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 painted Resene White Pointer on walls and Resene Half White Pointer on ceilings in the living and lounge and would like to do a feature wall. My kitchen is dark brown oak, grey with stone white benchtop. Would love any idea of colours that would complement this area with a feature wall. A. You have so many options - probably hundreds - and you may need to think this through really carefully. Generally a feature wall colour has to relate not only to the main wall colours but to the other colours already in place. Carpet, upholstery on the lounge suite, drapes etc. Some ideas to get you started: Resene Triple White Pointer (simple option), Resene Eighth Mondo (deep/moody), Resene Diesel (darker/rich), Resene Fuscous Grey (warm charcoal grey/neutral), Resene Easy Rider (natural /restful) or Resene Madam M.
February 2015
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Q. I have just purchased a house with red axminster carpet in the hall and lounge. The carpet is in very good condition and it would be a shame to rip it out because of its colour alone. What colour would you suggest would match the carpet? I have dark wooden and navy leather furniture. A. Try Resene Orchid White, Resene Cararra, Resene Eighth Pavlova or Resene Quarter Akaroa.
February 2015
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Q. We want to use the colour Resene Double Sisal. We are fitting a new aluminium front door and wish to powdercoat the door. What is the nearest or matching powdercoat colour? A. I doubt that you will ever get an exact match - powdercoat colours are somewhat limited - but if a sympathetic colour is OK then you might check out these ones – COLORBOND® Paperbark, COLORBOND® Cove, COLORSTEEL® Stone or COLORSTEEL® Lichen. Of these colours COLORBOND® Paperbark and COLORSTEEL® Lichen is a lovely deeper shade that adds contrast. A word to the wise - it pays to see real powder coated metal samples rather than rely on a print version (brochure) or upon what you see digitally (on a computer screen) as they may not be a true representation and it would be disappointing to choose this way and then find out too late that it isn't exactly what you expected.
February 2015
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Q. We have decided on Resene Quarter Tea on the walls for a brand new house that we will be using for a rental. But for the trims and ceiling we are struggling between Resene Eighth Thorndon Cream, Resene Alabaster or Resene Quarter Black White. A. They are all nice 'whites' but I think the cleanest/crispest contrast to the main colour on your walls is Resene Quarter Black White. It is a personal choice of course but as it will be used as a rental it is important that it look really clean and smart.
February 2015
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Q. Would Resene Black White walls and Resene Half Alabaster ceiling, door frames etc go with oak floors? A. My first thought was that it might be a little stark with the oak flooring. You don't say whether the oak flooring is very pale, mid/warm or very dark. This has a direct bearing on what it might look like with Resene Black White and Resene Half Alabaster. The 'white on white' look is very popular and there are hundreds of possibilities. As long as you are absolutely happy with the cool (slightly grey) undertones with the warm rustic influenced oak flooring then all is well.
February 2015
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Q. My house is Resene Sandspit Brown. I want to paint the baseboards a warm earthy colour that would harmonise. A. Try Resene Cougar, Resene Gargoyle or Resene Half Nullarbor.
February 2015
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Q. We are painting the dining and lounge of our 1960s home, which have rimu architraves etc which I would like to keep unpainted. We have just painted the kitchen dining area in Resene Black White with a feature wall in Resene Escape, which ties in with the pool off this room. I want to paint the lounge in a soft green that will work with Resene Escape as the walls are seen together. There is plenty of natural lighting in the lounge. The ceiling will be Resene Black White. Have been looking at Resene Secrets or Resene Half Secrets but in some lights it is a bit too yellow. A. Soft greens like Resene Secrets often carry a yellow undertone and if this isn't what appeals to you, you might look at the following greens, which have a subtle blue edge to them – Resene Unwind, Resene Edgewater, Resene Paris White or Resene Emerge.
February 2015
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Q. We would like to paint the outside of the house but keep the green roof as it isn't in need of painting. What colour would you suggest would look the best for the exterior weatherboards? I don't want yellow or green. Would Resene Truffle suit a green roof? A. Yes Resene Truffle would look really smart. If you like that sort of colour you may also like these ones – Resene Quarter Stonehenge, Resene Eighth Pravda or Resene Cloud.
February 2015
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Q. We have just started building a house on a headland with beautiful blue sea views. The living room is huge, two sides being mainly windows. I want a restful colour scheme that will not downplay or compete with the sea colour; I must have some pale grey, because some of my furniture is marble. I dislike industrial greys etc. I would like a combination i.e. for walls and leather seating, etc of pearl grey, creamy white, caramel or similar and a very muted apricot. A. It is always difficult to see inside someone’s heart and mind and imagine how they view colour but try these colours to see if they are the sort of thing you have in mind – Resene Quarter Rakaia, Resene Half Bianca, Resene Eighth Canterbury Clay or Resene Cashmere. This is a start point for you to work from. Good luck with the build - big jobs take time to work through so collect lots of paint samples and fabric swatches so that you can build a dossier of possibilities.
