of art or paint the framed area in Resene FX Chalkboard Paint.

While it is most common to paint the frames in the same Resene paint and colour as the wall, you can opt for a contrasting sheen, using Resene Lustacryl semi-gloss to give your frames a subtle visual contrast to low sheen walls.

Between the lines

Simple, painted lines can be a very effective way to break up large stretches of wall and create the illusion of extra space in smaller rooms. Use outlines to frame hero furniture pieces you want to showcase or create different use areas within a single room. Try painted outlines in bold contrasting colours or for a subtler, shadowy effect try a darker shade of your wall colour. For example, if your walls are Resene Quarter Tea, try adding a painted outline in Resene Triple Tea for a tonal finish.

Tone zone

Keeping to a restrained colour palette and opting for subtly different tones rather than bold contrasts creates rooms that are soothing and calming, perfect for creating at-home retreat spaces. Go for a dreamy finish with soft pastels like Resene Dust Storm and Resene Duck Egg Blue, or muted neutrals like Resene Napa, and bring the outside in with earthy naturals like Resene Tea and Resene Colins Wicket.

Layer different colour intensities to give the space added dimension and keep it interesting to the eye. Natural textures like wood grains or rattan add a Balinese spa-like finish or add a layer of luxe with velvets, wool and suede.

Trend: nature See natural healing

Home work

Whether it’s the hub for your business, a sometimes satellite office to keep you up to date or a space to pay household bills and organise the family, a home office should offer a comfortable, practical space to get things done. It should be functional and efficient but also inspiring, so sitting down to work feels uplifting. Think about the kinds of storage, shelving or surfaces you need in your office and be creative with upcycling and colour choices so your office reflects your style and personality.

Try blocks of different, tonal colours on the walls around you so you always have something to look at. If your workspace is in a colder, darker part of your home opt for a bolder accent like Resene Pohutukawa; in sun-drenched offices try cool hues like Resene Green Smoke.

Trend: check - see fortune favours the bold

Wait space

Do you have under-used spaces in your house? They’re typically transition areas like a landing at the top of stairs, entry foyers, back porches or a joining point of two passageways.

With some imagination and smart design a lot of these spaces can be transformed into functional, appealing places that add value to how you live in your home. It might be a comfy spot to put your shoes on when you’re leaving home, a handy place to perch groceries as you take your shoes off or a space to sit and wait for a few minutes while you’re waiting for a ride to arrive.

Use paint colours to mark out the space as separate from the connecting stairs or hallways, and add features like set down and sit down space, rugs, shelves and good lighting to define the space. Think about what you want to use it for, and design for that so the finished result is cohesive with a clear function.

Need a nook

There’s no question the way we live in our homes is changing quickly, and often. Most of us can’t undertake a renovation every time our needs change – whether it’s working from home, or having family come to live with us. Creating new, useful spaces inside the rooms we have is a cost-effective and creative way to make sure your home is meeting your day-to-day needs. And what better way than to use an unused corner or space as a handy nook for something else?

Before you start, have a clear idea about what your nook will primarily be used for. It might be writing, drawing or working on your device. Do you need a second sitting or gaming area to accommodate a growing family? Or do you just want a quiet spot to read and chat?

Map out the space you have available within a bigger room and think about how to frame it with paint colours, wallpaper, furniture or a rug to set it apart from the main room.

Dine in style

As different parts of our homes become co-opted for different uses, like school, work or hobbies, communal spaces where households can gather become all the more important.

A dining room can be both a social centre for your household, and a perfect canvas for some creative interior design. It need not be purely functional, even if space is at a premium. Add textured walls, bold Resene wallpapers and plenty of soft furnishings like drapey curtains, rugs, cushions, tablecloths and even throws to add visual warmth and soften the room’s boundaries.

Think about the shape that will work best in your space and use paint to play with proportions. Paint the ceiling a bold colour like Resene Indian Ink to visually lower a high ceiling, or try breezy pastels like Resene Gum Leaf to brighten things up.

Trend: texture - see slow spaces

No bounds

Who says painting your room needs to stick to the natural confines of your space?

Painting out sections of a wall is an excellent way to draw the eye to certain areas of a room, or carve out different small areas to break up a large room. For example, block out a corner section by painting not just a section of the walls, but the floor and even the ceiling too, to create a room within a room.

This can be a fun way to create play spaces in a kids’ bedrooms or study and reading areas on landings or in living rooms.

And don’t feel you need to stick to straight lines and geometric shapes. Play with organic, freehand shapes to create bold backdrops for furniture pieces, artworks or just as unique, eye-catching room features.

Trend: darks - see glamour and darks

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