Here's a taste of some of the Colour Expert questions and answers to help you with your own colour scheme.
If you would like more colour advice for your project, please ask our Colour Expert for help or come in and see our staff at your local Resene ColorShop or Reseller. Colours are a representation only.
Please refer to the actual paint or product sample. Resene colour charts, testpots and samples are available for ordering online.
Q. We were looking at the Resene Coriander or Resene Hermitage. We have seen houses in New Zealand painted these colours but not sure how they will look in the Queensland sun. We are looking at COLORBOND® Woodland Grey or Monument for the guttering and some sort of crisp white colour for the windows and trims. A. All bright sunlight strips back the depth of exterior colours. They can look lighter and brighter - it really depends upon what type of colour it is. Resene Coriander on an exterior may look like Resene Half Coriander. Resene Hermitage might look paler/greyer or alternatively like a pastel aqua. If you want a clean crisp white to lift the look of these soft toned colours, I recommend that you use Resene Half Black White. January 2021 |
Q. Can you recommend a colour scheme for a Summerhill stone 1960s brick house – the brick is quite textural, not like a flat red brick. It has been painted once already. It is currently a pinky beige colour. We were thinking maybe something greige – like a cool beige or a soft grey. We need contrast colours as well. A suitable white for windows and maybe a darker contrast colour for roof and doors etc. Can you give a few scheme option choices please? A. If you are interested in greige colours they are invariably warmer than most greys. Try option 1 – Resene Double White Pointer as your main colour with windows in Resene Quarter White Pointer and Resene Ironsand roof and doors. Or option 2 – Resene Half Cloud as your main colour with windows in Resene White and Resene Grey Friars roof and doors. Or options 3 – Resene Quarter Tapa as your main colour with windows in Resene Black White and Resene Squall roof and doors. The first two options are greige – beige with some grey in them. The third option is greyer – and very slightly warm because of the yellow/black colourants that combined give it an undertone of green grey. January 2021 |
Q. We are currently looking at painting out roof on our 1985 Hardiboard house. The outside of the house is currently Resene Friar Greystone with aluminium window frames in an ionised bronze/brown. We would prefer a darker colour for the roof. A. The following are some colours that work well with what you have as a main colour and window joinery – Resene Lignite, Resene Ironsand, Resene Friar Greystone or Resene Windswept. January 2021 |
Q. I would like a dark blue for a bedroom feature wall or two. A. Check out the following dark blues to see if anything appeals to you – Resene Blue Bark, Resene Dark Side or Resene Blue Night. January 2021 |
Q. I would like some suggestions of colours that will go with Resene Sea Nymph for an interior and exterior. A. Here are some interesting colours that may appeal to you and work well with Resene Sea Nymph – Resene Breeze, or brighter Resene Half Opal, or deeper tone – Resene Green Meets Blue, or an interesting mid blue – Resene Biscay, or a white to enhance the colours of the sea and sky – Resene Double Alabaster. January 2021 |
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Q. What would you suggest for interior colours? We are thinking of a mid-grey with the occasional dark feature wall and white trim. A. Interior paint colours rely on what other (more expensive/more limited) things that you have chosen for the interior. It is important to have lots of freedom and flexibility when choosing flooring, kitchen cabinets, kitchen work tops, drapes, blinds, wall tiles etc. Ideally you should choose those first then decide on the paint colours. Some colour ideas to try – Resene Delta with Resene Gravel and Resene Eighth Rice Cake, Resene Half Mountain Mist, Resene Quarter Bokara Grey and Resene Quarter Concrete or Resene Grey Area, Resene Porter and Resene Black White. Greys and (almost) white colours can be used with almost any dark feature wall colours so the ones that I have mentioned are a start point for you and could be adjusted to other colours. January 2021 |
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Q. Would you please advise what shades of white the kitchen cabinets should be? The kitchen top is Quartz Michelangelo Grey veins. The walls are Resene Half White Pointer and the ceiling Resene Half Alabaster. Should it be a warm colour or cool white and does it matter? Does the colour of the benchtop need to be considered? A. Yes, the colour of the bench top needs to be taken into account. A white – whether it is a warm colour or a cool colour – needs to look right with the benchtop. Seeing as you have already used a white on the ceilings –Resene Half Alabaster – you could pursue slightly different variants of that colour – full strength Resene Alabaster or Resene Double Alabaster. Other whites to test carefully could be Resene Black White, Resene Double Black White or Resene Half House White. January 2021 |
