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.
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Q. I have a 100+ year cottage and I need to paint the exterior. Eventually the garden will be mass planted with lots of colour and natives and have a rustic style; brick paths, sleepers etc. I'll use painted furniture and pots for pop colour, so I thought I would keep the cottage neutral (I don't want to use white though). I like Resene Triple Rakaia for the weatherboards, Resene Quarter Rakaia for the windows and sills and Resene Black Sheep in gloss for verandah posts etc and accents. I'm unsure what to do the roof, traditional red or a grey. Would love an opinion on my colour choices and am open to suggestion if you feel it’s not right. A. I think your house colours sound lovely and the ideas you have for the garden sound really great. For the roof perhaps you could investigate Resene Rustic Red (deeper old red), Resene Cave Rock (deeper warmer brown charcoal), Resene Bright Charcoal (metallic charcoal) or Resene Half Fuscous Grey (warm mid grey). Resene Cave Rock and Resene Half Fuscous Grey are available as CoolColour formulations (which helps keep reflect more heat) so if you choose one of those colours we’d recommend you opt for the CoolColour™ version.
January 2014
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Q. Can you please tell me which Resene colours are closest to a pale eau de nil colour? A. It is a colour best described as a gentle watery green or a pale celadon green - a green with a hint of yellow in it. The closest one I have come to is Resene Secrets and there is a lighter version also - Resene Half Secrets. Alternatively you might look at Resene Orinoco but this is a little more yellow based or Resene Ottoman which is a cooler (slightly blue) watery green.
January 2014
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Q. Can you suggest exterior colours for our 1920s bungalow. I have testpots for Resene Powder Blue and Resene Half Robin Egg Blue. I like both of these. What do you suggest? One of these or do you have another suggestion? A. They are both lovely and at the end of the day it is all about what looks best to your eye and pleases your heart most for your house. If you use lots of crisp clean white on the house for trims it will enhance and develop the depth of whichever colour you choose. You might look at these colours also just to compare them before you make your final decision – Resene Emerge, Resene Half Regent Grey and Resene Bounty.
January 2014
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Q. I really love the Resene Eighth Putty colour from the Resene whites and neutral collection however it is still a little strong for the room I want to paint. Is it possible to make a sixteenth Resene Putty recipe? A. It is possible to reduce the colour to sixteenth but the smallest size it could be made as is a 2 litre tin. After that one of the tint components disappears as it is so small so it can't be measured accurately. You can approximate it using a testpot of Resene Eighth Putty and then mix it with a Resene White testpot, though the final colour will end up slightly different.
January 2014
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Q. Do you have a colour that matches the COLORSTEEL® Sandstone Grey? A. Yes we do. It is called Resene Gauntlet and is featured on the Resene Roof Colour systems chart.
January 2014
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Q. I am currently renting and my daughter peeled some paint off the wall, I don't want to paint the entire room, how to I get the same colour that is currently on the walls? A. There are a few options you can try:
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Q. I have an old Queenslander and have started painting the existing mission brown exterior weatherboards in Resene Triple Thorndon Cream but have a rendered brick base which I would like slightly darker. Is there another colour darker than Resene Triple Thorndon Cream which could be used or something similar but darker in tone? A. There isn't a definite darker version of Resene Triple Thorndon Cream but you might investigate the following colours as they flow on nicely in a deeper way from your main colour – Resene Arrowtown, Resene Half Stonewall, Resene Triple Ash or Resene Half Tapa. The first two options veer toward the earthy yellow/brown tones and the last two options pick up more olive green tones.
January 2014
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Q. We have recently purchased a 1920s villa. It has had most character features removed and is decorated in very neutral tones. There is a green/blue carpet throughout, and chequered lino in the kitchen and bathroom. I have tried a few different testpots to see what works, and found the Resene Quarter Periglacial Blue looks really nice against the carpet, but Resene Half Beryl Green is too green. The lounge and kitchen area is large and light. The hallway and bedrooms are all a bit darker and smaller. We would like to choose a colour palette for the whole house, so what other colours would you recommend that would go with the Resene Periglacial Blue, but not be too cold in the darker smaller rooms and hallway? We would like to keep ceilings, skirting boards, windows and scotia white. We hope to replace the curtains, pull up the lino and have exposed wooden floor in the kitchen and hallway. We also aim to strip back the wooden doors back to wood when money allows. A. It is helpful also that you have already identified a lovely colour - Resene Quarter Periglacial Blue - to be a main influence in the house. The following colours listed as Palette #1,Palette #2, Palette #3 offer you some ideas for light, warm flexible colours - Palette #1 mellow light beige Resene Albescent White, Resene Half Albescent White and Resene Quarter Albescent White, Palette #2 crisp yellowed white Resene Villa White, Resene Half Villa White and Resene Quarter Villa White, and Palette #3 Resene Double Bianca, Resene Bianca and Resene Half Bianca. You may need to lighten some rooms and deepen others dependent upon the natural light and space. The lightest version could take the place of a true 'white' if you want to sweeten the look and co-ordinate softly with light but not real 'white'. January 2014
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Q. We need some advice on painting our window surrounds. The roof has recently been painted Resene Rivergum. A. If the existing colours on the house are not being changed then I would recommend that you use the same colour as the roof - Resene Rivergum - on the window surrounds to tie it all together. I have found invariably that one new colour leads to others being considered and soon a whole new look starts to evolve so this is the simplest approach when only a small portion of the house is to be repainted.
January 2014
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Q. My first foray into decorating so I'm practicing on our little toilet room! The toilet and door are at opposite ends of a 1 metre x 1.8 metre room with a window above the cistern. White ceiling and trim, light cream/beige floorcovering. I'd quite like to make the room as light and warm as possible and give the illusion of more space. Could you recommend paint/colour options please? Bearing in mind that this is also my first go at plastering so something that will be kind to my novice attempt at preparing the walls would be brilliant! I also have two young boys so something that is super easy to keep clean would be great. A. Congratulations on getting into decorating - you learn as you go along and pretty soon you will be taking on larger and larger rooms. I suggest you look at using a product called Resene SpaceCote Low Sheen Kitchen & Bathroom waterborne enamel. It is tougher than standard acrylic paint, it is lovely to apply, it can be wiped clean, it resists a certain amount of 'touch' damage and it has some extra ingredients in it to stop moisture ruining the paint work. You might like to try the following colours and see if one suits – Resene Half Albescent White, Resene Eighth Drought, Resene Eighth Truffle and Resene Quarter Spanish White. They are all light but each has a slightly different undertone in it.
January 2014
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Q. Our house has paint peeling off so we are repainting. The house was built in 1968 and is brick and weatherboard. We recently replaced our front door to cedar and our garage door is COLORBOND® Deep Ocean. We are just wanting to select colours for the walls, fascia, external window trim and verandah railing that will suit the garage and front door and the brickwork. I was thinking of white, but which shade? And also should we use a slight contrast colour for the rail? The back of the house has white aluminium cladding. A. As a 'white' for the main colour on the house, including the window trim and fascias, you might like to investigate these options – Resene Black White or Resene Quarter Spanish White. The secret is not to try and match any powdercoat white as paint never truly does. For the balustrades /posts across the deck you might use a paint colour that is very similar to the garage door colour or a couple of lighter blues – try Resene Coast, Resene Explorer or Resene Seachange.
January 2014
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Q. We are building a new house. The roof is COLORBOND® Surfmist and the windows clear anodised aluminium. I really like all the shades of Resene Tea. I was thinking of using Resene Double Tea on the exterior with perhaps Resene Zeppelin for the front door. For the interior, I was thinking about Resene Eighth Tea or Resene Quarter Tea for walls and cabinetry and Resene Alabaster for trim and ceilings. I am also thinking of white quartz for the benchtop in the kitchen and bathroom. If I'm feeling game, I'd consider some colour in the backsplash. I am trying to achieve a neutral backdrop, because we have Persian rugs (predominately red and blue) and a red lounge. The floors are hardwood upstairs and a beige (Tea coloured!) tile downstairs. A. Your suggestion of using Resene Double Tea for the main colour on the exterior with a front door of Resene Zeppelin is a nice call - very smart. The roof colour – COLORBOND® Surfmist - has a bit more green undertone in it - it may make the Resene Double Tea seem browner by comparison but if that is what you want to achieve then no doubt about it - it will work. An alternative colour suggestion for the main house colour that is very similar and very compatible with the roof colour is Resene Quarter Arrowtown. For the interior you may find rooms that are larger and filled with lots of natural light need the depth of Resene Quarter Tea and smaller rooms or those that don't have as good a natural light may need the lighter colour - Resene Eighth Tea - to compensate for dimness or shadows. Resene Alabaster will look wonderful as a ceiling and trim colour but don't rule it out as a kitchen cabinetry colour - it will never date and will always be a classic. For a splashback 'spot' of colour - just make sure it is a colour you have always loved - not a trend colour that is very popular now that you may regret choosing in a few years’ time because it has dated. Colour can also be injected into a room by the use of accessories (easily changed when you want to alter the mood) and in the kitchen this can be as simple as colourful platters, bowls or coffee mugs.