February 2015
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Q. We are looking to paint our bedroom Resene Lemon Grass. What colour would you suggest for the ceiling and doors? A. It depends whether you want a cool crisp look or a soft warm mellow look. You might look at these colours -
February 2015
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Q. We are painting the exterior walls of our house Resene Anakiwa blue. We have bamboo and bush close to house. We would like a creamy white for the windows and windowsills. Are there any other contrasting colours that you would recommend? We are thinking of painting the front door green. A. With such a bright fun blue main colour on the house you might look at these options for the windows – Resene Quarter Villa White or Resene Half Orchid White. You don't mention whether you want a deep bold green or a fun fresh vibrant green or a clear pastel green so I have listed all three types so you can check them out – Resene Salem, Resene Conifer or Resene Riptide. You might consider using a deeper blue for the front door like Resene Lochmara if you decide against the greens.
February 2015
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Q. We are looking at painting our cottage with Resene Truffle. What colour would be best for the ceiling, wall and door trims? We want a complementary whitish colour. A. You might look at these 'whites' as they look lovely with Resene Truffle – Resene Double Alabaster (ceilings, door and wooden trims – cooler look), Resene Eighth Truffle ceilings, doors and wooden trims - tonal muted look) or Resene Quarter Bianca (ceilings, door and wooden trims - warmer look).
February 2015
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Q. Our new house is built out of brick called Whitecliffs from Canterbury clay bricks. There is quite a bit of LINEA® on the exterior and on the cold side as well. What colour would blend with the brick please? What colour would be a good contrast. The roof is Rivergum iron. A. I checked out the web for Whitecliffs by Canterbury Bricks and the photo of the actual brick is gold and the photo that depicts the exact same brick is creamy/white - this is fairly typical if one is relying on a digital colour representation – it can be misleading. You might look at these types of colours as possibilities for the LINEA®: Resene Spanish White, Resene Half Drought, Resene Akaroa, Resene Quarter Craigieburn or Resene Lemon Grass. Any of these will work with the roof colour but the last one is a green that is quite related.
February 2015
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Q. We are painting the exterior and have been looking at Resene Foundry for the concrete base and Resene Tana for the weatherboards with Resene Sea Fog on the windows etc. Do you think this will work? A. The very dark colour - Resene Foundry - for the concrete basement of the house is a little bit hard and dominating. It may make the Resene Tana look a bit bland by comparison. If you used a softer warmer grey instead the whole scheme may seem more harmonious. You might check out Resene Half Fuscous Grey or Resene Gravel to see if they appeal to you. They do look really nice with the Resene Tana and Resene Sea Fog.
February 2015
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Q. Our bungalow house is a very bold exterior colour probably close to Resene Buttermilk. We thought about changing it to grey to blend in with other houses but like its individuality. Could you please advise me on a roof colour and colours for windows etc. Do I match the fence to the roof or keep it a light colour? The roof is painted in various colours at the moment as we put an addition onto the house years ago but never painted. The windows are wooden and painted. We used a burgundy many years ago but it has worn and become more brown now. A. You might look at these colours (not necessary greys) for all the house including the roof and windows – Resene Half Napa (main), Resene Windswept (roof), Resene Double Alabaster (windows) and Resene Innocence (sills, doors and other trims), Variety is the spice of life and in some of these colours you may find your new exciting colours for the house, roof and windows. If you decide to maintain the existing house colour please check out the roof, windows and door options only. February 2015
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Q. We are doing a new house build. We are using Resene Tea and Resene Half Tea for most of the walls. We need advice on colours for the feature walls. We are thinking of Resene Kombi, Resene Cougar and Resene Oilskin. Are these colours suitable and if yes where should I have these feature walls painted? What other feature wall colours would go well? A. These colours look lovely with your main colours. Resene Kombi is the brightest/strongest colour (the others are warm deep neutrals) so you may need to think carefully where you would use it as a feature wall. If you had it for a splashback in the kitchen it could look really nice or if you have a room (dim room on the south side of the house perhaps) that needs a bit of a bold colour to lift the mood of the room it could work well. It is all about personal taste and what your eye and heart takes delight from. You may have a high tolerance for bold/bright yellow based greens and want to use it in the lounge - we are all different in this regard. It will be very strong so it needs a bit of thought about where it will look best.