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Q. We are looking to repaint our interior using Resene Quarter Foggy Grey for walls and the trim and ceiling in Resene Bianca. Can you recommend a colour for doors? A. You could use the same colour as the trims – Resene Bianca – this lifts the look of the rooms and makes the wall colour seem slightly deeper in tone. If you wanted a more distinct colour on the doors, you could use a variant of the wall colour, such as Resene Half Foggy Grey. It may be more forgiving of constant touch, finger marking and bump abrasions. But in a dim hallway with lots of doors in it a colour like this may look a bit deeper that you thought it would do. Your default choice is to use the same colour as the walls but in a Resene Lustacryl semi-gloss enamel finish not a low sheen finish, which will give you a sheen difference not a colour difference. January 2021 |
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Q. Our present ceilings are Resene Quarter Parchment and the trim and doors are Resene Half Parchment which we would like to keep. I am confused about choosing one colour for all our downstairs walls. Presently we have a mix of Resene Parchment and Resene Triple Parchment but I would like to lighten everything up. A. If you want to lighten everything up then you could use the same colour as the ceiling – Resene Quarter Parchment. Or the same as the doors and trims – Resene Half Parchment. Those colours – which are very definite tones – don't want to play nice with any other colours so you are somewhat compromised as to what you might use. If you went much lighter in colour with Resene Eighth Parchment – you may see the ceiling and door colour look much deeper than they do now. January 2021 |
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Q. I have chosen Resene Licorice for my kitchen island with Resene Half Sea Fog for wall cupboards and I’ve used these colours on other pieces of joinery also. My question is what exterior paint will complement best – ideally something that looks like a lighter version of Resene Licorice or should I use something else entirely? I am thinking Resene Sea Fog or Resene Double Sea Fog for trim, fascia etc. The roof is New Denim Blue. A. If you are keen on a deep colour for the exterior – darker than New Denim Blue – you might check out the following options – Resene Grey Friars or Resene Ebony Clay. If you wanted a similar type of colour as Resene Licorice but lighter you could try Resene Rhino or a lighter variant of the roof colour – Resene Half New Denim Blue or Resene Quarter New Denim Blue. In order to add a clear contrast to the deeper main house colour I think Resene Sea Fog would look very smart. January 2021 |
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Q. We have a 90s built red brick house which has an Ironsand roof and off white soffits. Our entrance is a large floor to glass feature which we have updated by also painting Ironsand and we are about to replace the door (composite). I want a pop of colour but am not sure what with all the red brick. The door faces east and is under cover (glass roof). It gets a fair amount of sun. A. Using a bold green may work – green likes red (bricks) and brown/olive (roof) so that is a start point for consideration. Perhaps one of the following colours might be worth checking out – Resene Untamed, Resene New Leaf, Resene Kakapo or Resene Koru. January 2021 |
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Q. We need to paint our second storey bedroom with a high pitched ceiling. We want a soft blue (not nursery blue or too cool). It has wooden trim and a white ceiling. The house is at the beach. A. The following soft blues are really beautiful and may appeal to you – Resene Ship Cove, Resene Waikawa Grey, Resene Zephyr, Resene Smokescreen, Resene Botticelli or Resene Nepal. January 2021 |
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Q. We are looking at using Titania for our downpipes. What is the matching wood paint colour for this? A. You can use Resene Titania. January 2021 |
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Q. I have a shed house with FlaxPod walls, joinery and roof and a kwila deck. I am left to paint barge boards and soffits What colour would work? I’m going for a beach bach look. A. With such a lot of the earthy, warm toned charcoal on the exterior you could use just about any light colour. Try Resene Double Sea Fog. Resene Double White Pointer, Resene Double Rice Cake or for something a little different – Resene Helix or Resene Triple Duck Egg Blue.  Resene Helix  Resene Triple Duck Egg Blue January 2021 |
