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. We are looking to repaint the interior of our house in Resene Half or Quarter Thorndon Cream. The outside colour of the house is Resene DNA. Most of the rooms have one feature wall that we would like to paint with a soft colour. It is a modern seaside home. Which total colour system should we be looking at to choose the colours that would blend in with the exterior Resene DNA and the interior Resene Half/Quarter Thorndon Cream? A. After a bit of thought I think these colours would be worth considering: The base of all of these features subtle green with grey/stone/flaxen undertones in neutral hues. It would pay to look at A4 samples of these colours at your Resene ColorShop and display them from the lightest to the deepest and place a sheet of printer paper between them so your eye focuses on the moods and the depth of the colours. Some rooms may require Resene Half Thorndon Cream to look good but other rooms which may not have the same quality of light may need to be lighter - Resene Quarter Thorndon Cream.
May 2013
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Q. Just painting my boys’ (8 years and 6 years) room Resene Thorndon Cream and wanting a colour for a feature wall. They like Resene Home Run but I am not sure how it would look. Any colour suggestions? It doesn't have to be a bright kid’s colour, I like colours like Resene Tapa too. A. Children do love vibrant colours that are full of life, don't they? If you were to consider a bright clean colour you might look at the following - the first one is an emerald and the others have a little more green and less blue tone to them: Resene Moxie, Resene Howzat or Resene Salem. I like the Resene Thorndon Cream and Resene Tapa too but the Tapa colours may be a little sombre for the boys. If you were really uncertain about 'brights' for their room what about painting a few pieces of furniture or toy storage boxes to get the colour into the room but not on the walls? Yes I know it is a sneaky approach but it may suit you better to do this as it allows for change at a later date without disrupting the room. The other way of getting 'brights' into a room is accessories, curtains or blinds and duvets. Sometimes it pays to think outside the square as children's colour tastes do change every 2-3 years as they mature.
May 2013
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Q. I intend to use Resene Akaroa on all internal walls. Which colour for the ceilings? Would Resene Eighth Akaroa be ok? A. Yes Resene Eighth Akaroa would work - but may look a little deeper than you might expect - and as an alternative you might also look at Resene Albescent White (or Resene Half Albescent White) which is slightly lighter and cleaner.
May 2013
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Q. Can you suggest a suitable white to go in a south facing bedroom that will lift the Rimu wood on the three doors and frames in the room? The bedding is white as is the background or frames of most of the artworks so a creamy white would not work. I would like a white that goes with strong orange or yellow as a secondary colour. A. South facing rooms often need a warm undertone to offset the sour/or greyed natural light aspect. Just be careful if you do introduce yellow tones into the room as they can look sharp/green edged and not as appealing as one might expect because of this axis of light. If you pursue the strong orange as a secondary colour look for a rich burnt orange rather than a yellow based bite of orange for the same reason. For a 'white' that will work with Rimu and real white bedding might I suggest that you look at the following to see if they will work for you - they aren't really white but are a notch or two deeper to highlight wood and white and to make the room feel warmly comfortable…
May 2013
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Q. We are extending our house and repainting the interior. I am after a simple white shade - can you recommend a basic shade that is neither too cool or too warm? A. Because all rooms will have varying qualities of natural light and many other elements that may alter your perception of how colour (even a basic type of white) will look, some colours worth considering are: You would be wise to check out the larger A4 samples at your Resene ColorShop in their Colour Library to ascertain what they truly look like. If you place a sheet of printer paper between them it will help your eye to adjust and recognise the modest tints that are in these three suggestions. By trialing them in your home you may well notice quite radical colour changes occurring during the daylight hours and when electric lights affect them.