February 2015
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Q. We are building a new home and the window joinery is the colour Titania. I am after a warm white colour for the walls that will go with this colour. I was thinking of either Resene Black White, Resene Rice Cake or Resene Sea Fog. A. The following colours may help you decide which way you want to go
February 2015
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Q. We have decided on a warm grey wall colour with green undertone for our living room. We’ve decided on beige tiles, which also have a warm undertone. What colour furniture can I pair it with? A. You might have very deep brown, charcoal or black furniture. All of these colours should work really well. February 2015
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Q. My exterior windows are a similar colour to Resene Gecko and we are changing the exterior colour. What would go with that colour? We don’t want anything cream. A. When window joinery is a very distinct colour (as yours is) it does exert a dominant control over what can be used to associate well with it. You might check out these colours to see if they appeal to you – Resene Taupe Grey, Resene Stonehenge, Resene Double Tapa, Resene Spanish Green or Resene Settlement. You may need to think very carefully about changing from what you have now to a new colour - compromise may be needed.
February 2015
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Q. What colour will be good to use on a small bedroom to make it bigger? A. Generally speaking soft blues or blue/greens work well as they are 'receding' colours that make spaces feel bigger because the walls appear to be further away from you. Warm colours likes red, oranges and browns make spaces seem smaller because the walls advance toward you. Deeper or dark colours of any kind absorb a lot of light and make you feel enveloped and cocooned - so spaces feel very close to you and smaller. You might look at these types of colours to see if they appeal to you – Resene Carefree, Resene Breeze, Resene Half Escape, Resene Unwind or Resene Half Kumutoto. If you use a warmed white with any of these colours it stops them looking too cool. You might check out Resene Quarter Rice Cake or Resene Quarter Bianca.
February 2015
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Q. We are getting our two level Queenslander roof redone in COLORBOND® Surfmist, then we will paint. We are thinking of something with a light grey or other tone of neutral and then a dark charcoal and crisp white as the highlight/detail colours. I would like something modern and would love some suggestions. I know this colour combo is quite common and we are willing to consider other things as a base. I think we really like the charcoal and white as the detail colours. A. If you use a grey that has a warm green/yellow undertone so that it relates well to the roof colour it may be better than completely ignoring the new roof - or even worse - forcing it to associate with a discordant grey main colour. Try Resene Bone White/Resene Eighth Black White/Resene Double Gravel, Resene Half Tapa/Resene Alabaster/Resene Nocturnal, Resene Delta/Resene Eighth Rice Cake/Resene Armadillo.
February 2015
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Q. We want to paint a bedroom as a nursery and like light neutral grey tones. We will have white trimmings, window sills, wardrobe and nursery furniture with accent colours. It is an east facing room though it can appear a little dark during the day. Can you suggest a warm light grey for a nursery? We've considered Resene Flotsam, Resene Half Flotsam and Resene Whiteout but are open to other suggestions. A. You might check out these colours – Resene Rakaia, Resene Half Rakaia or Resene Quarter Rakaia. Yes they are essentially the same colour and lighter variants but because all colour has a distinct tendency to deepen (often doubling in depth) in an interior you may need to adjust the strength of the colour so it doesn't create an industrial ambiance. Another type of colour that is worth considering is a grey/beige or stone/grey - these types of colours create warmth without the 'serious' undertone of a definite grey. You could try Resene Quarter Truffle, Resene Quarter Foggy Grey or Resene White Pointer.
February 2015
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Q. The exterior of my house is currently Resene Tuna on the weatherboards and Resene Sea Fog on the plaster feature walls. The Resene Sea Fog looks too stark against the Resene Tuna. What other colours would you recommend to replace the Resene Sea Fog? The same colour will be used on an outdoor fire when I get around to building it. A. Try Resene Triple Sea Fog, Resene Concrete, Resene Quarter Surrender or Resene House White. Any of these colours will still give a good contrast to the Resene Tuna but they aren't at all stark.
February 2015
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Q. What does ‘Colour Palette’ mean? And why does Resene Half Villa White have a green colour palette and Resene Quarter Villa White have a yellow colour palette? A. Colour palette means which group of colours a colour is classified under. All colours fall into the colour wheel. Some fall onto the cusp of where one colours goes into the next. As colours lighten or darken in strengthen the tonings of the colour change also. Resene Half Villa White tends to have a slightly green edge; Resene Quarter Villa White slightly yellower. However both colours are similar in terms of their colour wheel placing. If you look at the colour code e.g. Half Villa White G94-013-091 – the 91 tells you where it is on the colour wheel out of a possible 360. If you look at Quarter Villa White it has a code of Y95-010-090. The 90 tells you it is next too/very close to the colour palette position of Half Villa White, which had a position of 91.