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Q. We are painting our front doorstep. The door trims/surround are enamel gloss white as is the front door on the inside. The outside of the front door will be Resene Ayers Rock. My question is whether to paint the doorstep Resene White, which will show more dirt and wear or Resene Ayers Rock? Will the coloured doorstep and door coordinate with the white trim as well as a white doorstep would? A. The colour on your door - Resene Ayers Rock - is a bold, bright pop of colour. If you did the door step the same colour and it was all framed with gloss Resene White it would be a strong very dynamic contrast. I think it would work well. White doorsteps always show marks from feet - and because of that would require frequent wiping. But Ayers Rock on the doorstep might be more forgiving. January 2021 |
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Q. I'm painting my weatherboard house with Resene El Nino. The roof is Windsor Grey. I'm looking for a 'white' white for trims and I'm thinking of Resene Rhino (or similar) for the front door or perhaps a mustard colour? A. The best white to give the cleanest, crispest contrast to Resene El Nino is Resene White. I like your idea of using Resene Rhino for the front door. If you wanted a mustard type of colour, you might consider Resene Influential. January 2021 |
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Q. I am going to paint the exterior of our house and am looking at Resene Emerge or Resene Pumice with trims and garage door in Resene Coast or Resene Woodstock. What do you think of these colours together? A. I think that Resene Woodstock may be a little too bright to go with the soft tones of Resene Emerge or Resene Pumice. Resene Coast looks very nice with either colour. If you were keen to use a green with either colour you might look at Resene Jurassic. January 2021 |
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Q. I'm renovating a 1940s brick house, which has rimu flooring and some newer wooden panelling in the kitchen and bathroom. We are using New Demin Blue on the ring foundation against the brick. Inside we are thinking of Resene Half Thorndon Cream for most the rooms, with Resene Half Rice Cake for the bathroom. We have Resene Fuscous Grey for a feature wall in the living room, but would like a warm, light yellow that complements the rimu flooring for doors and features in other rooms. A. Here are a few colours that sit well with the colours that you have already chosen – Resene Half Colonial White, Resene Triple Pearl Lusta or Resene Gin Fizz. They are soft toned yellows – not too bright – but they are (like most colours that look yellow) far more yellow than you might imagine they are. January 2021 |
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Q. What deck paint would you recommend with Resene Indian Ink exterior walls? The joinery is aluminium and dark chocolate. A. You could try - lighter colour options such as Resene Surrender or Resene Stack, or mid toned colour options such as Resene Raven or Resene Tuna. You could use Resene Walk-on as your paint finish. January 2021 |
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Q. I'm painting my bathroom and I'm planning to use Resene Quarter Black White. I have some Resene Quarter Albescent White left from my ceilings and wonder if this would be suitable for a lighter colour for the ceiling? A. If the Resene Quarter Black White was on the ceiling and other trims and Resene Quarter Albescent White was on the walls it would look much better. But if the slightly pink/beige white - Resene Quarter Albescent White - was used on the ceiling and the much whiter colour - Resene Quarter Black White - was on the walls it wouldn't sit as well. January 2021 |
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Q. I have a duck egg blue bedspread (on the green side). What is the best neutral paint colour to go with a mid-brown carpet and the bedspread in a small cottage bedroom with a north facing window? A. A light/warm neutral that would work well in a north facing bedroom might be one of the following colours – Resene Quarter Black White, Resene Eighth Fossil or Resene Eighth Blanc. January 2021 |
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Q. I am thinking of using Resene Quarter Robin Egg for my wall colour (in most of the house) and would like some suggestions for a trim colour. The ceiling will be Resene White. I was thinking along the lines of warm cream. I have seen this combo and thought it worked quite well for a sort of vintage look. A. I like your idea of a warm cream. Perhaps one of the following colours would suit – Resene Orchid White, Resene Buttery White or Resene Half Pearl Lusta. January 2021 |
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Q. We want a colour that matches as closely as possible the colour of the joinery of a new front door that we had installed. The aluminium joinery colour is specified as bronze anodised. We want to use this colour to paint the door surrounds, rather than introduce a new colour. Any ideas of a suitable Resene colour would be appreciated. A. I have a small sample of the bronze anodised aluminium and the following might be checked out by you to see which is best - Resene Wood Bark, Resene Black Magic or Resene Blackout. They are all available as testpots so you can test before you choose a specific colour in a larger quantity. January 2021 |