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Q. We are trying to paint our spare room, with the intention of using the same colours in the other rooms in the house, and maybe the lounge/dining/kitchen as well. With that in mind the kitchen is black/sliver/wood with light cabinets. We saw a house on Habitat and tried some colours that they used with wood beams etc – Resene Napa, Resene Half Napa and Resene Quarter Napa. We have put these testpots on the walls that is ready to paint. Now it seems too brown - we have intentions of it being more grey-blue than grey-brown. We also wonder whether three colours is too much? We also wonder whether the trim should be coloured or just white also? What would be most modern - darker walls/light trim or light walls/darker trim? A. You are right - the Resene Napa palette appears too brown for you. Two colours would be plenty and the scotia trim, window surrounds, door surrounds could be the same as the ceiling colour. Modern is lighter/whiter on walls but contemporary influences indicate that deeper walls with lots of whiter trim and whiter elements like kitchen joinery is a fashionable approach for people who don't fancy white everything. I am hoping that the following colours may offer you a bit of inspiration - they are not grey/blue they are more like grey/some other undertone of colour (but not brown) – Resene Rakaia with Resene Double Rakaia for doors and lots of Resene Alabaster, or Resene Quarter Silver Chalice with Resene Silver Chalice and lots of Resene Alabaster, or Resene Surrender with lighter doors (a little bit different!) Resene Quarter Surrender with lots of Resene Alabaster. You can play around a little bit to see if the colours I have indicated for doors in the first two options might be used for walls instead with the lighter one for doors.
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Q. I have attached pictures of our open plan living/kitchen area. We are planning on having the kitchen doors replaced with Bestwood Melamine Arctic White (we are tired of them looking a rather dirty looking cream), and the corner countertop with Silestone Blanco Matrix. We are retaining the kwila wood bench top in that you can see. The floor is tawa and the blinds are a similar colour wooden venetian. Our joinery is Duralloy Off White. We are wanting to repaint the walls in the living area and the kitchen. Please could you advise on a suitable colour(s). We would like to make the room lighter. We wondered about painting the kitchen area (now Prussian Red) in a putty sort of colour (maybe Resene Linen or something like that, however open to suggestions) and the remainder in a suitable light creamy white. We would like to create a light feel in the room and along the lines of a Scandinavian style. My main problem is that the joinery is quite cream. A. The window joinery has a control action in that - as you say - it is quite cream. The look you are moving toward is cooler and slightly Scandinavian and the only element that stops this look from being achievable is the joinery. You may need a new neutral that can be used with white kitchens, wood floors and the putty type colours. You might like to try the following options: Resene Half Cararra - this looks ok with the joinery, Resene Double Wheatfield - this looks really nice with all the colours, Resene White - needs to be kept really crisp because of the other whites you have, Resene Eighth Lemon Grass - cooler option, or Resene Quarter Ash - cooler option. If you use the cooler colours in the kitchen to balance the 'white' and also in the bathroom where there is also a lot of 'white' and the main neutral in most rooms with a feature (could be drapes, accessories or a wall colour) of the deeper neutral then it may all come together for you. It is about compromise - unless you are able to replace the element that doesn't work for you (the joinery) then you must incorporate it and befriend otherwise you run the risk of it looking far stronger than it looks now. I do hope you have the opportunity of popping into a Resene ColorShop and viewing this palette of colours in the A4 samples in the in store colour library – the combination looks very elegant.
January 2014
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Q. I am about to repaint the house and upgrade the colour scheme. The windows are white, but what up to date colours could be applied to the weatherboard and trim etc? I am currently using Resene undercoats, but I have no clue on exterior colours. We are planning to replace the roof in the next 5 years. A. As you are replacing your roof in the next 5 years I will include a COLORSTEEL® roof colour option with the colours so the way ahead is clear for you. The overall trend for colours is greyer not browner so these ones fall into that category – Palette #1 Resene White Pointer (main colour), Resene Alabaster (under soffits, window surrounds/sashes), Resene Quarter Grey Friars (doors, window sills, guttering) and COLORSTEEL® Grey Friars (roof), Palette #2 Resene Quarter Foggy Grey (main), Resene Half Wan White (under soffits, window surrounds/sashes), Resene Quarter Gravel (doors, window sills, guttering) and COLORSTEEL® Thunder Grey (roof) or Resene Palette #3 Resene Quarter Delta (main), Resene Quarter Villa White (under soffits, window surrounds/sashes), Resene Half New Denim Blue (doors, window sills, guttering) and COLORSTEEL® Indigo Blue (roof). January 2014
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Q. Our house was built in 1978 and has Spanish Colonial type architecture. We are not sure what colour scheme to choose on the exterior including walls, gable, roof, gutters, soffits and driveway. There are a couple of things to consider when selecting the colours - the existing verandah tiles - although we were told we could paint them so not sure about that and also the window frames which are brown anodised aluminium. Not sure whether to go for a light roof colour or a dark. Because the house is set lower from the street, the roof line is quite a dominant feature. We are surrounded by many tall green trees and would like it to blend into the surroundings. A. If the existing roof is real roof tiles and (if it was cleaned of mould and dirt and sealed which it would have to be for a new colour to be applied) was a true terracotta are you sure you want to paint it? At the moment the terracotta does work well with the tiled verandah. I personally wouldn't paint the tiled verandah - both the tiled verandah and the existing roof are style appropriate for the Spanish Colonial house. The brown anodised windows aren't that hard to incorporate into a new main colour scheme. Traditionally, back in the days when houses like this were first built, they would have been black - wrought iron balustrades and painted steel windows - but at the time your house was built the world was embracing brown in a big way. Some new roof paint options that will co-ordinate with your existing windows and verandah tiles - you might consider doing the gutters to match: Dark – Resene Cave Rock (this is a match to COLORBOND® Loft) or Resene Ironsand (this is a match to COLORSTEEL® Ironsand), Mid – Resene Groundbreaker (this is a match to COLORBOND® Jasper/COLORSTEEL® Sorrell), Light - Resene Outback (this is a match to COLORSTEEL® Stone). For the main house options - you might do the soffits the same colour – Resene Soul, Resene Biscotti or Resene Solitaire. A completely random but not inappropriate suggestion is to move to the true Mexican/California look of whitewashed/limed walls. There is a lovely product called Resene AquaShield which is a mineral finish - a soft matt chalky look which is hydrophobic (rain washes it clean) which is natural and relates to the look that would always have been used on this style of house. If you went this way you might use soft tinted white colours such as Resene Sea Fog, Resene Double Alabaster or Resene Quarter Thorndon Cream. You mention the driveway - are you having it re-done? A black bitumen could work. If it is to be impressed concrete choose colour carefully - it will be there for a long time and it has to work well and not date. January 2014
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Q. I am wondering if you have links to colour schemes that work for the exterior of 60s group homes - everything seems to painted in the boring ‘Karen Walker sand tones - it's a colour ghetto round here!. Obviously the old state house pastels are not favoured by me, I am thwarted by an abundance of sun so dark colours are not an option. The house is currently painted white - extremely hard on the eyes with the glare factor. A. Recently I wrote about Colour through the Decades for Resene’s website. 1960s was my heyday so I wrote from a historic and personal point of view. There are several sites that I came across in my research but they were American and though they are interesting they don't absolutely relate to New Zealand. We are slower to pick up on colour trends here and slower to relinquish them once we have them. The main influence for paint colours during that decade is a paint chart called BS101 (2660). You could check out the A4 samples of these colours at older Resene owned ColorShops or view it in the online colour library - though it’s always best to view physical colour samples before making your final choices. |
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Q. I have a post war 1950s timber house high set with brick underneath. Really like Resene Fuel Yellow as the house colour and thinking of Resene Viking windows with other trims being Resene Aviator and Resene Pohutukawa. My kids are nervous about it being too much. A. Not everyone has such exciting and dynamic taste in colours for the exterior of their house. Have you investigated the reality of the Resene Fuel Yellow as a main house colour? It is tremendously vibrant (this sort of house colour might even be seen from a plane as it is so bold). I think you could achieve just as vibrant and distinctive a look if you used one of these yellows – Resene Cream Can, Resene Starbell or Resene Golden Tainoi. Yellows can fade back due to weathering and ultraviolet damage. I think if you refine the trim colour choice to just two not three it might look better balanced also. You could look at Resene Viking and Resene Pohutukawa for the front door only and not use the Resene Aviator - this is a colour that is jealous of sharing the attention with any other vibrant colour. Some colours are like that. I can understand your kids being nervous about the colours - they probably aren't that keen on repainting it in a few years if you tire of the colours or tire of the comments made to you by people who only like grey, white or beige houses.
January 2014
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Q. I am looking for a corresponding colour to go with your 47137 linen wallpaper - I want a darker colour as a contrast. A. This particular wallpaper moves subtly between beige and grey/taupe so you might look at this palette of colours to see which looks best with the wallpaper at your house, in your light and any other colours that you may have in flooring or curtains that may influence it – Resene Quarter Truffle (lightest), Resene Half Truffle or Resene Truffle (deepest).
January 2014
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Q. We are wanting to repaint our home which is fibro. We have a shed going up at the back of the house about 15 metres away the colour is COLORBOND® Paperbark and the trim is COLORBOND® Ironstone – we have ordered it but wonder if we should change the colours. We thought perhaps using COLORBOND® Paperbark and the trim is COLORBOND® Ironstone – we have ordered it but wonder if we should change the colours. We thought perhaps u Paperbark for the house but I did a sample on the back wall and I feel it looks too pale. We have timber venetians on all windows and timber screen fencing and gates across the front and the side back where the shed is going. Also what finish should we use? A. Try not to worry too much about the shed - if it is at the back of the house and isn't seen as such from the street it won't impinge too much if as you say it is ordered and you possibly won't be able to change the ordered colour. As your first thought was Paperbark for the house as well as the shed perhaps you could investigate a slightly deeper related colours for the house - Resene Double Drought or Resene Triple Drought. If you test these colours I recommend that you paint large A2 card and move it around on to all the walls of the house instead of testing the colour directly onto the existing wall colour as it will influence your eye and possibly make you see it 'wrong'. The finish is a personal choice but on fibro most people like either Resene Lumbersider which is a waterborne low sheen finish paint finish or Resene Sonyx 101 which is a semi-gloss (more like three quarters gloss level) - both these strong acrylic paints are great but it is all about the level of sheen your eye expects to see. The Resene Sonyx 101 waterborne semi-gloss seems to wash down easily and be a bit harder and not show windblown dust and dirt as much but the Resene Lumbersider is very popular as a natural finish.