February 2015
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Q. We're having a bit of a dilemma. We have a Spanish style, single level home which was painted in the traditional off white with the terracotta roof and dark green wooden struts. While we want to keep the terracotta roof colour (as it also goes with the terracotta courtyard), we're having trouble finding just the right beige/yellow. Most of our street is painted in different shades of beige, therefore, I'm conscious that we don't want to add to the mundane. We're trying for a mustard colour, which has gone through several changes after painting the courtyard walls and then deciding it was too bold. We started with Resene Laser, which was just too bold, we're currently on Resene Essential Cream, which is still too yellow. I have painted the guttering Resene Grey Friars and would like to do the window/door trims the same. We're still trying to decide on the faux (green) struts. Ideally we would have liked to have these stained to match the doors/gates, but as they have been previously painted this is not possible; Resene Volcano, Resene Chocolate and Resene Mahogany just don't seem to be dark enough, with too much red. A. I think the colours that you have tried are too yellow as well as too bright (and anything with yellow in it is bright) so the following list of earthier colours may work better with your terracotta: Resene Alamo, Resene Secret Road, Resene Moscato, Resene Double Haystack or Resene Sandcastle. For the dark (green) woodwork have you thought of using a warm/blacker colour? You could check out – Resene Diesel, Resene Sepia or Resene Cosmonaut. February 2015
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Q. We have an old villa and the hallway is currently Resene Napa with Resene Ming on the back wall (and at the top of the archway). We think that it is too cold and want to look at going with Resene Sandcastle instead but will Resene Ming go with Resene Sandcastle? A. Resene Sandcastle and Resene Ming look nice and bright together. If you are wanting a warmer/brighter look in your old villa hallway it will be OK. If however you feel it looks too bright then you could substitute Resene Ming with Resene Oracle. This looks harmonious and balanced and sits well with Resene Sandcastle.
February 2015
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Q. We have a terracotta roof, copper spouting and white aluminium joinery. Would Resene Pale Oyster look OK for the rest of the house? A. As long as the window joinery is a warm white not Arctic White (which is quite cool and grey toned) I think the Resene Pale Oyster will work well. If you like that type of colour perhaps check out these alternatives so that you are 100% happy with your colour choice. Try Resene Cougar or Resene Double Drought.
February 2015
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Q. My main house feature colour will be Resene Delta. For contrast I am trying to understand whether to team it with Resene Fuscous Grey or Resene Gumboot. It will be working with a COLORBOND® Monument roof. I also need a feature/highlight colour for two cutaway areas in the front facade - we were thinking a green. A. You might look at Resene Half Nocturnal (which is the Resene paint match to COLORBOND® Monument) so there is a definite relationship between the roof and the trims. Resene Fuscous Grey is a nice warm charcoal that looks equally good. For a green feature you don't indicate whether you want bold/bright or deep/subdued. Resene Easy Rider looks quite good as does Resene Innocence.
February 2015
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Q. I am considering having Silestone Lagoon benchtops in my kitchen reno. I currently have Resene Double Tea on the walls and a white ceiling. The floor is charcoal slate tiles. I think I would like a cool colour on the cabinetry doors that will intensify the whiteness of the bench and a lighter colour on the floor to ceiling cupboards (along one wall). I would like a colour that works with Resene Double Tea if possible but with more of a grey tone. I am considering painting over the Resene Double Tea and changing it to a cooler colour but struggle with finding greys that aren't too cold feeling but aren't yellow either? A. I have thought long and hard about your query - it is slightly difficult but these are my thoughts - if you don't have Resene Double Tea on the walls it would definitely be easier. So if you can remove it from the equation then the following suggestions may suit:
If you keep the Resene Double Tea then it would be simpler to do all the cabinets the same colour (and because of the deep brown warmth of the Resene Double Tea) then you may need to use colours like Resene Quarter Merino, Resene Quarter Thorndon Cream or Resene Eighth Parchment. February 2015
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Q. I was wondering if you could suggest a lovely rich velvety grey I could use for the back wall of my new kitchen. I am thinking I am going to go with Resene Double Sea Fog on the other walls and Resene Sea Fog cabinetry. The back bench on either side of the oven is stainless steel and the rest of the benches are a white quartz stone. I am searching for a deep colour but something that's not going to be too overpowering. Also I will probably get a glass splashback made to the same colour. A. You could try Resene Quarter Fuscous Grey, Resene Thriller, Resene Half Gauntlet, Resene Triple Rakaia or Resene Scarpa Flow. If you plan on having a glass splashback it would pay to ask for the low iron oxide crystal clear glass instead of the standard float glass, which changes the colour that is seen behind in quite disconcerting way.