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Q. I am looking for advice on exterior colours for our house. It has been light beige for 22 years. We have Karaka green windows and roof. I am not sure which colour to use. I really like the idea of a dark colour like Resene Triple Napa or a darker tone. A. The following are some deep options that may appeal to you – Resene Stonehenge, Resene Double Friar Greystone or a few lighter options that are interesting – Resene Triple Truffle or Resene Foggy Grey. If you could visit your local Resene ColorShop you can view the large A4 colour swatches in their Colour Library and compare the colours with the Resene Triple Napa to see what you like best. January 2021 |
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Q. We are about to paint the exterior of our weatherboard house and would like to go for Resene Quarter Foggy Grey or Resene Half Foggy Grey for the boards. Can you please recommend a white for the windowsills and a blackish/charcoal colour for the front door and garage doors? A. The following white colours would work well – Resene Half Sea Fog or Resene Quarter Rice Cake. Some dark colours for the front door and garage doors that may interest you are Resene Double Ironsand or Resene Element.  Resene Quarter Foggy Grey  Resene Double Ironsand January 2021 |
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Q. We are building an American house barn open plan style with brown carpet. I want a neutral colour for the walls with a bit of depth to it. Preferably one colour throughout ceilings and skirting. Would Resene Double White Pointer be ok? A. Resene Double White Pointer would work well. Have you compared the colour with one or two others so you can judge the reality of the colour? It may pay to because looking at only one colour doesn't engage your power to differentiate. Perhaps look at these with Resene Double White Pointer if only to confirm its 'rightness' – Resene Quarter Napa or Resene Eighth Pravda. If you vary the sheen level for different surfaces – matt for ceilings (Resene SpaceCote Flat), low sheen for walls (Resene SpaceCote Low Sheen), semi-gloss for woodwork (Resene Lustacryl) – you will create a bit of visual difference without changing the colour. January 2021 |
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Q. We are just about to finalise our house colours and I’m not sure if Resene Delta is bold enough. Perhaps it is when you do the whole body of the house not just a board with a testpot? The roof is Grey Friars and we are thinking of doing the shingle in this colour too. Is there any other colour I should try before going with Resene Delta for the main body of the house? A. All colours appear lighter/brighter on an exterior because of the clarity of light and harshness of the sun. This can be a bit of a shock, so it does pay to look at slightly deeper colours to compensate for this. If you are a bit unsure about Resene Delta being exactly right perhaps you might check out Resene Double Delta or Resene Stack. January 2021 |
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Q. I am looking for a light terracotta colour (peach/orange hue) for the exterior of my French villa. A. Try these colour options – Resene Florentine Pink, Resene Just Dance or paler Resene Soulful or less orange and slightly tanner Resene Cashmere or Resene Sante Fe. January 2021 |
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Q. I'd like to paint my Mum's kitchen walls in Resene Ottoman and the wooden cupboards in a warm white that can complement Resene Ottoman. I'm thinking of Resene Bianca. Would that be a good idea? I am wondering then what colour white would work for the ceilings, windowsills, etc. A. I think Resene Bianca would look beautiful with Resene Ottoman – it would look very delicate and warm. You could look at using a much lighter/whiter variant of Resene Bianca for the ceilings, windowsills etc – try Resene Quarter Bianca. Alternatively if you used a real standard white – Resene White – it would create a very crisp clean contrast and would make the Resene Bianca and the Resene Ottoman appear slightly more 'coloured'. January 2021 |
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Q. We are renovating our kitchen and lounge which gets the afternoon sun and have chosen Resene Indian Ink for our lounge feature wall. But when pairing it with a white, for the remaining walls, Resene Double Sea Fog appears too bright and Resene White Pointer appears too warm. Can you recommend another white to try? A. Are the colours you have tried totally wrong at all times of the day (natural light) and night (artificial light) or just when the westerly sun streams in in the late afternoon? Westerly sunlight is warm and carries a lot of red/yellow in it so it warms up any colours. Do you have sun filters or sheer curtains at the windows in this room? That might diffuse the warm light and soften how the 'white' is seen. Some other colours to try – Resene Concrete, Resene Half Surrender or Resene Triple Sea Fog. January 2021 |