May 2013
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Q. I have just painted the bedrooms in my house Resene Albescent White. The house was built in 1924 and has a high stud and lots of wooden joinery. I am struggling to choose a carpet colour that looks right with Resene Albescent White. A. Resene Albescent White has a warm almost pink undertone in a pale beige base. It would be difficult to absolutely recommend any carpet as other elements pop into the equation - curtain and duvets are two I can think of in regard to the bedrooms - they influence how colour is seen and so does the type of natural light you get into the bedrooms. As a start point I suggest you view the list of Carpet One complementary colours on this website. Over about ten years I have colour co-ordinated carpet for Carpet One and all of that information is on the Resene website. You may have to scan through quite a lot before you find Resene Albescent White in the lists - but you will find it as quite a few carpets have it as one of the main colour choices. If you write the carpet names down and then ring Carpet One and ask about those particular carpets by name they will come to the house to show them to you. They would come to the house anyway to show you what they have in their mobile carpet vans- so either way - seeing carpet at your house, in your light and with your things is the best way to go.
May 2013
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Q. We are looking for a colour for around our external doors and windows that is lighter than the existing colour but goes well with the walls. The current colour attracts the sun so it blisters easily. A. If you want lighter/not attracting heat damage and charming then you could consider: Resene Quarter Spanish White, Resene Quarter Tea, Resene Quarter Fossil, Resene Quarter Sandspit Brown or Resene Pearl Lusta. These are all colours - not white - but they would go with many different main colours and will give a lovely light/crisp look to the house and definitely will minimise sun damage. They also come as deeper versions if you feel they are too light for you. The steps might still be the same colour they are now - if you know what the colour is - but in Resene Sidewalk paving paint as it may give a tougher surface for foot traffic.
May 2013
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Q. If we paint the gables and the garage door in a colour (we were thinking blue - Resene Bunting) do we paint the eaves the same colour as we have white guttering and thought we would leave the eaves as white? A. You are correct - if the guttering is white the usual scenario is to paint both the facing board that they are attached to and under the eaves Resene White (or another type of white i.e Resene Alabaster) and often this includes the barge board at the top of the gable as well. This gives a lovely clean crisp line above the gable colour and before the roof colour.
May 2013
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Q. We need a nice white but not too white for the walls of a retirement village. What do you recommend? A. I am not sure whether you are referring to interior or exterior walls but if the colours I am suggesting are used in an interior they may look slightly deeper because of the shadow lines/close proximity enhancing the depth. You might like to consider these colours: Resene Half Pearl Lusta, Resene Half Villa White, Resene Eighth Spanish White or Resene Eighth Parchment. These colours may appear 'whiter/brighter' in a very bright exterior situation and if someone with an age related eyesight problem (cataracts) saw them they may think they are just 'white' - when in reality they are slightly warm and more than 'white'. It pays to look at larger A4 samples at the Resene ColorShop and place a sheet of pure white printer paper between them to see exactly what undertones of colour are in them. I hope this is helpful and you find your 'nice white' in these suggestions. With the exception of those that are listed as being eighth formula the others can be made as lighter versions of the colour suggested.
May 2013
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Q. I am in a desperate need of help withsome colour suggestions. We are replacing the green on our walls. I do not want to go too white as I still want some colour and warmth throughout. A. I suggest you look at these warmed whites - they are all quite different from each other and you would need to see large samples to appreciate their unique qualities so I suggest asking at the nearest Resene ColorShop to see their largest samples:
May 2013
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Q. I want to do a Resene Half Gravel feature wall in my lounge; however the lounge only gets a little late afternoon sun so what colour should I paint the rest of the walls? I've looked at Resene Half Linen. The kitchen will be painted the same colour and cupboards are Resene Black White. Should I paint the ceiling Resene Half Black White? A. I think you mean Resene Black White has been used on your kitchen cabinets - and if that is the case then I would suggest that you use Resene Quarter Black White (not Resene Half Black White which may make your ceilings look grey) and possibly you might investigate the following colours as alternatives to Resene Half Linen, which may look greyish in the natural light of the rooms: These three options just carry within them the merest hint of light/warmth/clarity compared to the Resene Half Linen.