February 2015
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Q. Our roof is painted Sandstone Grey. We would like the house colour to work well with the windows and roof. We'd like the brown aluminium joinery to blend with the house, rather than being a feature. We are planning to have black aluminium joinery for the extension and in time will replace the other windows to match. We are going to stain the cedar. It will be as natural as possible. The balustrade will be wood - we're open to suggestions about what colour to paint it. I have been worried about it looking too dark and ominous, and think that perhaps a mid to dark colour would be better. A. You might look at using a greyed/brown so that it associates well with the roof colour and the brown aluminium windows – Resene Stonehenge (or a lighter variant - Resene Half Stonehenge), Resene Pravda (or a lighter variant - Resene Half Pravda), Resene Double Truffle or Resene Quarter Sandstone. A warm colour for the cedar (to maintain it as it looks when really new) could be Resene Waterborne Woodsman stain - colour Resene Nutmeg or Resene Woodsman stain - colour Resene Natural, which looks a bit gingery but not overly 'coloured'. If a slightly aged look is preferred you might consider Resene Woodsman stain - colour Resene Smokey Ash which looks great with the colours suggested and is a bit 'different'. All of the main house colours would work with black windows (new extension) and if you wanted a paler paint colour for the balustrade (and under the soffits, roof line and guttering fascias etc) you could use a white like Resene Half Sea Fog. February 2015
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Q. We are painting the exterior of our original 1920s/1930s weatherboard bungalow. The house is built up on a stone/rock foundation with stone/rock steps leading up to the front porch. The stone is predominantly grey with shades of rust and green. The house is currently painted a mid-green shade. We are thinking of painting it grey to tie in with the stone, white for the window surrounds/French doors/trim and a gloss black for the front door. The front of the house also has shingles. We are thinking Resene Friar Greystone but would be interested to get advice about suitable greys and whites. I'm not keen on light greys. Also what colour could we paint the shingles? They are currently the same green as the rest of the house. Eventually the spouting/downpipes will be replaced with copper. We are trying to achieve a classic, elegant look with masses of curb appeal. A. If you do go with the grey idea you need to try for unique colour nuances in the grey (which natural light will play upon) to add a little more interest than what an industrial type of grey might offer. Try Resene Half Delta (main), Resene Double Alabaster (white trims etc), Resene Friar Greystone (shingles/any other trims) and Resene Blackjack (doors), or Resene Half Tapa (main), Resene Eighth Rice Cake (white trims etc), Resene Half Gravel (singles/any other trims) and Resene Chimney Sweep (doors). Both main colours and deeper trims feature complex undertones of green or yellowed stone in the greys to try and pick up on the stone/rock on the house.
February 2015
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Q. I co-own my home and have finally decided to take down the wallpapers and paint the walls. I started off with white in the lounge, and was going to do the whole house white but then I figured that may be boring. The house is a mess at present but I am looking at renting it out at some stage. I want to know if there is a formula on how to choose which colours for which rooms and so on. Is it best to have a classic colour rather than follow a trend? I am embarrassed to get a colour consultant as we have stuff coming out of our ears. Any suggestions, help or pointing me in the right direction will be gratefully received. A. Don't be embarrassed - there is such a lot to know about colour. If you want a clean modern look and plan to rent the house out at some stage I would be inclined to keep it really simple. A versatile neutral - lighter for dim spaces like hallways and smaller rooms and the same colour but a bit deeper for large open spaces and sunny rooms is usually a wise way to go. A tinted off white that relates well to the main colour(s) can be used for all ceilings and woodwork. I know that may sound boring but when you think of all the other colours that are in a house - carpets, hard flooring like vinyl or tiles, blinds and curtains, kitchen cabinets and bench tops, paintings and prints etc and that is before all of the furniture and bedding that also has colour in it then it isn't really. Try Resene Quarter Thorndon Cream, Resene Thorndon Cream or Resene Eighth Rice Cake.
February 2015
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Q. I am wanting to change the stain colour on our home. At the moment it is Resene Heartwood and we want to see what it would look like if we changed to either Resene Dark Oak, Resene Bushtrack or Resene Natural. Are you able to send us images of this using Photoshop or something? A. We do provide the means for you to do it - either using your own downloaded photo or one of the set visuals that can be 'played with'. Resene has a virtual painting programme – Resene EzyPaint - which has a part called Ezy Path which allows you to load your own photo and digitally draw around all of the shapes on the house - saving each one separately - so that you can drag and drop colours on to the different elements of the house and once done can be 'saved' and printed. Or you can use one of the online images in the Resene EzyPaint online version to try out colours. You can arrange for a Resene staff member to do the pathing for you – this can be organised through Resene ColorShops. A word to the wise - all colour seen on a computer or in print are not identical to the painted colour because of the limitations of what you can view on screen and the way computer colour differs from paint colours. Stain colours don't 'hide/block out' what was there previously (only paint does that) so a stain colour inherits some part of the previous colour as it is semi-transparent. Testpots of stain will give you an indication of what a new colour will look like over the original colour which is exciting in some cases as you get a 'new' version of the colour you are testing. I am unsure that Resene Natural would have enough tint colour in it to hide anything at all but several coats of Resene Dark Oak or Resene Bushtrack would be able to.
