Home comfort

Resene – Paint project, from Homestyle magazine

In warm, wintery hues, this colour-washed mural has a reassuring old-timey patina.

Stylist’s tip: When creating paint effects, it’s best to do a test run before working on your walls; smooth scrap wood is ideal for this if you have some lying around. Testing will let you finesse your colour and technique before you turn your talent to the real thing.

Paint an blocked out mural on your lounge wall

Get the look

Paint your walls with two coats of the main base colours that will form the largest areas of your mural — we used Resene Half Linen and Resene Half Gauntlet. Allow to dry.

Colourwashed walls

Measure and mask with painter’s tape the first geometric shape you’ll paint over the top. Paint this shape and leave to dry, then remove the tape and mask the next shape. We used Resene Gold Coast, Resene Half New Denim Blue, Resene Hairy Heath, Resene Warrior and Resene Half Ironsand.
Creating each colour one by one, combine Resene FX Paint Effects with a testpot paint in a corresponding darker colour for each section of the mural at a ratio of 95% Resene FX Paint Effects and 5% Resene testpot colour (see above for what we used).
Working one shape at a time, mask each shape with painter’s tape, then use a wide brush to paint it with X-shaped brushstrokes of your new colour before quickly rubbing it dry with a clean cloth. Once dry, remove the tape and move onto the next shape, repeating step three until you’re done.

Backdrop Mural in Resene SpaceCote Low Sheen in Resene Half Linen with Resene FX Paint Effects and Resene Double Tana, Resene Gold Coast with Resene FX Paint Effects and Resene Cape Palliser, Resene Half New Denim Blue with Resene FX Paint Effects and Resene Ebony Clay, Resene Hairy Heath with Resene FX Paint Effects and Resene Digeridoo, Resene Warrior with Resene FX Paint Effects and Resene Double Foundry, Resene Half Ironsand with Resene FX Paint Effects and Resene Nero, and Resene Half Gauntlet with Resene FX Paint Effects and Resene Baltic Sea; floor in Resene Walk-on in Resene Baltic Sea.

Accessories: Bollo armchair by Fogia, statementid. Agra Knot rug by Armadillo & Co, theivyhouse. Fermo media unit, boconcept. Bronze vase, rattan basket, Salt Glaze lidded jar, babelogue.shop. VV Cinquata twin wall lamp by Astep, goodform. Monster 2 vase, ceramicsbyjodie. Japanese vase, babelogue.shop. Flowers stylist’s own. Additional items, Marble eggs, babelogue.shop.