May 2013
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Q. We have a holiday place which needs interior painting. We have a stone fireplace, smoky blue kitchen cabinetry and camel carpet. We have lots of wooden dark furniture and art. The exterior is a soft leafy green. We like a combination of whites. What would you recommend we try? The house we live in has been done in Resene Spanish White and Resene Pearl Lusta but this house has a slightly more country feel. A. It seems to me that you have two options to explore - cool whites or warm whites. Cool may encompass slightly greyish or green whites, such as Resene Quarter White Pointer with Resene Half Alabaster as trims or Resene Quarter Thorndon Cream with Resene Quarter Black White and warm might encompass touches of cream or beige whites, such as Resene Soapstone with Resene Alabaster or Resene Bianca with Resene Quarter Bianca. Both Resene Bianca and Resene Soapstone come as half strength versions also.
May 2013
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Q. I am wanting to use Resene Quarter Spanish White on the walls of our kitchen/dining room with Laminex Fossil on the benchtops. Can you recommend a colour for the splashbacks? The floor tiles are a 'Stonehenge' shade. Also what curtains would you recommend? A. You have literally hundreds of options for splashback colours. If you don't fancy a bold coloured statement you might investigate a metallic colour - Resene Blast Grey 3 or Resene Pure Pewter - they are sparkly and gorgeous but a definite colour. If you would prefer no sparkle then you might look at Resene Spanish White (deeper than the walls but not dark) or Resene Half Stonehenge (lighter than the tiles floor) - so these options are just a few to consider. A lot of people choose very bold colour statements like red or lime green but we are 'followers of fashion' so there may be a lot of people you know who have these colours - think carefully as to whether you too want to go that route and if you do then choose something unique and personal to you.
May 2013
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Q. I want a blue green feature wall to go with Resene Half Tea. What would you recommend? I like Resene Meltwater, Resene Awash or Resene Kumutoto. A. I think you are on the right track with any of these three. You might also look at Resene Bismark, Resene Norwester or Resene Horizon - slightly deeper/muted colours seem to work really well with Resene Half Tea.
May 2013
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Q. My house is painted Resene Sandcastle. The windows are being repainted in Resene Eighth Spanish White. I want to paint the front door in a contrasting colour. Your site suggests Resene Bunting. Are there any other suggestions available? If I want to do it a red or a green which ones would work? The house was built in 1915 but has suffered many makeovers. The door appears to be more of a 1940s style. A. Because Resene Sandcastle is a warm sandy salmon brown it needs a cooler/earthy balance colour otherwise it can all look very hot/muddy so I suggest you look at the green options first, such as Resene Forest Green and Resene Port Phillip. If you do favour reds they need to have the earthy brown edge to them, such as Resene Hot N Spicy or Resene Lexington. As an alternative blue perhaps you could look at a mineral blue like Resene Wanaka, which has more 'lift' to it than Resene Bunting.
May 2013
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Q. Is there a darker complementary colour for Resene Double Masala - other than Resene Triple Masala? We have a house painted in Resene Double Masala and would like to paint the chimney cavity a darker, almost black colour. A. There isn't a directly related darker colour but you might look at the following colours: Resene Ironsand, Resene Bokara Grey or Resene Blackjack. They are darker and Resene Ironsand has a similar undertone of colour to Resene Double Masala and the others are blacker but they do carry colour within them so it would pay to look at the larger A4 samples in the Colour Library at the nearest Resene ColorShop so you aren't misled as to their suitability.
May 2013
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Q. I'm painting a south facing small double bedroom - about 3 metres x 4 metres with a built in wardrobe and an alcove window. I want something with a bit of life in it. I tried Resene Wild Thing, but I think it might be bit overpowering. Can you suggest something bright? A. South facing rooms always have a sour quality of light and all yellows no matter how pale they are can look twice as bright so it can be a problem finding the right one for this situation. A lot of yellows develop a nasty green sharp edge to them in south facing rooms. I suggest it may be wise going lighter (which will look deeper/stronger when all four walls are painted) and with an orange undertone to stop that sour look that yellows have when they are in south facing rooms. Perhaps you could trial the following yellows:
May 2013
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Q. I need suggestions for a colour for a glass splashback in new kitchen - walls are Resene Half Tea, cabinets Resene Double Tea, benchtops Caesarstone Nougat - white with neutral bits in it. Am thinking of a blue or green. We also have a seaview so going for the beach house look. We have kilims in the open plan lounge that are red - Resene Bullseye, and blue - Resene Elvis. A. Perhaps you could look at the following colours to get some inspiration: I am sure you know about the two qualities of glass that are used in splashbacks and the fact that they show the colour (behind) in quite a different way - for true colour the low iron oxide clear glass is best but if you don't mind the colours looking different from what you expect then the standard float glass might be considered. If decisions don't happen easily and it all is too complicated then there is nothing wrong in just using the low iron oxide glass over the wall colour for a protected but not feature coloured option.