February 2015
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Q. We have an east facing bedroom and new heart rimu furniture in it. We need to paint and would like a paint colour that will liven the room and complement the rimu. We had Resene Akaroa but would like a more interesting colour. A. East facing rooms often look quite lovely in the clear early morning light. Have you considered using a soft green or blue/green? Both these hues will work well with the colour of the rimu furniture. You could try Resene Secrets, Resene Half Tasman, Resene Periglacial Blue or Resene Emerge.
February 2015
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Q. Having trouble choosing a splashback colour. The walls are Resene Caper, cabinets are Resene Bianca. I’m considering Resene Tangerine but don’t want to overdo it. A. As much as I like Resene Tangerine (or orange in any form) I can't quite get my head around using it for a splashback in your kitchen. Have you considered using a metallic colour that has the richness of the orange but not the bold attention seeking fluoro impact of the Resene Tangerine? Or a deeper earthy type of red/based orange? Or a green to tone up the main wall colour? Or a fresh teal that enhances the green and adds a playful influence? A word to the wise - splashback glass comes as standard float glass (has a minty green cast to it) and star bright low iron oxide glass (colour is seen totally true to reality behind it) so it pays to check out the glass/colours to see what is best for you. The following colours are a few for you to consider – Resene Copper Fire, Resene Rock Spray, Resene Koru or Resene Dauntless.
February 2015
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Q. We have Resene Rice Cake on our interior walls in the living and hallway areas. I want to paint the bedrooms something different (not white). Any recommendations? A. When choosing a new colour you need to co-ordinate with curtains, flooring, duvets etc. Some colour ideas to get you started – Resene Miso, Resene Duck Egg Blue, Resene Abbey Road, Resene Quarter Gargoyle or Resene Quarter Delta.
February 2015
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Q. We are in the process of doing our house up. We have painted the inside mainly in Resene Half Black White with a charcoal carpet. The exterior is Resene Half Rakaia with Resene White trim and Windsor grey roof and shingles. But when it comes to painting the front door we have hit a stumbling block. I love pale blue but no one else thinks that is a good idea. The house is a villa style and the front door is wooden. We don't want a black or red door as there are several around us. A. Do you think you could love pale blue somewhere other than the front door? It wouldn't be a suggestion I would make with the exterior colours you have. Both the roof colour and the main house colour do have a subtle undertone of purple in them so you might pursue that thought and check out some of these colours which may be better than pale blue – try Resene Enigma, Resene Chapta And Verse, Resene Birdcage, Resene Hendrix or Resene Redemption Blue.
February 2015
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Q. I want to paint a small toilet/shower room which also doubles as a guest toilet on the south wall. It has one small window so not a lot of light. I want to make it a bit funky. I am thinking a hue of emerald green but also want it to fit into the overall house scheme. The rest of the house is Resene Double Alabaster, some Resene Half Diesel walls, mushroom carpet and light mushroom/beige tiles. A. If the window is small and the room faces south it may pay to paint only the wall that has sunlight directly on it an emerald green and the other walls Resene Double Alabaster to increase the light and to tie in with the rest of the house. I love the idea of the funky colour - totally delicious! You might like to check out these greens - they are zingy – Resene Moxie, Resene Salem, Resene Eucalyptus or Resene Alfresco.
February 2015
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Q. I am wanting to paint the large inset areas behind our TV, which we have covered already with 3D art panels. We would like to use black or as close to. Would you have a colour to suggest to us. A. You could use any of these 'blacks' as they would all work to highlight the 3D panels you have – Resene Double Cod Grey, Resene Blackjack, Resene Nero and of course there is always 'real' black – Resene Black.
February 2015
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Q. I have a long narrow hallway on the south side of the house. It has two windows and gets some light from the north facing bedrooms. As the carpet is grey I painted the bedrooms Resene Half Tea which looks great. Thinking that Resene Half Tea may be too strong for the hall I painted it Resene Quarter Tea but it just looks cold and grey. I would like a warm white or neutral to warm it up a bit. A. Because of the narrowness of the hallway it is a battle to find a colour that doesn't make it seen more narrow or deeper in tone because of the close proximity of the walls doubling the strength of the colour. A warm white that you might investigate to see if it appeals to you is Resene Half Albescent White - or a light/warm neutral alternative is Resene Quarter Fossil. Another idea is to use the wall opposite the windows to display several large gorgeous mirrors on - it will seem like more windows are in the hallway and would double the amount of natural light by reflection and open up the space so it doesn't appear as narrow. It may mean that the existing colour can stay as not as much of it is seen.
February 2015
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Q. What is the best ‘white’ to use on walls in an old house with native timber floors to really freshen it all up? A. You might check out these 'whites' - they are lovely and fresh and look really good with timber floors – Resene Rice Cake, Resene Quarter Thorndon Cream or Resene Bianca.
