Stroke of genius

When many people think of luxury, they associate it with needing to spend big money on fancy status symbols. The thing about luxury, though, is that it only needs to ‘look’ expensive; it doesn’t actually have to come at a high cost.

When you think about designer items and break them down to their basics, there isn’t often much setting them apart from items that don’t have a fancy brand attached. Designer brands are able to charge more by creating ‘value’ through scarcity, and making their pieces unique or hard to come by only increases people’s desire for them. So, decorating with one-of-a-kind furniture and décor with hand-painted details really is the ultimate in luxury because it can never be exactly replicated in someone else’s home – but there are no rules that say you can’t create that one-of-a-kind décor yourself. However, another element of luxury items is that they’re often created with the best materials available. That means you’ll want to choose high quality materials – including Resene paints and wood stains – to create the unique projects in your space if you want to really ‘sell’ your luxury look.

This bespoke bedroom, with its soft-yet-rich palette of scrumptious chocolate, caramel and latte browns balanced with delicate slipper pinks and luscious lilacs, has glamour in spades anchored by its unique hand-painted ‘wallpaper’. To create this look home, start with two basecoats in Resene Bleach White. Then, using a wide paintbrush, apply layer after layer of loose random strokes of Resene FX Paint Effects medium mixed with Resene Cashmere.

Surfaces that are glossy, shiny, metallic often visually ‘read’ as glamorous, expensive and dramatic. Inject some shine into your space by creating an elegantly shaped DIY headboard cut from a thick sheet of wood or MDF and paint it in glossy Resene Enamacryl waterborne enamel tinted to Resene Caffeine and build yourself a bedside using stacked wooden boxes painted in Resene Enamacryl tinted to Resene Tom Tom. Don’t be afraid to bring in a few gilded touches in Resene Gold Dust or Resene Rose Gold metallic to really make your colour scheme pop. Then, finish the look with flooring and a pendant light in Resene Dover White for contrast.

Something that you don’t want in a luxurious space is for it to be ‘only for looking, not for touching’ – especially if it’s bedroom, where you’re supposed to be able to relax; it needs to be liveable. Put your attention once more into choosing high-quality materials, but make sure they’re practical. Things like deliciously soft stonewashed natural linens will make your bedroom even more of a haven.

To keep things interesting, focus on accessorizing your bedroom with items that can be mixed and match as the seasons shift and layer in décor painted using Resene testpots in colours to coordinate. Hues like Resene Cashmere, Resene Karry and Resene Bleach White can play off your ‘wallpaper’ design while giving off a light summery vibe. In the cooler months, swap in items in Resene Caffeine, Resene Noosa and Resene Brown Sugar to add more warmth.

If you want to change things up and look beyond pinks, lilac, mauve, beige and brown for your accents, other colours that work wonderfully with your dusty coral base are muted grey blues and classic creams like Resene Nepal and Resene Pearl Lusta. If coffee colours aren’t to your taste, swap Resene Caffeine for Resene Blue Bark, Resene Tom Tom for Resene Bali Hai and accent with Resene Half Duck Egg Blue, Resene Emerge and Resene Westar.

Pattern and texture mixing is another way to take your bedroom look up a level. Because you’ve already created one pattern or texture on your walls, don’t be afraid to add in a few cushions, throws and a rug with subtle floral patterns or tactile, woven textures for a sumptuous space that’s as unique as you are.

Styling by Kate Alexander. Photography by Bryce Carleton. 2022