May 2013
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Q. I am looking for a stain colour for my pine deck. The house is cedar (Hackett Black) with window frames in Resene Cararra. Inside I have Resene White Rock and Resene Fossil walls. Can you recommend a colour that would complement this colour scheme? A. Perhaps you could investigate the following colours: Resene Driftwood, Resene Limed Gum, Resene Nutmeg or Resene Equilibrium. They are all available as Resene Woodsman Decking Stain colours as well as standard Resene Woodsman stains. If it proves difficult and you feel unable to make a decision you might also investigate using Resene Natural.
May 2013
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Q. I would like advice on what to paint the interior of my new house - kitchen/dining and hall in a warm colour, such as a caramel/mustard colour. The kitchen has dark grey slate floors, bench top is black, wall tiles are a brownish grey and the hallway is a spearmint green (looks like a blue but isn't) and I was looking at Resene Putty or Resene Chalky as I want to give the area a warmer 'country' colour feel. The kitchen cupboards are Oak Melamine. I don't like apricot or yellow. A. You might like to try the following colours - Resene Haystack, Resene Half Haystack, Resene Smooth Operator, Resene Calico or Resene Raffia. All of these colours will look quite strong/deep - possibly twice as strong - in interior areas. The only thing that I see as a possible problem to you using these types of colours is the kitchen/dining room wall tiles. If they are a definite contrast colour that may not sit as well with your new wall colour options as you would hope. You can paint over wall tiles or you could update the tiles as another option.
May 2013
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Q. I'm looking at doing a formal dining room in Resene Spring Fever. I am wondering what we could do to change the value of the hue, and what step on the intensity scale would be good? Maybe making it a bit lighter or a bit less green? A. Resene Spring Fever is a sharp (biting) yellow green with a fluoro intensity. Interior colours (any of them) have the potential when seen on all four walls to double (sometimes triple) in intensity and of all the colours, yellow, (whether it very light or very bright), does more of that. So let us consider what a lighter version of Resene Spring Fever will give you. You might look at Resene Somerset, which is lighter but (remember what I have said about interior colour and yellows in particular?) if you had a whole room in this colour you might think you actually had Resene Spring Fever and that you hadn't lightened it at all. For less green you might look at a colour like Resene Milan, which still favours the bright hue that attracted you to Spring Fever and still carries some of the sharp green edge but has far more yellow in it. Dependent upon the light - natural and artificial - and other elements within the room Resene Milan could look like Resene Witch Haze and in the corners and around any windows it might also look greener with shadows intensifying the green edge. As another yellow that you might look at might I suggest Resene Lemon Twist - what you might see as a muddy muted depth to the colour may be the thing that allows you to use it without needing sunglasses on inside when in the room. Artificial light will brighten it so it appears clearer and yellower (great for evening dining) and natural light will be absorbed somewhat so it doesn't grab you by the throat. All of these colours have one thing in common they are all listed as a green edged yellow - G - in the coding - so that influence will always be there. Trialling the colour in the room is the best way to discern what the colour is really like.
