2007 November finalist

From the Resene/Your Home and Garden Colour Home Awards Competition - Nov 2007 finalist

When it came to painting the interior of her 1920s cottage she wanted to keep it simple...

To the uninitiated, a neutral colour scheme might seem like the easy option. But Davina Harper knows how complex the reality can be. When it came to painting the interior of her 1920s cottage she wanted to keep it simple, but she knew the varying amount of light in each room would have a big impact on the neutral colours she chose.

Lounge Bedroom and kitchen
Above: Lounge and master bedroom, Resene ‘Eighth Napa’ Kitchen and dining area Resene ‘Wan White’ Windowsills, skirtings and doors Resene ‘Black White’.

To help with her decision making, she sought the advice of a colour consultant. “I ended up going with just one of her suggestions (Resene ‘Eighth Napa’) but she gave me a great starting point,” says Davina. “I like the way ‘Napa’ has a warmth, but also gives the lounge a clean and modern look. For the other rooms, I got about 40 test pots and just painted patches all over my walls!”

The hardest choice, she says, was finding the right neutral shade for the kitchen/dining area: “This is a very sunny space so I wanted to keep it light and bright, but the colour also had to go with the ‘Napa’ in the lounge. I decided on Resene Karen Walker ‘Wan White’. It’s a beautiful clean colour with just a hint of grey. The spare room is Resene ‘Double Sea Fog’ – in keeping with the grey theme but quite light, as it’s a darker room.”

More Ideas:

When selecting colours, don’t forget to factor in the gloss level. Most colour charts are produced using low-sheen chips. If you use a gloss finish it will look brighter and cleaner; if you use a flat finish it will look darker and more intense.

Paint the ceiling in a half strength of the wall colour. Because of the way light is reflected around a room, the same colour painted on a ceiling and a wall always looks darker on the ceiling.