January 2014
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Q. We want to repaint our house and are unsure of the best colour match. We have white French doors and windows which will stay. We are considering Resene White Pointer, Resene Half White Pointer, Resene Quarter Rakaia, Resene Concrete and Resene Barely There. At the moment it is Resene Santas Grey, but we want to go away from the mid grey look. A. Be careful when trialling your colours. The existing colour Resene Santas Grey is quite purple toned and any colour applied as a testpatch will be strongly influenced by association. If you paint samples (two coats all of the testpot onto A2 or A3 leaving an unpainted border all around you will -
The colours you are considering that are lighter - Resene Concrete, Resene Quarter Rakaia and Resene Half White Pointer - may appear quite 'white' by comparison to what you have already. Resene White Pointer is slightly beige grey toned . It is really important to test the colours - on an exterior all colours appear lighter/brighter so this needs to be taken into consideration also. The best colour for your house is the one you like the best after checking it out carefully.
January 2014
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Q. I want to stain the new Shadowclad exterior of my house. The joinery and roof are Ironsand. We wanted to go dark with the walls as well and were thinking Resene Timberland, Resene Dark Oak or maybe Resene Bark. Also the walls are smooth ply and we want to stain them with colours from the Resene Colorwood natural wood stain range, such as Resene Dark Oak, Resene Meranti, Resene Matai or Resene Red Beech? This needs to work with the white ceiling and Resene Half Tea interior walls. A. With stains - whether they are exterior or interior - the important thing is to carefully trial the stain colours on a representative piece of the surface (two coats as the coating recommendations are) and mentally allow for an escalation of the depth of colour because of the size of the project. Pine ply sheeting and Shadowclad being very pale timber surfaces look quite strong in hue when stained. Shadowclad has to have some time to weather prior to coating to allow the LOSP treatment to release solvent fumes. There may also be limitations on the depth of colour (light reflectance value (LRV)) depending how the substrate is being used. Of the three Resene Woodsman colours you mention, Resene Bark is the deeper brown, Resene Dark Oak is the redder brown and Resene Timberland has a slight yellow/tan cast to the colour. The interior Resene Colorwood stains the browner of those mentioned is Resene Dark Oak and the other colours favour red tones. In the interior the dominant colour factor is the colour of the flooring, followed by kitchen cabinets and benchtops and any tiled surfaces and then the main paint colour so any stain needs to be viewed with those elements. You may or may not see a real white for ceilings as a strong stark contrast so again this is a factor - another reason why people will often favour slightly tinted whites as the transition between all factors is softened.
January 2014
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Q. I want to paint my interior white! My window frames are fawn/sand colour and we have a new feature wall of stone grey tiles. We are putting in a white kitchen and it is all open plan. Any suggestions on the white to use? Resene Half Alabaster? A. Unless you want to highlight the window frames and draw more attention to them I think I would be inclined to use a white that has a bit more colour in it than Resene Half Alabaster. Perhaps you could investigate the following colours - they will still work really well with a real white kitchen and if you use Resene White for ceilings and any painted woodwork, doors etc it could look really smart and modern – Resene Quarter Albescent White, Resene Eighth Spanish White, Resene Eighth Thorndon Cream, Resene Double Alabaster or Resene Half Sea Fog.
January 2014
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Q. I want to paint the walls of my lounge to brighten it up as it is on the dark side of the house. I have a wooden polished floors, a feature wall which is Resene Kombi and burgundy coloured leather suite so need to co-ordinate with these colours. Any ideas on the wall colour and perhaps windowcoverings to that I can pull this all together? I had thought it maybe needed a warm white /neutral but not sure which one to go with. A. I think you should investigate these options to see if they will work for you - the first two will work really well with the Resene Kombi feature wall and the second two will work really well with the wooden floor: Resene Half Ecru White, Resene Rice Cake, Resene Eighth Spanish White or Resene Villa White. You really need to test them carefully in the spaces you are wanting to brighten to see what changes of light (natural and artificial) do to the colours. Windowcoverings is a whole other - somewhat tricky - problem. There are so many beautiful curtains to choose from. But if you keep them similar but slightly deeper than the wall colour to make spaces seem lighter/larger and perhaps look at sheen and textural finishes on the fabric to create interest. You might start this journey by checking out the Resene curtains to see if there is something gorgeous that inspires you.
January 2014
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Q. We are wondering about painting right through our house in a light grey, but don't want anything too cold or dark. We are painting the whole kitchen white (including cupboards, not entirely sure of the exact colour yet). Do you have any comments on whether you think this would look nice and any suggestions on what grey if you think grey would work? The only grey I've seen in a house I really liked was called Resene Rakaia. A. Greys are cool and smart and the grey you have seen and liked – Resene Rakaia - would need to be tested carefully to see if it will go with your existing elements – flooring, furniture, curtains etc as any existing colours will influence how you see the colour as will the different qualities of natural light in each room . It isn't the 'white' kitchen that is a problem - 'white' will add more depth to the wall colour though so you might need to lighten whichever grey you choose as colours often look a lot deeper than you expect. Another grey you might test is Resene Concrete and then if you compare the colours - during the day and at night under electric light - you may have a better idea of what the colours look like at your house. For the kitchen you could look at Resene Alabaster or Resene Black White - these are 'whites' that just have a little something in them to stop being too stark.
January 2014
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Q. We recently replaced the long run iron on our roof with a colour that is very close to your Resene Oilskin. We are now getting the whole house painted and have accepted a quote from a Resene applicator. I will be arranging a consultation but hope to get the ball rolling with some ideas for colour from you in the interim. I have attached a photo of our house which overlooks the south coast. There is a single attached garage to the bottom left so single garage door to paint too. The aluminium joinery is silver. I like earthy/bush tones and my husband likes a ‘southern coast/rugged sea’ theme. We don't want to go too outlandish but want something a bit different from all the ‘Tea’ tones around the place at present! A. It would seem that you and your husband like different types of colour - so the following colours are to see if you two might meet on a mid ground and compromise a little bit. You might like to try Resene Quarter Evolution used with a little Resene Quarter Lignite (for the garage door) - this is the earthy option, or Resene Emerge used with a little Resene Jurassic (garage door etc) which is reminiscent of a Cook Strait sea and sky, or Resene Quarter Powder Blue used with a little Resene Bluff (garage door etc) - another southern coast look, or Resene Double White Pointer used with a little Resene Cobblestone - a bit more earthy.
January 2014
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Q. I am stuck with this thoroughly hideous roof colour which is in too good a condition to paint, unlike the exterior which is in very poor condition. I would like to update the exterior to a more modern colour but have no idea where to go with the roof colour as a fixed starting point. Can you help? I would like to go towards a grey colour. A. With your Mist Green roof colour and dark bronze brown window joinery you might to try the following colours - not as grey as you might prefer but moving into stony (greyed brown) colours – Resene Quarter Arrowtown, Resene Quarter Stonehenge or Resene Quarter Friar Greystone .
January 2014
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Q. I have painted my 1950s beach house recently in Resene Blackout and the windowsills in Resene Alabaster. We are now choosing a colour for the bottom of the house and the front concrete doorsteps, and finding it hard to find a colour. We have narrowed it down to Resene Friar Greystone , Resene Half Friar Greystone and Resene Quarter Masala. I am not sure if I am just overthinking the whole thing, but I’m not sure any of the colours are completely right. On a cloudy day they all look good especially the Resene Half Friar Greystone but on a bright sunny day, it all changes. I would also like to paint the front door Resene Kitsch - any words of wisdom? A. Resene Blackout has a bit of carbon black and brown in its undertone so you might need to warm up your colour for the bottom of the house and the concrete steps. The ones you have investigated so far are quite grey - perhaps have a look at Resene Quarter Ironsand or Resene Half Baltic Sea and compare them to those you have tried. And yes - you have found out what a lot of people never truly understand - light (bright or otherwise) alters the colour a lot and as light changes constantly so too does colour. Compromise may be needed - try for a colour that looks good most of the time. Resene Kitsch is a bold blue and is full of fun - you will need a coloured (mid grey) undercoat so that the colour develops its 'true depth’ without you having to apply three coats to get there. A white undercoat is like a torchlight gleaming through coloured cellophane making it tiresomely transparent to get the colour looking really good. Another bold option that is worth investigating is Resene Maestro - these types of colours are such fun.
January 2014
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Q. Someone has suggested Resene Albescent White as a warm wall colour. I was just wondering what ceiling, trim, door colour you would suggest? (I would have doors etc the same as ceiling). Would a more definite white be better than using Resene Half Albescent White or Resene Quarter Albescent White. A. A very soft look might mean you use Resene Quarter Albescent White - this is a modern look and mellow defined just enough but not too much. A crisper look would also look good and it is a little more traditional - you might look at Resene Half Alabaster or Resene Quarter Black White. It is all about what you like, what looks good to you and what will flow into all rooms in the house and look well co-ordinated.