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Q. We have just replaced our roof with COLORSTEEL® Grey Friars and would like to paint our 1920s weatherboard house a light, warm grey with white window trims. What greys would you recommend for the house and what whites would you recommend for the trims? A. You might check out the following greys and whites to see if they appeal to you – Resene Triple Black White, Resene Triple Sea Fog or Resene Double Concrete. A crisp clean white would add a lovely contrast to the light grey – try Resene Eighth Black White or Resene Quarter Alabaster. January 2021 |
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Q. We're looking for a mid-dark grey to paint the exterior of our garage. The main house will be Resene Half Concrete. Which shades would you suggest? A. You could try these colours – Resene Half Grey Friars, Resene Tuna, Resene Quarter Gravel or Resene Half Fuscous Grey. January 2021 |
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Q. What would a good contrast colour be for the Axon board at the front of our house? The weatherboards are Resene Thorndon Cream and the joinery/garage door is Sandstone Grey. I was thinking maybe Resene Bokara Grey. A. Perhaps not as warm/black toned as Resene Bokara Grey. You could try Resene Baltic Sea, Resene Nocturnal or Resene Fuscous Grey. January 2021 |
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Q. I have a yellow brick house with painted cedar panels that I want to repaint. What colour would work well on the cedar panels and also the garage door to contrast with the bricks? The house has bronze aluminium joinery. A. Rather than try and match to the windows or the brick I think a deeper earthy colour may work. You might check out the following suggestions to see whether they appeal to you – Resene Scoria, Resene Forest Green, Resene Triple Sisal, Resene Half Ironsand or Resene Touchstone. January 2021 |
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Q. We are searching for colour options to paint the remainder of our house with the bathroom already painted in Resene Tea and the lounge in Resene Moon Mist. Can you please recommend colours that go with both please? A. One of the following might appeal to you – Resene Rice Cake, Resene Quarter Thorndon Cream or Resene Half Sea Fog. January 2021 |
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Q. We are currently repainting our house and are going to change the colour to a more modern look. The house is currently Resene Double Spanish White, with a red long run iron roof and red cedar shingles in a few areas. We are going to repaint the roof in Grey Friars, with the monolithic cladding in Resene Sea Fog or possibly Resene Double Sea Fog. In terms of the cedar shingles, what colour would you recommend to coordinate with the roof? A. If you want to change from an existing red stain colour on cedar you could possibly use a grey/blue if you wanted to relate to the Grey Friars roof. Try Resene Woodsman Bleached Cedar or alternatively you could use a warm brown/black – Resene Woodsman Sheer Black. I recommend that you test how the different stain colours look when applied over the existing red colour. Stains are not like paint - they don't totally block out previous colours. December 2020 |
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Q. I have a cottage with Arctic White aluminium windows and am struggling with an interior trim colour. For the exterior I used Resene Quarter Black White around the windows and that worked fine. However inside I have done the kitchen cabinets in Resene Half Rice Cake and Resene Ethereal. I prefer warmer soft colours. I had my heart set on Resene Quarter Rice Cake for the trims and ceilings but now I think it’s too yellow and am leaning towards Resene Quarter Merino. I also wondered about Resene Double Alabaster. I just want to keep with my scheme but avoid the windows looking too blue. To be honest I didn’t really notice the Arctic White colour until recently so I don’t think people spend too much time noticing it. A. I think as long as the Arctic White window joinery is totally covered with curtains or blinds it won't be seen as a grey/blue. About you not noticing the Arctic White as a cool blue/white type of colour – it is not unusual – it is only when you see real white next to it that those undertones are very apparent. Using warmer colours will always draw attention to the cool blue/grey window joinery. Resene Quarter Merino is the same depth of colour as the Resene Half Rice Cake so you won't see a contrast – it may even look deeper in tone – plus it may look 'not clean' as it has colourants in it that may look grey/green in some lights. Had you thought of using Resene Eighth Rice Cake or Resene Half Alabaster for the ceilings and trims?  Resene Ethereal December 2020 |