February 2015
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Q. I want to change my ceiling colour to Resene Alabaster and Resene Merino on the walls and architraves, skirtings, etc. Do you have any visual aids which could help me see this? A. The best visual aid to see how colours look together (and this includes seeing it with a sample of carpet) is A4 real paint samples from the Resene ColorShop Colour Library. Large enough for you to check out the reality of the colours, large enough to hold together vertically on top of the carpet sample (as they would present in a house) and easily viewed behind a Resene Colour View transparency. Resene Colour View transparencies are A4 size photos of rooms etc that allow you to place the colours (as they would be seen) behind the clear part of the photo so you can see them as in a room. Several colours can be used together behind the transparency - often the room photos allow for ceiling being a different colour to the walls. I do recommend this as a reality check for colour because - unlike a computer representation - it is totally correct.
February 2015
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Q. We have recently painted our roof deep teal and are about to choose a colour for the walls which are all rough cast or half brick and rough cast. The bricks are terracotta colour around late fifties or sixties vintage and the aluminium joinery is dark green. A. You might use the same colour as the roof for the wooden deck rails and base of deck to tie it together - just a thought. Neutral colours would work well with the greens you have. You may like to check these colours out: Resene Parchment, Resene Bison Hide or Resene Akaroa.
February 2015
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Q. I have a 1920s bungalow and am thinking of painting it Resene Truffle but am worried it may be a bit light and any detailing I do in white, including the windows, may just blend in. Also unsure of what colour to paint the shingles. A. Colours on an exterior can look a lot lighter and blend in because of the bright natural light. If this is your worry then if you increase the contrast between the two colours this may not be a problem - perhaps if you use Resene Double Truffle (instead of Resene Truffle) and a real white - Resene White you may get the balance of colours right. If colours look lighter then the Resene Double Truffle may only look as light as Resene Truffle is. The shingled gables could be a deeper colour. Some ideas to get you started – Resene Triple Stonehenge, Resene Half Masala, Resene Double Friar Greystone and for a bit of something different Resene Timekeeper or Resene Seaweed.
February 2015
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Q. What is the blackest black available to paint LINEA® board on a new house. Have tried one already but it looks very dark brown. A. In order to get the blackest black I suggest you use Resene Black in a gloss finish. Any really deep colour that uses Resene CoolColour™ technology colour formulas to minimise the extreme temperatures and UV problems may take on a subtle warm undertone. This colour shift may be more noticeable in a lower sheen paint finish.
February 2015
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Q. What do you recommend for a splashback colour when our interior walls are all really white (Resene Black White I think is the colour). The exterior is very light grey and slightly darker with a slight blue tinge and we have an ocean view. I was looking at the colour Resene Carefree but then the colour Resene Frozen stood out. A. I think Resene Frozen is gorgeous. If you do decide to go with this it is really important to choose the low iron oxide crystal clear glass (not the standard float glass) as it is the only glass for splashbacks that shows the colour behind it absolutely true to reality. Other colours you could try to compare how they look are Resene Escape and Resene Moby.
February 2015
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Q. I have a 1920 weatherboard bungalow. The roof is COLORSTEEL® Grey Friars. I will paint the body (weatherboards) in Resene Tapa and the trims (windows etc) in Resene Alabaster. I need a colour that will match the roof to paint the bargeboards and the gable ends. A. Perhaps you could look at these colours – Resene Grey Friars (Resene match to COLORSTEEL® or slightly lighter variants – Resene Half Grey Friars or Resene Quarter Grey Friars.
February 2015
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Q. We need advice on which colours to paint a weatherboard home, window trim and roof. Can you advise a popular or appropriate palette? A. Try these suggestions: Resene Clotted Cream (main), Resene Half Bianca (windows) and Resene Canyon (roof), or Resene Triple Merino (main), Resene Quarter Alabaster (windows) and Resene Touchstone (roof), or Resene Truffle (main), Resene Black White (windows) and Resene Grey Friars (roof). Any window sill or door colours could incorporate the roof colour or be a 'exciting' feature – try Resene Pioneer Red, Resene Barometer or Resene Kaitoke Green. February 2015
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Q. Our kitchen is about fifteen years old and we are now updating it. The walls are painted Resene Yuma and the cabinetry is Resene Pohutukawa. The house is an old villa. I like the warmth of the wall colour in summer, however I am open to changing it. I am looking at changing the cabinetry to a shade of creamy white as the room is quite dark in winter and I wish to brighten the room. The kitchen is a galley style with a long rectangular island that faces a snug area. The benchtops are wooden on the back wall and black/dark grey on the island. Can you advise a shade and also what other colour I could add to give it an extra touch? The floors are old kauri. A. Your wall colour - Resene Yuma - is quite a strong distinctive hue which is nicely balanced by the rich red - Resene Pohutukawa. A creamy colour for the cabinets will need to be richer rather than 'whiter' in hue otherwise the Resene Yuma walls may look like a dingy khaki/yellow. You might check out these colours from the Resene Whites & Neutral collection – Resene Wheatfield, Resene Double Villa White, Resene Cararra or Resene Pearl Lusta. An extra bit of colour excitement could be these types of hues – Resene Barometer, Resene Countdown, Resene Broadway or Resene Fiddlesticks.