January 2014
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Q. We are looking for colours to paint our 1910 character home and we are a bit stuck. It has a green roof (like Permanent Green) and we want to use three colours max. Any advice will be gratefully received! A. If you want to stay with era appropriate colours from the Resene Heritage palette you could look at the following colours - they are used in a different way to increase ambiance and to stop from appearing predictable: main colour - Resene Merino, 'white' trim - Resene Quarter Merino (contrast is a soft tonal approach not as stark a contrast as real white would be), base of house/door and window surrounds/verandah posts - Resene Envy (another soft contrast instead of a strong contrast - related to the roof but much paler), barge board trim/window sashes/window sills/door- Resene Burnt Umber (makes a nice change from the green/cream/red traditional palette and introduces a dark colour that sits well with the roof colour). You could also consider a contemporary range of colours using The Range Whites & Neutrals and The Range fashion colours: main colour - Resene Quarter Drought, 'white' trim - Resene Quarter Bianca, base of house/door and window surrounds/verandah posts - Resene Pravda, barge board trim/window sashes/window sills/door - Resene Red Earth. And finally - a totally timeless/traditional/elegant palette - fundamental neutrals from white graduated through greys to a charcoal black: main colour - Resene Double Black White, 'white' trim - Resene White, base of house/door and window surrounds/verandah posts - Resene Quarter Grey Friars, barge board trim/window sashes/window sills/door – Resene Tuna. To integrate the roof colour into this palette a couple of planter boxes painted Resene Permanent Green near the front door will tie it all together. January 2014
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Q. I am wanting to paint the floor of our family room. It's currently clad in light timber slats. I don't want to paint our walls, so need a colour to suit a cream wall and dark/warm wood sills and skirting. My husband is also concerned painting the floor will darken the room so we want to avoid that too. Can you please recommend a colour(s) that would work for this room? A. You will need to check with a Resene ColorShop about the prep and painting system required. For paint I suggest you look at a colour not dissimilar to the existing floor colour or even lighter - more like the walls - so that you keep it looking light and bright - which in turn will go well with the furniture, rugs and deeper wood and wall colour. Any mid toned (or deeper) paint colour may well make the floor appear dark (as well as show dust more). |
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Q. I am planning on painting my lounge/living room, which is currently a fairly bright yellow, with Resene Pearl Lusta trimming. I am hoping you can provide some colour suggestions. The carpet is a darkish sort of grey/brown/raisin, and just next to the lounge I have dark grey/charcoal tiles. When painting another room in my house I tried to figure out what Resene colour most closely matches the tiles, and decided the closest match is Resene Baltic Sea. The lounge gets quite a lot of light and sun. The upstairs of my house and kitchen (which is off the lounge) is painted in Resene Pearl Lusta (except the bedrooms), but I would prefer not to have my lounge area painted that colour too. I'd like to paint the lounge a colour that both matches and provides some contrast to the Resene Pearl Lusta trim. The colour needs to match both the trim, the carpet, and the tiles (I actually don't think the dark grey tiles and brown/grey/raisin carpet is the best match, but that can't easily be changed). So far I have tried on my wall (using testpots) Resene Eighth Napa (which looks slightly blue), Resene Quarter Taupe Grey (too dark) and Resene Quarter Tea (maybe a bit too similar to the Resene Pearl Lusta). My next step is to try Resene Half Tea, but if you can suggest any other colours that might work, that would be appreciated! A. The main problem may be that you have tested the colours direct onto the walls. Colour will never be seen as it really is if you test paint this way - the greater amount of colour (and yellow is the worst in this respect) will alter your perception of the testpot colour. You will think it is totally wrong when it may well be the right colour - just seen in the wrong way. It’s best to test your colours by applying all of the testpot onto A2 or similar size card leaving a narrow unpainted border all around the edge. This will allow you to:
If you re-do the colours and include another option - perhaps Resene Half Truffle as a slightly greyer/beige option - and trial carefully as I have suggested then you will find your colours look quite different and one will hopefully look right.
January 2014
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Q. Our house is a Lyttelton cottage so people here are relatively more adventurous with house colours, with some funky vibes. The brown is dark and the grey is a mid-grey colour. I also wanted to repaint the grey foot board (just in front of the door on the floor), and was also wondering about whether to continue that grey up to the frame or part of the frame. Would that work? In front of the front door are grey tiles, so that grey board matches them well. I really love soft blues and greens for the door itself, but I’m selling the house next year, so I want something which would be very appealing to prospective buyers. Would you recommend something bright like a bright red or a soft green or blue that will look natural next to the brown? A. Perhaps you might consider some of these blue colours – Resene Arapawa or softer - Resene Norwester or paler - Resene Horizon, or some of these greens – Resene Deep Teal or softer - Resene Lochinvar or paler - Resene Sea Nymph or for some adventure and funky fun – Resene Flourish, Resene Bonfire, Resene Tweet and Resene Dynamite. The blues and greens work really well with dark brown and are somewhat 'maritime influenced' like Lyttelton is and the funky colours are just happy, young at heart and vibrant. The grey foot sill which matches to the tiles so well can be changed to the door colour if you want a little more colour or left grey as it is now but the door frames should stay white like the window frames.
January 2014
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Q. I have recently bought a holiday bach in Russell. There is a recommendation on our LIM report that we paint the exterior from the BS5252 range. I want a fun, happy looking family bach. The house used to be bright pink. I forgot to mention that I can't change the colour of the roof, it's one of those old 1940s asbestos roofs that can't be changed. The house is rough cast with an old, cute corrugated iron garage. The drive will be widened and we will put down shell and metal. A. The description - fun, happy looking family bach - can open up a lot of options - the following are fun and happy. Most of the colours from the BS5252 are very bright and vibrant which in this decade are also considered a shock after our immersion in whites and muted neutrals: for a fresh palette - main colour - Resene Tusk, basement of house, window sills and main colour for garage - Resene Pine Glade, window sashes/surrounds, door frames - Resene Kashmir Blue, house doors/garage door - Resene Biscay. Or for a fun palette - main colour - Resene Bay Leaf, basement of house, window sills and main colour for garage - Resene Bay Leaf, window sashes/surrounds, door frames - Resene Pearl Lusta, house doors/garage door - Resene Fun Green or Resene Melon Orange. Or for a happy palette - main colour - Resene Mexican Red, basement of house and main colour for garage - Resene Mexican Red, window sashes/surrounds,window sills and door frames - Resene Primrose, house doors/garage door - Resene Boulder. Or nicely returning to its pink history in a slightly updated form - main colour - Resene Provincial Pink, basement of house and main colour for garage - Resene Sea Fog, window sashes/surrounds, window sills and door frames - Resene Sea Fog, house doors/garage door - Resene Flame Red. There are so many possibilities – hopefully this is a helpful start. January 2014
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Q. We are painting our house, 1910s cottage in a rural setting. The roof will be galvanised or zinc aluminium (silver). We are thinking – Resene Truffle, Resene Rice Cake and Resene Half Grey Friars on the sills. Or Resene Double Thorndon Cream, Resene Rice Cake and Resene Half Grey Friars. We are wondering what would be best with the zinc alum or galvanised roof. Or can you suggest something else? A. I think that Resene Double Thorndon Cream, Resene Rice Cake and Resene Half Grey Friars may be the better of the two options but I would be inclined to add more contrast and use Resene Half Rice Cake (instead of Resene Rice Cake) as on exterior surfaces bright light blends colour and stops the differences between them showing as well. Another alternative deep grey for trim work that would work well with these colours is Resene Half Ironsand - its earthy tones work well with a rural setting.
January 2014
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Q. We are renovating our house and changing the exterior completely. The upstairs will all be replaced with horizontal weatherboard (the hatched triangles will also be replace with horizontal weatherboards). We will have an asphalt shingle roof in charcoal and anodised aluminium windows. Downstairs the reddy/orange brick will remain. I would like to paint the weatherboards, soffit and fascia boards using white. Which whites would you recommend? A. Perhaps you could look at these slightly tinted whites - Resene Eighth Thorndon Cream (or slightly deeper - Resene Quarter Thorndon Cream), Resene Wan White, Resene Sea Fog (or slightly deeper - Resene Double Sea Fog) or Resene Half Merino (or slightly deeper - Resene Merino).
January 2014
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Q. My husband and I want to paint the interior of our first house, which at the moment is a study in neutrals - yellowy-beige in the bedrooms, and greeny-beige in the living area. A. We're looking at whites as we like clean, bright colours and figure white would be a good backdrop. Please can you give us some advice about which white to choose for the master bedroom? It's quite a small room, gets a lot of afternoon/evening light and looks out on bush and sky. The carpet has to stay - it's a blue-tinged grey. We may ditch the curtains. We're after a warm, clean look that works well with the rimu bedside dressers. We’re not set on white, if you have other suggestions? As this is your first house and decorating is going to absorb a lot of your time from now on it is probably a good thing that I tell you that each room has a unique quality of light and even if you used the same wall colour in all rooms it will take on a different look. Light changes constantly and that creates colour changes so it is important that you test colour well - the best way I know of is to paint all of the Resene testpot (two coats) onto A2 card (very large) both of which you can obtain from your local Resene ColorShop. Painting the card (instead of the wall) means that the existing wall colour doesn't alter your perception of the testpot colour and you can move it around from wall to wall or room to room. If you leave an unpainted border all around the edges of the card then hold the testpot colour away from the wall colour so they don't react with each other and you will see colour 'true'. You might like to investigate the following colours to see if they might be right for you – Resene Eighth Spanish White, Resene Quarter Albescent White, Resene Eighth Thorndon Cream or Resene Half Rice Cake. Or something a bit greener Resene Joanna or Resene Eighth Lemon Grass.