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Q. We have a new build we are painting. The roof is Ironsand and the windows are a white aluminium. It has a pitch roof and the architraves will be the same white as the window trim. We would like to do the walls a dark colour - like Resene Blackjack. But I have been warned not to go too ‘black’ but to pick something with a colour in it and maybe go triple to make it dark. What would you recommend that would team well with an Ironsand roof? A. The following are some deep – but not black – colours for you to consider – Resene Dark Web (Triple Ironsand), Resene Double Ironsand or Resene Triple Masala. December 2020 |
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Q. I am looking for advice on window trim colours and a front door. I have a little villa that has been added to badly over the years so most of the windows are more bungalow style rather than villa, other than one in the front. It is being prepped for painting and I have decided on Resene Cest La Vie for the weatherboard colour. The roof is Grey Friars. This is my home and am doing it for myself, not to please anyone else or to be trendy. I think it is better to go lighter around the windows but am open to suggestions. A. If you wanted a lighter colour around the windows – which might also be also used under the soffits, barge boards, door frames, veranda decorative fretwork – you might check out the following options – Resene Half Bianca, Resene Eighth Spanish White or Resene Alabaster. For the front door you could try Resene Grey Friars, Resene Sanguine Brown, Resene Half Aubergine or Resene Midnight Express. December 2020 |
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Q. I am painting a South facing room which is quite a light room but only gets full sun in summer evenings. I want to go with a green on the accent wall – maybe Resene Norway or Resene Pale Leaf and would like a warm grey on the other three walls. Can you please advise a warm grey that would coordinate with the green? A. South facing rooms are often difficult to find colours for as the natural light is either cool/shadowy or sour. The late afternoon westerly light in summer has a lot of red/yellow in it so that also can alter how colours are seen and must be considered even if it only a seasonal source of bright light for a limited number of hours in the day. Warm greys might be like the following colours – Resene Quarter Atmosphere, Resene Barely There or Resene Double Black White. Greens – apart from those you have mentioned – for a feature that work well with the greys – Resene Gum Leaf, Resene Soft Apple or Resene Green Spring. All colours in an interior have the potential to intensify in depth – or brightness – depending on the type of colour. December 2020 |
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Q. I would like some advice on what colour to paint our bathroom/laundry. It is a very large space but I am aware we have some relatively bold colours in our house already. I'm pretty keen to panel one third of the wall and paint a different colour on top, however, am not opposed to other ideas. We have a Resene Half Forest Green feature wall on the bedroom next to the bathroom and a wall in our lounge that is a dark/bright red. The walls in our other bedrooms are Resene Cloudy with Resene Half Black White window frames/doors. A. The effect of one third of the room being panelled might not work as well as you might like it to. You have so much wall already used – shower, storage beside shower, door, bath, laundry tub, vanity etc. There would be very little wall actually seen if it were panelled and it may make the room feel a bit chaotic. The following are a few colour options that may appeal to you – Resene Soulful, Resene Spanish Green, Resene Biscotti, Resene Raven or Resene Sixth Sense.  Resene Soulful  Resene Sixth Sense December 2020 |
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Q. I am about to paint my house and the painters will use Resene Lumbersider and Resene Lustacryl. They are waiting on my colour choice. Currently the house is in several shades of grey. It has two wooden windows in the base, the rest are silvery aluminium. I would like suggestions for colour combinations to give the place a lift. It is very box like. The roof is new and is COLORSTEEL® Grey Friars. We are painting everything except the roof. I need suggestions for the garage door, concrete base, weatherboards, fascia, barge boards, soffits and front and back door which are not fancy or a feature. The downstairs door is in the concrete base and the upstairs door is in the upstairs area which is weatherboard . Neither are seen from the road. I was thinking about whites and greys but am not sure. A. With the thought that the garage door is a block of some size on the ground floor you might consider painting it to match the roof colour – Resene Grey Friars. The windows on the ground floor, fascias, barge boards, soffits and door frames might be one of the following 'whites' – Resene Black White or Resene Poured Milk. All the concrete base of the house and the weatherboards might be the one colour using Resene Double Concrete, Resene Surrender or Resene Geyser. To add a bit of oomph to the house both the doors – and possibly the letterbox as the doors themselves are not seen – could be a definite pop of colour – Try Resene Chorus Line, Resene Pohutukawa or Resene Away We Go.  Resene Poured Milk December 2020 |