May 2013
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Q. I am looking for a colour to use behind glass for my kitchen splashback. The benchtop is granite and I was looking for something coppery/shimmery with flecks in it to complement the granite. I'm looking at your copper and I like the shimmer to it, but the colour is not right. Do you have anything similar? I am keen on Resene Alter Ego, but would like it with a bit of sparkle. A. Have you looked at all of the red/copper toned colours from the Resene Metallics & Special Effects colour range? There are several there that may be options - Resene Copper Fire is one you might consider. Any colour like Resene Alter Ego can be coated with Resene Pearl Shimmer, which is a pearly sheen to add more of a luscious look to a colour but I think your best bet is to ask to see the samples that the splashback manufacturer may already have. You may see something he has done already that suits you. There are two types of glass that are used for splashbacks - standard float glass and low iron oxide crystal clear glass - this does make a tremendous difference to how the colour is seen so perhaps by looking into this as well you may get a better idea of what looks good.
May 2013
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Q. We have a very light north facing kitchen surrounded by Pohutukawas and a close up seaview. We want to resurface the kitchen cabinets and paint the walls in White but don't know what whites and whether to paint the kitchen darker white than the walls or vice versa, Also we have built in furniture in the lounge to paint also. The lounge, kitchen and dining rooms are all open plan with Rimu floors in the kitchen and dining and new carpet to go in the lounge. A. Even though the space has natural light from the north you mention 'surrounded by Pohutukawas' which must cast some shadow into the rooms so I think a slightly warmer/brighter white may need to be considered instead of a cooler grey toned white. It is possible to use the same colour for cabinetry and walls - cabinetry would be in a semi-gloss finish, such as Resene Lustacryl, and walls in a low sheen waterborne enamel finish, such as Resene SpaceCote Low Sheen, and this may be the easier way to go especially if you want to stay 'tight' with your white and not wander off into lighter and deeper versions of a colour. It is amazing how a change of gloss level makes you see the colour differently. Your choice of carpet (and curtains and furniture) may also influence your colour options and without knowing what these, here are a few colour suggestions that may help with your colour scheme: If you go to your Resene ColorShop and look at the A4 samples of these colours in the Colour Library and place a sheet of printer paper between them you will be better able to see the underlying colours that hide within each of the suggested colours and the true strength of colour.
May 2013
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Q. We are doing up the kitchen. The unit colours are Resene Half Villa White and Resene Half Olive Grey. We are putting down a compressed bamboo flooring down that looks like mahogany and there are two large windows in the kitchen that have vistas overlooking a stand of mature oak trees and gardens and pond area. A. If you want the lightest cabinet colour - Resene Half Villa White - to look 'whiter' then the walls may need to be slightly deeper, but if you want the cabinets to seem more of a creamy colour then the walls would need to be much lighter. I suggest that seeing as the view through the windows is so interesting and colourful and the kitchen cabinets plus the work top and floor are so distinctive you might like to consider using a lighter version of the cabinets - Resene Quarter Villa White - so that all the attention is drawn away from the walls toward the other elements. And if this was the case and you were happy to do this then the ceiling might be the same as the walls so there isn't another colour element vying for attention. You won't lose lightness (by not having a white ceiling) because the wall colour is so bright/light. Even with such a light colour all of the walls around the windows will look a little deeper according to the shadows at different times of the day without being much stronger/deeper again which is what using Resene Villa White may do in the room. It helps to keep your colour palette tight which won't cause a subtle shift from the (palest) cabinetry colour. It would be easy if choosing a completely different but similar colour from another palette to create a tonal discord. But it does still allow you to accessorise with colours to correspond with the exterior foliage - perhaps in a seasonal way.
May 2013
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Q. What colour is good to go with Resene Half Concrete colour for feature walls? A. You are very fortunate because Resene Half Concrete is such a pale silver grey almost anything will work with it as possible feature walls. You can be gentle and tonal and use a deeper version of Resene Half Concrete - Resene Double Concrete - or even darker toward charcoal like Resene Quarter Tuna or lovely colours like Resene Paprika or Resene Citron or Resene True Blue or Resene High Society. Resene Half Concrete doesn't work well with dirty beiges or stony colours as it is too cool and smart to associate well with earthy colours.