January 2014
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Q. We are about to repaint the exterior of a house that is white at the moment. Quite happy to repaint it white but would like to do the window frames and fascias a more trendy colour. What colours do you suggest for the white and the contrasts etc? A. With a white house you are in the lucky position as to be able to have any colour at all on the windows and fascias. This where you get to choose. There are too many colours for me to definitively offer suggestions without knowing what type of colours you favour or what your house looks like. If you are a bit unsure you could play with the Resene EzyPaint virtual painting programme - even without using your own house photos imported into the programme you could just use one of the standard exterior house photos and play around with the colours until you see something that takes your fancy. If you want a few random ideas you could start with a soft mid blue perhaps – Resene Seachange or a muted grey green – Resene Innocence.
January 2014
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Q. We are building a new country home. We have a COLORSTEEL® roof in Ironsand and pearl white aluminum joinary. The house is weatherboard with large windows, French doors and verandah around. There are large timber verandah posts and Riverstone chimney and pillars. We would like a warm grey to match roof, stonework and timber. We have tried half, quarter and full Resene Sandstone, as well as Resene Perfect Taupe. But we are not sure as it is a large area and the testpots cover such a small area. A. It is often difficult to 'see' what colour is right but perhaps if I tell you how I do it then it might be a bit easier for you. I always paint all of the testpot onto A2 white card leaving an unpainted border all around the edges (so your eye focuses only on the full depth of the colour) and I move it around from wall to wall. Light changes how you see colour according to the compass direction. I place it close to the other elements in the scheme. A piece of the roofing iron, stones (or bricks) and window and joinery powdercoat sample placed onto the large painted sample really helps - it is amazing how these will make you see colour in a different way - it is all about colours relating to each other. Always look at the painted sample vertically (not flat) and I view it from the right side and left side to give me an indication of what shadow makes the colour look like. Warm greys are either brown, yellow or red based. You seem to have looked at those that 'pink' up a bit so the following will show other warm greys – Resene Half Cloudy, Resene Quarter Stonehenge, Resene Eighth Friar Greystone and Resene Rakaia. If you can pop into a Resene ColorShop to see the real painted A4 samples of these colours in the in-store colour library place a sheet of white printer paper between them. This helps your eye to see the depth of the colours. There are deeper versions of each colour available and by looking at them together you see better and can compare the underlying tints and tones of colour that are in each colour.
January 2014
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Q. Some years ago we painted our bedroom Resene Crail. The bedroom is on the coldest corner of the house, having its only window facing west, and the other outer wall facing south. The room is somewhat darkened by the fact that it has a bank beside it and a very high hedge which reduces light into the room. We have an 8 foot ceiling height and the woodwork is painted Resene Pearl Lusta. Can you suggest a colour or two that would be good in this room? A. I think after having the delicious warmth and intimacy of Resene Crail in the bedroom you need to think through the overall look you are trying for -
Would it be too boring to use more of the Resene Pearl Lusta on the walls as well as the woodwork? Or would a warm neutral that is deeper like Resene Half Sisal be better - this will still work with the Resene Pearl Lusta woodwork. These options may seem a bit bland after the lovely soft red tone you have had.
January 2014
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Q. We are currently painting our downstairs which is quite dark so we were considering a warm white such as Resene Half Rice Cake. The bedrooms are lighter so I was thinking of mixing the white with a warm light/mid grey feature wall. We are doing Resene Alabaster on the ceilings and woodwork. What greys can you recommend that work in well with the Resene Half Rice Cake. Do you think Resene Half Rice Cake is a good white to use? A. You may not see any difference (or very very little) between Resene Half Rice Cake and the ceiling and woodwork colour Resene Alabaster. If you don't want to change the Resene Half Rice Cake then I would suggest you use Resene Half Alabaster for ceilings and woodwork so there appears to be slightly more of a difference between the two colours - or alternatively if the Resene Alabaster isn't up for change then perhaps you might use Resene Rice Cake for the walls instead. The following are some nice colours that you might investigate for the bedrooms – Resene Eighth Friar Greystone and Resene Eighth Stonehenge or lighter – Resene Quarter Rakaia, Resene Whiteout and Resene Half Truffle.
January 2014
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Q. We are thinking about painting our interior walls Resene Quarter Napa or Resene Half Tea. What do you suggest for doors and trims? A. You might check out these two colours - one is cool and crisp and one is slightly more mellow – Resene Half Black White and Resene Quarter Bianca.
January 2014
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Q. I own a 1960s weatherboard state house, which is in need of an exterior paint job. I have been looking at Resene Double Parchment as the main colour with Resene Cannon Black for trim under the windowsills. However, I'm not sure exactly what white to use for the windowsills? Also I need to choose a grey colour to paint over the concrete steps on the house. A. You might look at these colours for the 'white' windows – Resene Sea Fog or Resene Quarter Merino, or slightly more warm coloured, Resene Eighth Parchment. For the concrete steps – Resene Waterborne Sidewalk paving paint in either of these colours – Resene Shuttle Grey or Resene Fuscous Grey.
January 2014
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Q. I am choosing a colour for our house. My motif is blue. Thinking roof in Pioneer Red, weatherboards Resene Subzero, door and foundation (concrete) Resene Venice Blue. Is this a good combination? A. I would recommend that you use Resene Hemisphere (instead of Resene Subzero) with Resene Venice Blue as they are better related to each other. If you prefer to use the Resene Subzero then perhaps you might look at using Resene Whale Tail with it.
January 2014
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Q. We are going to use Resene CoolColour™ on the Linea board and have exterior brick. The brick is Firth Devonstone rumbled edge in Antique White. Our question is what colour Linea choices would you suggest for above the windows and also the centre section of the house? The roof colour will be Ironsand (as will gutters and downpipes), the window joinery silver pearl so a grey above the windows and a black in the middle area with exposed aluminium corner soakers. Maybe Ironsand or Black for insulated front door and maybe Ironsand or Silver for the insulated garage door? A. You might consider using a lighter version of the powdercoat colour – Resene Half Ironsand, Resene Quarter Ironsand, or other neutral colours – Resene Double Stonehenge, Resene Gravel or Resene Masala. You might consider Ironsand for the garage door – it’s practical as it won’t show exhaust fumes - and perhaps the silver pearl for the front door - if you want a change - or even Ebony.
January 2014
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Q. We love the Ash colours but would like one darker than Resene Triple Ash. What would we try in a testpot as there is no Quadruple Ash? We want to use it with Resene Ash or Resene Double Ash. A. You might look at Resene Quarter Evolution. Or you could try Resene Climate or Resene Half Cobblestone which will both work well with Resene Ash or Resene Double Ash.
January 2014
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Q. I have a very large east facing window. It looks directly over my garden which is full of green/yellow colours. But most importantly you see the sea and particularly the sky. I want a colour round the window which will frame and show off the view. Any suggestions? A. One of the things to remember is that if the walls or the window frames are coloured the eye is held at that point and the exterior view is less absorbing. The colours of the exterior and the views will be more noticeable if there is nothing competing for attention. No curtains and blinds at the windows - again they absorb the eye and stop it from looking past that interest - and for this reason white will always work as will black. People are often fearful of a black around the window frames but like a black frame on a painting enhances the content of painting so too does a black frame around a window. White works too by being absorbed by the natural light thereby making the (colour) view the only eye interest. An alternative to Resene Black would be a colour so dark it reads as black, such as Resene Black Rock, Resene Midnight Moss or Resene Indian Ink - they are very dark but they are colours.
January 2014
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Q. My mother has a kitchen in Melteca Tobacco Brown with rimu bench and trim and a wooden floor. The walls need updating. Please recommend a white to complement the browns. She doesn’t want grey, beige or anything cool. It does not need to be a modern look as the rest of the house is quite traditional. A. If your mothers' house is traditional she may like one of these colours – Resene Half Spanish White, Resene Villa White, Resene Albescent White or Resene Half Solitaire.
January 2014
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Q. Our walls are painted Resene Eighth Bison Hide with Resene Black White trim, carpet mushroom, smoky blue ensuite - what curtaining would you suggest? A. Giving advice on options for curtains is often tricky - Frequency Naturalle
January 2014
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Q. We would like to try wallpapering the three bedrooms of our home. We have added new plasterboard and painted throughout the rest of the house. Could you please advise if Resene has wallpaper to match the Resene paint range? We would like to match Resene Quarter Pearl Lusta. Also, is it better to use a textured wallpaper to hide a few minor imperfections in the walls? Or will a plain paper be fine? A. There isn't one that I would say was an exact match to Resene Quarter Pearl Lusta. It is such a light/white colour it tends to make all those wallpapers that are a cream tone look a lot darker or dirtier or far more yellow. But in answer to your query about a textured wallpaper - this is a great idea as it does hide a lot of imperfections. One that might work for you and solve the problem of the colour also is from a range called Resene - The Wallpaper Collection pattern #47159. It is a ready pasted 'paint on' textured paper and because you have to paint it you can have exactly the colour you want - i.e Resene Quarter Pearl Lusta. It is very easy to repaint also when you fancy a colour change. It is really simple to hang and it can be left for several weeks prior to painting and not look ugly or strange. It is important that you don't leave it too long before painting it as the surface of the paper isn't sealed (as a vinyl paper is) and it quickly yellows (this is called sun-burning) and it can cause discolouration on the surface of the paint if it is left uncoated too long.
