Slow spaces

From habitat plus - decorating and colour trends 2023

In an increasingly challenging and uncertain world, spaces where you can wind down, take a load off and minimise stress are more popular than ever.

This shift towards making our homes into havens where we can shelter from the chaotic energy of everyday life has also influenced colour trends as we seek out comforting hues that are known for their calming qualities. Dusted blues, sea greens, creamy whites, petal pinks, mushroom mauves, cloudy greys and washed timber tones like Resene Inside Back, Resene Green Meets Blue, Resene Blanc, Resene Sakura, Resene In The Mauve, Resene Surrender and Resene Colorwood Breathe Easy are perfect for setting the tone in spaces where rest and recuperation are needed, which has increased demand for these gentle colours as more of us look to leverage their magic in our home sanctuaries. Endlessly interchangeable and so easy to love, these Resene hues leave the door wide open for you to customise your space with whatever soothes your soul.

Tuck into denim

Since your bedroom is the place you start and end your day, it makes sense to decorate it with colours that are gentle on the senses to help ease you into your day and wind down after it. Denim blues are among the easiest colours to live with and send a soothing message to your brain. Plus, their inherent greyed quality not only works well with our intense natural light but makes them even more recessive and restful than brighter, glassier blues. With walls in cosy Resene Rhino, a rich denim blue, this bedroom sets the tone for rest and rejuvenation. But to keep this deep colour from feeling too dominating or heavy, we’ve painted the floor in Resene Iron and added lightly coloured bedlinens for levity and balance. To dampen the contrast between your lightest and darkest hues, use mid-range tonal hues across key furniture and decorative accessories.

top tip  Paint furniture in Resene Lustacryl for a durable semi-gloss finish or Resene Enamacryl for a gloss finish.

Stratified slumber

When it comes to colours that are both universally liked and considered universally restful, blues simply can’t be beaten. This serene bedroom features a range of tones right from a soft, shell white with a whisper of blue grey, Resene Barely There, through to deep and inky charcoal blue Resene Cinder. The look is all about layering those blue hues sky high to create depth and cosiness. To break things up, a few deliberate touches of dusty brick red in Resene Mocha provide complementary contrast to the greener tones of Resene Hermitage on the back left wall, deeper Resene Inside Back behind the bed and paler Resene Half Duck Egg Blue on the floor. A bedside table and a few small accessories in deep Resene Cinder play off the dark navy bedlinen to ground the space while the cosy rug and throw bring tactile comforts and the textured artwork and potted plants lend an organic touch.

top tip  Resene SpaceCote Flat is a durable and versatile paint that's ideal for bedrooms and living rooms.

Trusty dusty blues

Relying on a tonal colour palette, where all the hues you use are from the same colour family, is one of the simplest approaches to guarantee decorating success. And by taking this approach with a palette of dusty, recessive blues like Resene Half Dusted Blue, Resene Quarter Powder Blue, Resene Dusted Blue, Resene Periglacial Blue, Resene Casper, Resene Shadowy Blue, Resene Avalanche and Resene Coast, you’ll be certain that your space becomes a calming one. If you decide you want to carry this energy into other rooms of your home, these same dependable colours can be endlessly remixed across different surfaces to give each space its own distinct vibe to suit the room’s individual purpose. When it’s time to put your feet up, you’ll be able to rest assured that your entire home feels unified and cohesive.

Trend: archways - see other trends

Coastal cocoon

Deep wall colours can be incredibly soothing, as their enveloping nature creates a protective, cocooning effect. They’re ideal for restful spaces like bedrooms or media rooms, where less light is often better than too much. A combination of blue, green and grey tones such as Resene Bunting, Resene Streetwise and Resene Shady Lady reference the colours of the sea and coast bringing the vibe of your favourite beachside retreat home. Load up your bed or sofa with layers of soft and cosy textiles and you’ll be left with a space you never want to leave.

top tip Use a relaxing piece of artwork to set both the tone and palette for your space. Simply upload an image to the free online Resene Colour Palette Generator to get a suggested colour palette to use to best complement your artwork.

Trend: contemporary classics - See other trends

A touch of texture

While you won’t want to fill your slow-down space with too many wildly different colours or décor that shouts for attention, it’s still important to create interest – and the best way to do that is with contrast. While bringing in colours in sharply contrasting values is one way to break things up, mixing in a few items that have different textures is a gentler option. Choose natural textures, like dried florals, woven linens and handmade pottery to contrast with your smooth painted surfaces. Try using warmer colours like dusty rose to accent cooler tones such as powder blues to create a contrast in visual temperature.

top tip  Create visual texture by varying the levels of sheen in your room. Paint walls in Resene SpaceCote Low Sheen and trims and vases in Resene Lustacryl semi-gloss.

Sit and stay awhile

When you have an oddly shaped or sized space and you can’t find quite the right furniture to fit, custom joinery like built-in banquets and bookshelves are a superb option. Not only will these fit your room in a literal sense, but you can also ask for them to be painted or stained in a Resene colour to perfectly coordinate with your wall, floor, ceiling and décor hues. In this restful reading nook Resene Duck Egg Blue with layers of accent colours in soothing green blue hues makes it the perfect place to curl up with a cuppa and a favourite read.

Art appreciation

Visiting an art gallery or museum is a rejuvenating activity, but there’s nothing stopping you from replicating that same experience in the comfort of your own home. Simple and clean yet warm and inviting, walls in Resene Cashmere, a soft suede with a hint of blush in its undertone, make for an elegant and refined base when combined with a light violet-grey floor in Resene Quarter Rakaia – one that’s far more welcoming than a plain white. Rather than pricey and impossibly heavy granite plinths – which you might be hardpressed to get inside your home – mimic the look of Carrera marble by painting fibreboard cylinders in two coats of Resene Alabaster before adding thin layers of mottling and veins with Resene FX Paint Effects Medium mixed with Resene Half Stack to create dedicated displays for your well-curated treasures.

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