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Q. I’m looking for a red for my son's room that’s bright like a fire engine red. A. We don't have a red called Fire Engine Red but we do have a lot of very bright reds. One of the following might be the type of bright red that you are looking for – Resene Guardsman Red, Resene Bright Red, Resene Flash Point, Resene Bright Red, Resene Bullseye, Resene Jalapeno, Resene Red Berry or Resene Smashing. December 2020 |
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Q. I need an external paint colour for my home that is white/neutral with a warm rather than cool base. I don't want any blue, lavender and pink undertones. The house has big wall sections facing south and east – it gets morning sun and lots of south/east afternoon shade. A. The following whites have no blue, lavender or pink undertones – Resene Half White Pointer, Resene Sea Fog, Resene Rice Cake, Resene Merino or Resene Half Villa White. December 2020 |
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Q. I need a colour which will give my cottage a Hamptons look. The roof is COLORSTEEL® Sandstone Grey and the windows are Titania. A. Because the window joinery is a definite colour (Titania) and not a white I recommend that you look at the following colours to see if they appeal to you – Resene Quarter Titania, Resene Atmosphere or Resene Dusted Grey. December 2020 |
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Q. We are doing a bedroom reno in a small beach villa. We are keen to use Resene Ziggurat on one or two feature walls. The carpet and bedding will be pale grey. Can you advise a neutral colour for the remaining walls and ceiling? A. Resene Ziggurat looks really lovely with the following colours – Resene Double Alabaster, Resene Double Rice Cake or Resene Cello. December 2020 |
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Q. I'm painting a bedroom that gets good light in Resene Quarter Pearl Lusta. What colour feature wall would you suggest that will set off an old built in orangey-brown wardrobe? A. You have many options to choose from. You could check out the following colours to see if one appeals to you – a restful grey/green – Resene Haven or a little deeper – Resene Pewter or a warmer tone – Resene Sante Fe or a mysterious blue/grey – Resene Half Hammerhead or a fresh green – Resene Spring Rain or a neutral green edged cream – Resene Thorndon Cream. At the end of the day you will choose something that makes you feel good as well as suits the room. Most colours work with Resene Quarter Pearl Lusta. December 2020 |
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Q. The painter finished my house in Resene Green Smoke and it looks great. I have now decided to go with a red door and windowsill as it adds warmth and is more cheerful compared to blue. A. Some scintillating red ideas for the front door for you to check out – Resene Arthouse, Resene Pohutukawa, Resene Salsa or more purple toned – Resene RSVP, Resene Machiavelli. December 2020 |
Q. We are building a new home. We had chosen colours – Resene Half Baltic Sea for the Rockcote and Resene Eighth Tapa for the Linea® board. The roof is Grey Friars as would have been the garage door and the joinery is Silver Pearl. We have been told to rechoose as the dark is too dark for the Rockcote (should be LRV 25-50%) and the light is too light for the developer. The roof is on. The windows are underway. Our new thoughts are Resene Double Stack for the Rockcote and Resene Rockbottom for the Linea®. Would those colours look good taking into account the joinery and roof colours are already chosen? If so, what colour should the garage door be? If not other suggestions please. We do not want too light as it is colder. A. Grey Friars on the roof and garage door shows – in bright natural sun light – quite a lot of its steel blue undertone and this – as well as the Silver Pearl joinery – needs to be carefully considered. I have looked carefully at the greys you first mentioned – Resene Half Baltic Sea and Resene Eighth Tapa – they are unrelated to the Grey Friars. You may not have been super pleased if you had been able to go ahead with these colours. Resene Double Stack is a good choice and meets the criteria of LRV 25% as the deepest colour you can use. I am not 100% certain of Resene Rockbottom as it is very brown and doesn't like either Resene Double Stack or Grey Friars. Would that worry you having two colours that are so discordant? A new house is a wonderful thing as long as all of the components marry up well and what you see makes you extremely happy. The following are my ideas that you might like to consider – Resene Double Stack could be better placed on the Linea® rather than the Rockcote. Had you considered that option? It looks great with Resene Double Silver Chalice (LRV 38%) or Resene Silver Chalice (LRV 49%) which might be used on the Rockcote. December 2020 |