May 2013
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Q. I would like to have your expert advice on choosing the colour for my house. I am doing the exterior now. What colours do you think are trendy and have some feature? My painter has suggested that the weatherboards and soffits be Resene Black White and the fascia be Resene Masala. The front door could be Resene Masala or Resene Black Sheep. I am not good at colour and I can't imagine what it would look like. A. Because of the garage door and window joinery powder coat colour and the soft warm white tone of the bricks I feel that the Resene Black White may look to stark and cool. You may like to consider the following colours for the weatherboards and soffits - Resene Thorndon Cream, Resene Triple Sea Fog or Resene Half Joanna. These types of colours may also work better with the colours of the roof tiles. The fascias are a soft colour on the house now and if they were painted dark, it will create a hard line of dark colour that doesn't look that good with the roof or the other colours and also would attract a lot of heat from the sun and might deteriorate quickly and need repainting sooner. I would suggest that you look at the following colours for a softer/lighter feature for both the fascias and the front door: Resene Tapa or Resene Quarter Gravel. These colours are still slightly deep and create a nice feature to enhance the fascias and the door but are softer overall.
May 2013
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Q. We are painting our concrete block beach house in Resene Caraway. Our front door and wooden entryway are barn red and it does not seem to go with the Resene Caraway. What feature colours would go? Royal Blue? Bronze to match the window frames? A. Because of the earthy/sandy tone of the Resene Caraway and the fact that you have bronze window frames you may be happier looking to pull those colours together by using a bronze/brown/earth shade. The following are two colours you could investigate: Resene Double Friar Greystone or Resene Double Stonewall. An alternative colour that might also be appealing is a slate inspired blue, such as Resene Avalanche.
May 2013
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Q. We want to paint our whole house. We want something that has a tinge of colour. We've been thinking of Resene Half Drought or Resene Half Tea but don't want anything too bland or dark. A. A 'tinge of colour' is usually a colour that is almost white. The following colours might be worth trialing: Resene White Pointer, Resene Quarter Bison Hide, Resene Quarter Perfect Taupe or Resene Half Truffle.
May 2013
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Q. We have a 1980s Cedar weatherboard home with wrap around verandahs. Our weatherboards are stained Resene Pitch Black, the roof and spouting/downpipes are Resene Ironsand or similar, the decking is still natural and the front door and surround are white. I am looking for a colour (paint or stain) to use on the verandah posts and beams which sit under the spouting line which will complement the house. The house is incredibly sunny. A. Have you thought of using the same white as the door/frames so they are 'friends' and the front door isn't lonely? The white for the verandah posts etc will pop off the very dark cedar colour making a crisp detail. If you use a definite colour you may sicken of it and feel the need to redo it frequently but white will always be stylish.
May 2013
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Q. I have painted my house in Resene Half Stack with Resene White trim. The gable end will also be in Resene White. What colour do you recommend for the metal roof? Would prefer a cooler colour. A. You might like to consider the following colours: Resene Double Stack, Resene Lattitude, Resene Trojan or very light Resene Half Silver Chalice. Roof colours, because of the angle of the roofing iron to the sun, often appear much lighter than you might imagine. If lightness/coolness of colour is of paramount importance it would pay you to check out the LRV listing of colours. Those that are between 45-100 are considered light (but may appear too light as a colour) but offer a cooler surface than those between 45-0. If a colour has CC written beside it, it means that it can be made using Resene CoolColour™ technology to increase the reflectivity of sun rays away from the surface and to reduce the surface heat.
May 2013
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Q. We are looking for a colour to go with Resene Quarter Arrowtown and COLORBOND® Woodland Grey roof. A. You don't mention whether it is a lighter colour or deeper colour so I have taken the liberty of including both options: Resene Black White and Resene Half Gravel, or Resene Half Rice Cake and Resene Arrowtown. The second set of colours 'warms' your main house colour whereas the first set 'cools' it down.
May 2013
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Q. We are wanting to paint our roof and garage door a different colour. Our trims are blue and we don't want to change. What colour would you suggest? Not sure about Resene New Denim Blue or maybe a greyish colour? A. I certainly feel you could definitely look at Resene New Denim Blue and possibly the following colours also: Resene Grey Friars or Resene Coast.
May 2013
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