January 2014
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Q. I am painting the exterior of my house and need some help with a colour scheme. It is currently painted Resene Foggy Grey with a white trim. The neighbour’s garage side wall and back wall are painted Resene Fuscous Grey. I did think I would go for a grey and white scheme again but with a dark grey trim. I would like to try something different though. At the Resene ColorShop today the lady suggested the colour Resene Linen for the weatherboards. She also suggested Resene Ash. I like both of these although wonder if Resene Linen will look too 'green'. Will the Resene Fuscous Grey still go or is there a better dark grey as I'm happy to paint these walls a new colour as they need freshening up either way. What about the white trim? Which colour goes with Resene Linen or Resene Ash? She suggested Resene Eighth/Quarter Thorndon Cream or Resene Eighth/Quarter Rice Cake. A. I think either Resene Linen or Resene Ash would look lovely – Resene Linen is the lighter/brighter and slightly more green of the options but is still really nice and Resene Ash looks more olive/brown toned. The Resene Fuscous Grey will still work with either. For a 'white' I think the Resene Quarter Rice Cake is lovely - enough for interest and enhances the Resene Ash or Resene Linen but not too stark.
January 2014
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Q. I am planning to paint the exterior of the house but am a little stuck on the appropriate colour to use The photos the house has a flat roof with parapet, timber windows and rimu panel on walls... can you please suggest a combination of colours? A. You have lovely windows and the parapet which has been picked out as a white and that look does suit the house so I would suggest that you keep these areas really light. Perhaps you could look at maintaining it as a slightly coloured 'white' and as a main (no more woody brown) perhaps a lovely greyed green or complex stone colour. If you look at these colours they may start you off – Resene Quarter Merino (white) and Resene Quarter Grey Olive, or Resene Sea Fog (white) and Resene Foggy Grey, or Resene Rice Cake (white) and Resene Double Truffle.
January 2014
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Q. I have just repainted our stucco house, the main colour being Resene Half Craigieburn with white on the wooden windows Could you please give us colour suggestions for the exterior doors, which are all glass panelled? We would like a fresh colour and though my wife likes Resene Wasabi, I am not so sure! The new roof colour is Resene Ironsand. We would really appreciate any ideas. A. I like Resene Wasabi too but it is quite a sharp bite of mustard yellow green so I understand your hesitancy. I think the following fresh greens and blues may be worth checking out – Resene Koru, Resene Dell, Resene Confidante and Resene St Kilda.
January 2014
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Q. Our house is being rebuilt and we have our son's room colour left to select. It is a bit of a tricky one as the room is a double but a reasonably small one (just under 9 square metres) and it is South oriented so quite dark. Despite the common knowledge that blue is quite a cold colour, we would like to have his room painted in a shade of blue. Ideally not one that would be too cold nor too 'baby blue', if that makes any sense. We have been into your store, have had a good look at several colours and spoke to your lovely team there. The consensus is that we really like the look of Resene Meltwater and Resene Morning Glory but both being fairly bold colours, we were wondering if you would be able to recommend a colour which is in the same tone to these but maybe a little on the lighter side. A. Do you realise that lightening these colours may not make them more appealing , they may look colder? Especially the Resene Morning Glory - lighter may be similar to Resene Foam. Lighter than Resene Meltwater may be similar to Resene Charlotte. Please don't be frightened of colour - you may find that slightly deeper/brighter is better than lighter/cooler. Your son will love the blue whichever one you choose. The secret in small south facing cool or dim rooms is to use some bright red based orange or scarlet accessories (not a lot) with the blue and suddenly the room sings with warmth and ambiance. Sometimes just using the colour on two of the walls and a warm cream based white on the other walls, especially on the window wall, will stop the 'build up' of colour and make it manageable in regards to depth.
January 2014
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Q. I can't decide what colour to paint the roof of my house. I was also thinking about painting the brickwork white but not sure if I will just leave it the same. The roof is currently green and it doesn't look right. A. You have a lovely house with strong architectural detailing - the high brick base of the house with the raised detail and the lovely windows need to have strong roof colour I think to balance it all. You indicate that you could paint over the bricks - I would suggest that if you did decide to do this that it not be a white. My reasoning is that it will make the house seem shorter in height - by chopping it in two - I know it is like that now with the bricks but it won't enhance it by painting it white. But if you were still inclined to paint then if you choose a very slightly lighter version of the main house colour then that might work. It has to be a shadow/tint of colour not a total removal of colour as white would be. For the roof you might like to try Resene Groundbreaker, Resene Ironsand or Resene Squall. You might paint the white of the windows onto the stucco plastered recess around the windows - this will make them seem larger.
January 2014
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Q. I'm looking for a Resene colour scheme for my property. Wanting to get advice on possible darker colour combinations? A. You have a reasonably deep colour now with lovely crisp white trim and it looks really nice so because you want darker I need to bring to your attention that even using colours that are modified to reflect UV rays and heat away from the surface - the colours are always coded CC for Resene CoolColour™ - the surface may still get hot (but not as much as a standard colour). Real timber weatherboards are easily jeopardised also and movement will be extreme as temperatures alter. You might look at these colours to see if they are good for you – Resene Tuna, Resene Double Tapa, Resene Triple Stonehenge and Resene Double Friar Greystone . I personally would maintain the crisp white detailing as it really enhances the lovely windows etc but if you felt real white was too stark then you could look at using either of these 'whites' – Resene Sea Fog or Resene Quarter Bianca.
January 2014
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Q. Could you suggest a soft silvery grey to paint a bedroom? The room faces west and so is light. I have vintage furniture in it and would prefer it not to be a green grey. A. The quality of light as it changes will have tremendous influence on how you see soft silvery greys - sometimes later in the afternoon toward evening you may see it looking a bit greenish because of the yellow/red undertones in the light reacting with the black tinters in the grey. You may need to say to yourself 'I like it all day except in the late afternoon' - it can be difficult and compromise may be necessary. Perhaps you could check out these silvery greys to see if they (mostly) look the way you want them to look – Resene Concrete - lighter and deeper versions of this colour are available, Resene House White - lighter versions of this colour are available, Resene Half Surrender - lighter and deeper versions of this colour are available, Resene Quarter Silver Chalice - deeper versions of this colour are available or Resene Double Black White - lighter versions of this colour are available.
January 2014
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Q. I would like to know your opinion on whether Resene Masala would look okay on the exterior of my house with a 5 degree roof and the window and door joinery in bronze aluminium. The exterior is rough stucco and I also have a lot of green trees etc around my house. I tried Resene Craigieburn but seems to me to be too light. I was thinking of painting the fascia and brick chimney and maybe the sills Resene Half Masala or Resene Eighth Masala or something similar in light colour. A. I think the Resene Masala but it will make the window joinery seem very brown - does this bother you? You are right about the Resene Craigieburn - it isn't deep enough and is too yellow toned. Have you tested Resene Triple Stonehenge - it may be less grey than the Resene Masala and meld in a little better with the window joinery and yet still be a statement colour. If you are desperate to change the colour of the chimney bricks then I’d recommend you do the same as on the fascia and the window sills - if you go with Resene Masala then you could use Resene Quarter Masala (it will add the contrast even though it is a little greyer than suits the window colour) or Resene Half Stonehenge which looks great with both Resene Masala and Resene Triple Stonehenge.
January 2014
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Q. I was wondering if you could please help me with some colour suggestions for our house. It's split into two halves, each of a different cladding so we would like to paint these a separate colour. At the moment some of the bottom is blue but I think it would be best to have the whole bottom half one colour? We want something quite cottage-like colour wise rather than modern. We also need to paint the ramp up one side and the garage doors. A. I am not sure what you think of as 'cottage like' - it may well be different to what I consider is 'cottage-like' and certainly at this point in time chalky whites, powdery blues and soft greens are considered French inspired and a bit cottagey. American inspired 'cottage- like' is more mid toned creams, warm beiges and soft greys. The single door beside the garage door shouldn't be picked out as a definite colour as all it does is say 'knock on me - I am the right door to get into the house' which is misleading if it only goes into the garage. The stucco parts of the lower storey shouldn't be picked out if you don't consider them gorgeous and worthy of being accentuated. January 2014
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Q. I am building a house. I love greys and cool off-whites being dressed up with fun accessories and pictures on the wall. I am having polished concrete for most of the flooring, but carpet in the bedrooms. I love the colours in the latest Habitat (middle earth section). I would love to get some advice on colours and how to mix them so that it is not just the same colour throughout the whole house. A. I generally tell people to collect lots of samples and look at the most limited and most expensive decisions that they have to make and start with those first. It’s terribly sad if you choose colours then can't find a carpet, tiles, kitchen benchtops and cabinet colours to work with the colours that you have lost your heart to - or worse - there are things that will work well but you don't like them or they are too expensive to even consider. Give yourself the best choices of these elements first then find colours that will work with them. I have included two palettes of colours for you to consider but you do need to take into consideration that carpet is a colour (might make wall colours look unsuitable or plain wrong) so it is to start you off on your journey – Resene Wan White, Resene Quarter Wan White (instead of pure white), Resene Silver Chalice and Resene Double Stack or Resene House White, Resene Alabaster (instead of pure white), Resene Eighth Friar Greystone and Resene Double Friar Greystone .
January 2014
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Q. We recently painted our fence in Resene Coast and our roof is soon to be done in the same colour. We are finding it hard to find a colour that isn't bluish or reddish that would complement for our house trims. Would you have any suggestions? We also get hammered by the sun so a high LRV suggestion would be great. We had previously thought of Resene Half Innocence/Resene Half Emerge but am a bit concerned that these may go better with a greener paint? And the rate we are going summer will be over and we won't have painted! So any suggestions would be great. A. I really like your idea of the Resene Half Emerge (no I don’t think it needs to go with a greener roof) but I am unsure about the Resene Half Innocence because it is greener and deeper in colour. You might check out the following colours also to see if any of them are good for you – Resene Tiara, Resene Quarter Powder Blue or Resene Zumthor. These colours are similar to Resene Half Emerge, LRV 63 - but are slightly greyer, less eggshell - in tone. I have added the LRV percentages so that you can see Resene Tiara is the lightest (most reflective/coolest) by comparison. Any colour that has a CC in the colour code can be formulated to a Resene CoolColour™ to increase the reflectivity/modify the surface temperature should you need this added benefit.