Q. We have used Resene Quarter Thorndon Cream for our skirtings and doors but I would like to introduce a very soft colour in our bathroom mainly because our shower, vanity and vanity top are all white and no doubt different whites when we unpack and install them. The bathroom is on the cold side of the house and only has a small window. I want something that does not limit me to a few colours in towels and accessories etc. At this stage I have a sample of Resene Narvik and Resene Swans Down. A. Cold dim rooms are a bit tricky to find the right colour for - and especially if they are having to work with a definite coloured skirting and doors. Blues are not known for their warmth so it is very important to know exactly how they will look. Resene Swans Down may be slightly warmer than Resene Narvik. December 2020 |
Q. We want to repaint the roof on our 1960s weatherboard and corrugated iron house. The weatherboards are painted in Resene Linen and have a few more year lefts in them, so we want a roof colour that will go well with that. A. The following are some colours that may appeal to you – Resene Karaka, Resene Squall, Resene Windswept, Resene Lignite or Resene Rivergum. December 2020 |
Q. We are in the process of painting our art deco house in Resene Delta. The roof is in Ironsand along with the front door. Our concrete steps and house trim (at back of house) will be in Resene Half Ironsand. We have an Art Deco decorative feature on the front of the house near the top that we would like to stand out a bit. What colour would you recommend for the art deco decorative feature? I think using Resene Half Ironsand would be too much of a contrast and wondered if a monochrome effect would be better. I wasn't sure if Resene Double Delta would provide enough of a slight contrast though. A. Using a monochrome palette really relies upon being able to see colours that are equally spaced apart - i.e. if your main colour is Resene Delta then Resene Quarter Delta and Resene Triple Delta provide the distinct levels of contrast. Colours that are one darker or one lighter are possible too subtle in bright natural sunlight to be seen as 'different'. Have you used a 'white' for your window sashes and surrounds? If so, that is your 'simple' contrast to pick out the feature on the house. December 2020 |
Q. I’m painting a bedroom which is north facing – the trims are Resene Albescent White. Is there a Resene Triple Albescent White or Resene Double Albescent White or any suggestions on another warm/off white that would go with Resene Albescent White? I don’t want to go light e.g. Resene Quarter Albescent White. A. For a neutral colour that is deeper than Resene Albescent White you might check out the following – Resene Eighth Drought, Resene Quarter Drought or Resene Half Sandspit Brown. All colours appear deeper (or brighter) in an interior. A north facing room has a lot of shadow in it and it is lighter/brighter in the Winter. This is because the arc of the sun is lower in winter and comes further into the room. December 2020 |
Q. I want to repaint our house’s exterior colour. The roof and garage colours are both Resene Pioneer Red, as well as the front door. What are your recommendations for an exterior colour? And should the soffits and downpipes be white or the same as the exterior colour? A. Yes, the soffit could stay white. The downpipe could be the same as the weatherboards so it merges instead of being noticeable. The following colours are worth checking out to see if they appeal to you – Resene Double Tana, Resene Half Taupe Grey, Resene Desert Sand or Resene Triple Rice Cake. December 2020 |
Q. What is a popular dark grey roof colour? Also, what house colours would you recommend for my two storey house that has Grey Friars for the garage door and window joinery? A. Apart from Resene Grey Friars, which would work really well with your garage door and windows, you could try these greys – Resene New Denim Blue, Resene Windswept or Resene Ironsand. Some modern colours that may appeal to you are – Resene Truffle, Resene Quarter Arrowtown, Resene Double Villa White or Resene Thorndon Cream. December 2020 |
Q. We are redecorating and have painted ceilings Resene Alabaster. We are having difficulty in choosing a wall colour. I have chosen Resene Quarter Pearl Lusta. Our house is small. I would like it to seem bigger and warm. I don’t like dark colours. Is the combination of Resene Alabaster and Resene Quarter Pearl Lusta a good choice? A. You might use a slightly warmer colour – either Resene Half Pearl Lusta or Resene Quarter Villa White. I am sure it will look lovely. December 2020 |
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