January 2014
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Q. We are painting our 1930s bungalow. We want to paint the weatherboards Resene Wan White and the roof is going to be COLORSTEEL® Gull Grey. We are trying to work out what trims around windows etc will match Resene Wan White. We are thinking Resene Alabaster. Is Resene Alabastar in the same tones as Resene Wan White and Gull Grey? A. Resene Alabaster will work well with Resene Wan White but you might also look at Resene Quarter Wan White or Resene Quarter Black White as they are very sympathetic to Resene Wan White and somewhat cooler/crisper. For the most contrast Resene White will always work as well.
January 2014
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Q. I am after some toy room colour ideas for my two little girls. The room is off the main living areas which will be Resene Wan White. I don't want something too bright or too neutral for the toy room. A. You could look at some lovely Karen Walker colours - Resene Half Beryl Green or Resene Half Periglacial Blue or alternatively some really fresh new colours from The Range Fashion Colours - Resene Carefree or Resene Breeze. Little girls often have lots of really colourful bright toys so these quieter colours will add a bit of tranquillity and balance and will follow on nicely from the lounge Resene Wan White.
January 2014
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Q. Do you have a colour match for the roof colour Sandstone Grey or a complementary colour for the fascia board? A. We have colour matches for the COLORSTEEL® colours already loaded onto our system so they can be tinted into our paints. You can ask for them at any Resene ColorShop. December 2013
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Q. I'm getting my house painted. I'd like Resene to suggest a grey shade - a grey that's almost white, which is what it's covered in now. I've got all the paint charts but am going mad trying to find the exact pearly white grey I want. Any ideas? A. I think what you need to do is ascertain whether the white/grey on the house is a warm grey or a cool grey. Sounds difficult? Not so. You do need to find a part of the house that has had the least amount of weathering - probably the shady side of the house - and where the paint still looks really new(ish) and place a sheet of white printer paper partially over it. What this will do is:
Some really light grey/white colours you might like to check out on the side of the house that you have looked at with the white printer paper - please do trial patches onto the white paper leaving an unpainted border and place on the weatherboards – Resene Wan White, Resene Half Sea Fog, Resene Quarter White Pointer, Resene Half Barely There, Resene Quarter Milk White or Resene Half Concrete. These are really light/white but they have deeper versions of the colours listed above that you can move up to if you find one that is a possibility but is too 'white' and in this way you may well find your grey that is almost white. If you don't find it that might just mean that a painter bought large amounts of white paint and tinted them himself with MPS Stainers - this is not unusual many painters used to do it to either to create a colour or adjust a colour they had. The difficult part is knowing what was done before so it might be replicated. You could use a blade to lift a slice of paint off the house and take it to your local Resene ColorShop to have it colour matched. Or as a last resort, choose another pale grey that is almost white and carefully record (on the wall of the shed or garage) what colour name it is, what code it has and what gloss level of paint you are using - for next time!
December 2013
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Q. We have New Denim Blue joinery on our house and a New Denim Blue roof. I don't like the joinery colour which we can't change but we want to know if we would be able to paint the roof a different colour or will it clash with the joinery? A. The problem that you have is that if you do paint the roof a different colour it will leave the joinery isolated with nothing related to it. This will - in some ways - draw more attention to it not less. Perhaps instead of a charcoal/brown colour for the roof a standard dark charcoal may be better as it will have a (slight) relationship back to the joinery colour. And of course being a true neutral they will go well with any other colours. You might look at either of these two colours to see if they may work for you – Resene Nocturnal or Resene Ironsand. If your heart is set on a charcoal/brown and you don't mind the New Denim Blue joinery being 'odd man out' then you might look at repainting the roof in Resene Ironsand.
December 2013
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Q. I have a new deck not sure of what stain or oil to use on it. The house is a grey white colour with dark grey trim. A. If the deck timbers are rich in colour (like Kwila or Cedar) or something like that which already looks yummy then just using the Resene Furniture and Decking Oil may provide the natural finish and water repellancy that you favour. But if it is pine which by its nature is pale and a bit bland then you might consider these options in a stain rather than just an oil - Resene Woodsman Bleached Cedar - a deep grey to co-ordinate with the house trim colour or Resene Woodsman Limed Ash - a softer warmer grey to co-ordinate with the house trim colour or Resene Nutmeg - to add a little warmth and colour to the deck but not red like oiled cedar. The thing to remember is that no matter what you choose you need to embrace the idea of ongoing maintenance. Often annual re-applications (for oils) and re-applications every 2-3 years (for stains) are required to protect the timber and keep it looking gorgeous.
December 2013
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Q. Which colour is best for wood partition work with ivory coloured walls on my office? A. There are so many colours that you might choose that it is difficult to be absolutely definite but - and this also depends upon what the business is that you have - you might look at the following colours to see if any of these inspire you – Resene Captain Cook, Resene Salsa, Resene Origin, Resene Double Schooner or Resene Quarter Fuscous Grey. The first three colours offer quite clear bright options and the last two colours are mid-deep neutrals.
December 2013
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Q. I'm wondering what colour white I should paint an old kitchen. I bought a white paint but it looked too white and bright. I am doing a bit of a retro thing on these old kitchen cupboards. The bench, which I have sanded back is an old Formica which I wasn't going to use, but it has come up alright so am considering using it. It has splashes of light grey, a splash of very pale pink and pale blue but the main colour is pale grey. I just about considered painting the cupboards grey but then thought maybe I should stick to the white idea. A. A soft grey may be better than the pure white as it will help to tie in the light grey in the benchtop. The grey wouldn't have to be an exact match to the grey in the work top as most greys like each other. Perhaps look at these colours as a start point – Resene Double Concrete or Resene Quarter Silver Chalice. Or if your heart is still set on having a white then perhaps look at these ones as they are soft warm whites – Resene Half Bianca or Resene Quarter Albescent White.
December 2013
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Q. We have recently built new work premises and would like to paint the walls and office area to match in with our logo, which incorporates silver greys, and a range of blues. I had looked at the following colours Resene Quarter Surrender, Resene Athens Grey and Resene Half Concrete. Would like your suggestions as I think plain grey might be a bit bland, but not sure what would be best. A. If you were wanting true matches to your logo blue colours the signwriters would be able to give you Pantone ink colour reference numbers which your Resene ColorShop could provide a colour match to. If you’re not looking for an exact match you could try Resene Silver Lining or Resene Exponent. These are metallic silvery greys which are available in Resene Enamacryl Metallic waterborne enamel - one of these could be used as partitions around work areas or as painted door colours. A pale grey that looks nice with the metallics that you might investigate is Resene Quarter Iron. If this was used as a main wall colour with lots of white trim and some silver metallic and a Resene match to your Pantone ink colour main lettering it will look very executive smart.
December 2013
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Q. We are building a family home. It is fairly sort of industrial (greys/polished concrete etc). The outside is varying shades of grey. In the living areas we think we will use Resene Quarter Stonehenge. Can you please give me some suggestions for: great whites to use for bathrooms and long skinny hallway, a good blue for a four year old boy's bedroom, a good green for a two year old boy's bedroom and options for a master bedroom. I was wondering about Resene Cloudy. A. You might like to try Resene Double Alabaster for the bathrooms and long skinny hallway - this will show as a shadowy white and in the bathroom the normal white ceramics will show as a cleaner sharper white. Beautiful blues to consider for your four year old son might be – Resene Captain Cook or lighter Resene Sports Star. Or Resene Yarra or lighter Resene Waterfront. Beautiful greens for your two year old boy that you might like to try are Resene Limelight or lighter Resene Poprock. Or try Resene Tutti Frutti or lighter Resene Anise. For the master bedroom Resene Cloudy is very similar to Resene Quarter Stonehenge. If you want for it to look the same you may as well use Resene Quarter Stonehenge in the master bedroom but if you want related but lighter then you might like to try Resene Eighth Stonehenge or Resene Half Cloudy. Or opt for Resene Half Truffle. December 2013
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Q. We are going to paint our Linea in Resene Half Sea Fog. Which frame colour will it go with best either Matt Warm White Pearl or Matt Titania? The roof is Gerard Onyx. A. I think that Resene Half Sea Fog might look best with Matt Warm White Pearl - it isn't a perfect match but is sympathetic - the Matt Titania seems too green toned when seen alongside the Resene Half Sea Fog.
December 2013
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Q. I'm having trouble deciding on a wall colour for our new house. I find white too stark, grey tones too cold and Resene Tea a bit dark. We have been recommended Resene Black White for the ceiling and Resene Half Thorndon Cream for the walls. I like a bit of warmth. We are having vinyl planks and a neutral carpet. Do you have any other suggestions? A. You might investigate the following colours – Resene Merino with Resene Alabaster (on ceilings), Resene Half Joanna with Resene Half Rice Cake (on ceilings) or Resene Quarter Parchment with Resene Eighth Pearl Lusta (on ceilings). These colours are a little warmer than Resene Half Thorndon Cream but not too dark and the ceilings colours suggested are less grey toned than Resene Black White.
December 2013
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Q. We have a split level house and have painted the bottom half Resene Triple Stonehenge. It is roughcast. The brick on the top is Summerhill stone. We are going to paint the roof but don't know what colour to go. I was thinking of Resene Nocturnal but am not sure. We live in the country so don't have any neighbours to compete with colours. A. Are you wanting a really 'black' type of colour like Resene Nocturnal on the roof? It is a really smart dark tone but you might also consider one of the following colours as they relate to the basement colour Resene Triple Stonehenge and possibly will help tie your palette together. You could try Resene Groundbreaker, Resene Ironsand, Resene Squall or Resene Bokara Grey.
December 2013
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Q. Windows and trims are painted in Resene Burnt Sienna. What would be a suitable colour to go on the walls in the green colour range. I have started to use Resene Finch but it is too dark. The area is quite tiny and is a porch at the back door. A. Resene Burnt Sienna is quite a deep colour so you may need to consider a green colour with a little yellow undertone to 'lift' the colour palette so it isn't too serious and heavy. Perhaps one of the following colours will work for you – Resene Tana, Resene Quarter Hillary, Resene Green Mist or Resene Bud. How the colours will look will very much depend on what the main colour of the house is and how much bright natural light this area receives.
December 2013
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Q. We are painting the outside of our wooden house with the colour Resene Bitter. The roof is Resene Karaka. Can you suggest a window trim colour? I favour something bright as contrast - possibly a red. Any suggestions? A. You might like to try Resene Dynamite, Resene Jalapeno, Resene Shiraz or Resene I C Red.
December 2013
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Q. We have a California Bungalow with a traditional orange terracotta roof. We really like the grey neutrals such as Resene Friar Greystone , Resene Stonehenge and Resene Pravda for the exterior boards with white around the windows. However my concern is will these neutral colours work with the roof? Which one of the neutral greys has enough of the tones and warmth necessary to work best with the roof? A. Resene Stonehenge isn't quite as warm toned as Resene Pravda and Resene Friar Greystone is the greyest of these three. Another option for you to consider is Resene Taupe Grey. If you are worried about the depth of colour attracting heat and possible problems for the weatherboards then I do recommend using CoolColour™ technology to minimise this factor. That is what CC means in the codes of the colours. Lighter versions of these colours are warmer - and may attract even less heat to the surface so you might like to look at the half and quarter tints. Seeing them in reality - A4 sheets of Resene colours are available for viewing in the Colour Library at Resene ColorShops and selected resellers - and comparing the colours may help you toward defining your colour choices.
December 2013
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Q. I have just purchased a 1940s house with decorative ceilings and light fittings. The carpet is a nondescript beige/brown/mauve colour and the walls a type of cream. There is one feature in bright canary yellow. Should I just try and match the existing cream throughout the rest of the house or try another more modern colour? A. It all rather depends on whether you like the cream you have now or whether you fancy making it look 'all new' and different. Now is a good time for change - you might look at one of these following colours as a slightly more modern look - you may need to check them out close to the carpet as it is the dominant factor in the house – Resene Half White Pointer, Resene Quarter Blanc, Resene Eighth Fossil or Resene Quarter Tea.
December 2013
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Q. I am building a beach house and wanted a black/dark grey colour with pearl silver aluminium joinery. What colour in the Maxx Steel roof range should I have to match please? A. You might like to try Resene Woodsman Sheer Black for the weatherboard stain. If you are restricted to the COLORSTEEL® Maxx then you might look at Thunder Grey or Smokey - both of these are mid toned colours but may look lighter if the angle of the roof is on a 45 degree to the natural light. If however you favour a very light coloured roof then perhaps you might also look at Titania.
December 2013
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Q. I would like to update our kitchen/living/dining open plan room which is currently painted in Resene Double Spanish White. The kitchen cupboards are Resene Half Spanish White and I would like to give it a bit more of a modern look without making the room look too dark. I would like a deeper shade (we have Resene Triple Spanish White in the adjoining formal lounge which I don't want to change), so I would still like it to not be too drastic from one room to the next. I was thinking of a warm coffee colour perhaps? The Resene Double Spanish White can look a bit buttery sometimes. The house is 7 years old in a French provincial style and we are looking at selling in the coming months so would like it to look modern and fresh. A. Any warm coffee colour is likely to make the space look darker and given that people are now wanting lighter/brighter/much whiter colours this will make this sort of change very noticeable. You might investigate the following colours – Resene Double Akaroa, Resene Double Drought or Resene Double Tea. Another idea that will emphasise the rich depth of the formal lounge because it is so light - you could use Resene Half Spanish White, the same colour as the kitchen cabinets as it is modern, fresh and light.
December 2013
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Q. I'm painting the exterior of our house and I've bought so many testpots and am really confused on the best colour scheme. I'm currently looking at painting the weatherboards Resene Quarter Craigieburn but I'm having a real problem picking the white for around the windows and a huge problem in picking the base colour. For the base colour I've tried Resene Ironsand but I didn't like it because it doesn’t seem to suit the grey aluminium joinery. I have also tried Resene All Black but that is too dark and I tried Resene Bokara Grey but I thought it looked brown and still a bit dark. Would a dark grey/charcoal work? If yes what greys would you suggest? We will be replacing our roof in the near future to possibly a grey colour. The Resene ColorShop staff suggested we paint the base in a darker version of Resene Craigieburn. A. You could try Resene Half Gravel with a COLORSTEEL® Thunder Grey roof or Resene Quarter Grey Friars with a COLORSTEEL® Grey Friars roof. I think the colours you have trialled and not liked were too dark and black toned. They are quite hard/definite colour statements as well as drawing all the attention to the base of the house and away from the weatherboards - is this what you were wanting to do? The Resene staff were not wrong to suggest to you that you look at a slightly deeper version of your main colour as a lot of people don't think the base of the house is a feature worthy of highlighting so this allows a tonal difference but not a colour difference. Another thought for you to consider, the 'white' for around the windows needs to be a light coloured white not a stark real white because of the grey aluminium windows. You might like to try Resene Black White (greyish white), Resene Half House White (shadowy grey white), Resene Quarter Thorndon Cream (muted beige/yellow white) or Resene Merino (slightly yellow/green white). They all look great with Resene Quarter Craigieburn but they need to be seen with the windows to see if they might work. December 2013
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Q. We are building a new house by the water. We face east (morning sun) and will be using Resene Double Black White on the external cladding of the house. This cladding wraps around into our entrance foyer, so this colour will need to be used on a feature wall on the inside of the house. Our house will have polished concrete floors and white joinery and some limed American oak wall panelling. Seeing the internal entrance foyer will be in Resene Double Black White, I thought I could use Resene Half Black White on the rest of the walls in the house. I want the walls to be white, but thought this could provide a little grey undertone? I don't want warm undertones. If I was to use Resene Quarter Black White on the joinery and ceiling, do you think this would make the joinery look like a crisp white or a little too grey? Are there some other colours you can suggest? A. I agree with you in regard the main interior colour being Resene Half Black White as this will give just a little grey undertone. I suggest you use Resene White on the woodwork and the ceilings as it will create the lovely crisp clean detail you would like. The only alternative 'white' that will work well with the Resene Double Black White is Resene Half Sea Fog used also with Resene White - but really there is very little difference between Resene Half Black White and Resene Half Sea Fog.
December 2013
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Q. I am looking for a dark charcoal colour for painting on retaining wall and fence. I have tried a colour but it looks a lot greener than the sample shows. I basically am looking for a colour just slightly lighter than a plain black. What colours do you suggest? I don't want yellows, reds, blues or greens showing thru when the sun shines on it. I want it to look like a dark charcoal but not black. A. Any charcoal (nearly black) is made up of a complex mix of tinters so you need to be aware that colour of some description is lurking within your charcoal/nearly black and bright light will discover it. Always test the colour by applying all of the Resene testpot to A2 card in 2 coats and leave an unpainted border all around the edges. Move it onto different angled areas of the fence and look at it in all types of light so you don't end up repeating a bad experience. Ask the staff at the Resene ColorShop to let you know just what tinters are in a colour prior to testing it so your eye sees the colour. If you compare samples of charcoal with each other you will be better able to judge the colours also - Resene colours can be viewed as A4 samples of colour in all Resene ColorShops in the Colour Library and this is a great way to compare colours. You might like to try Resene Nero, Resene All Black, Resene Fuscous Grey or Resene Grey Friars. If they are too coloured for you then perhaps you might use Resene Black and you could add small amounts of Resene White paint to it until you get the right charcoal/nearly black. This could be a bit messy but you could trial it using Testpots. I think you will get the right charcoal/nearly black by checking out the colours in the Colour Library and trying out your favourites carefully using testpots.
December 2013
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Q. We are about to start repairs and need to choose the paint for our walls in our extra large living/kitchen/dining area. Our bench is a motley mixture of black and grey granite and the cupboards are white. There are large windows on three walls that are currently Resene Half Pavlova, which I like. I chose it then wished I had gone to a deeper shade. I am leaning towards Resene Thor as my collection of blue and white plates look awesome next to the area we have used the testpot on. Can you please advise a good white for the ceiling and window frames and the type of paint that is best for the sills. My husband may run for the hills about Resene Thor so please suggest a milder colour, maybe like Resene Linen? We have lots of golden timber furniture so I am told by many to stick with a green tone. Plus through double doors is our lounge in a deep red, I have samples of Resene FilmPro Magenta and Resene Shiraz. Which of these are the best to be close to Resene Thor or Resene Linen? A. Perhaps you could check out Resene Metamorphis or Resene Ashanti as lighter colours similar to Resene Thor. Resene Linen is almost neutral (and not at all like your favourite Resene Thor) and won't look that different from Resene Half Pavlova. For suggestions for a 'white' you might investigate the following – Resene Half Rice Cake, Resene Half Villa White or Resene Half Pearl Lusta. Resene Shiraz looks gorgeous and I can imagine it looking great with Resene Thor and even better with Resene Metamorphis or Resene Ashanti.
December 2013
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Resene Meranti