February 2015
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Q. The roof colour of my house is COLORSTEEL® Ironsand. I love grey colours so would really like to stick with that with a lighter shade for the arch over our front door. The garage door and wide front door are stained. A. If you like greyer colours perhaps you might to look at these combinations to see if they appeal to you – Resene Quarter Friar Greystone (main colour) and Resene Double Friar Greystone (arch), or Resene Half Gauntlet (main colour) and Resene Quarter Ironsand (arch), or Resene Eighth Stonehenge (main colour) and Resene Double Stonehenge (arch).
February 2015
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Q. I am looking for a colour swatch for coral pink tones. A. Everyone sees 'coral pink' in a slightly different way - perhaps the following colours might appeal to you – Resene Sakura, Resene Sweet Spot, Resene Cavern Pink, Resene Cheeky or Resene Adore.
February 2015
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Q. I am trying to find a nice creamy peach colour to decorate a nursery. I like Resene Sandy Beach but I find that the colour is too bright, almost fluorescent in the room. Could you please recommend a softer option? Perhaps more of a duller cream with a hint of peach? A. Resene Sandy Beach has a clear brightness achieved by a combination of bright yellow and orange tinters - it can only get brighter not lighter or softer. Perhaps you could look at these colours as they utilise ochre yellow (creamier yellow) which may soften the peach tone – Resene Oasis, Resene Barley White, Resene Sazerac or Resene Anglaise. All colours seen in an interior have the distinct potential to double in depth and/or brightness when all four walls are painted. It is a case of less is more.
February 2015
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Q. Could you suggest an exterior paint colour to go with Palladium Silver joinery and a Sandstone Grey roof. It is a two storey home, fibre cement clad top storey with a block basement. The LRV needs to be 40+. Looking at the neutral colour range. A. Most any grey based neutral will work with your joinery. You might look at these colours to see if they appeal to you – Resene Mountain Mist, Resene Half Tapa or Resene Quarter Stonehenge.
February 2015
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Q. My house exterior is Summerhill Stone painted Resene Quarter Tea with white wooden sash windows, with white COLORSTEEL® spouting. The roof is corrugated iron. What colour would you suggest for it? I was thinking towards a contrasting darker colour, such as Resene Lignite. Resene CoolColour™ option sounds good! The house was built in 1959 and the roof is still in very good order. A. You definitely could use Resene Lignite but before you make up your mind there are two other colours that you might check out also – Resene Touchstone - earthy but not as brown/brown or Resene Groundbreaker - earthy but softer looking than Resene Lignite. If you can pop into your nearest Resene ColorShop to view the A4 samples of these colours in their Colour Library it may help you make your decision.
February 2015
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Q. Just having a problem deciding on a kitchen splashback colour. We are going with Resene Half Truffle on the walls, the pantry door is to be Resene Triple Truffle, the ceiling is to be Resene Double Alabaster, benches flecked white and cabinets are warm white. What colour should we choose for a glass splashback? Thinking Resene Half Stonehenge. A. If you want a colour that looks nice with all of your colours but is its own distinctive hue then it may pay you to have full strength Resene Stonehenge. It may seem deep compared to the wall colour - Resene Half Truffle but it is a better co-ordinate and doesn't look like a bad match (very similar but a bit off) to the Resene Triple Truffle - your kitchen cabinet colour. A word to the wise - there are two types of glass used for splashbacks - only one makes the colour behind it look absolutely true to reality - this is low iron oxide crystal clear glass - the other one is standard float glass which alters the colour a lot and makes it seem deeper or slightly greener.
February 2015
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Q. If we paint our weatherboard house Resene Quarter Stonehenge, what colour windows and trimmings would you recommend to go with our green roof that is not in need of painting? A. Try Resene Black White (windows) and Resene Scoria (doors etc), or Resene Eighth Rice Cake (windows) and Resene Triple Stonehenge (doors etc).
February 2015
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Q. We are building a new home. It will have Kingston brick (Austral Stadium collection), Ebony COLORSTEEL® metal tile and Matt Sandstone grey joinery. The garage door is Sandstone Grey and the front door is Ebony. We are unsure whether to choose a darker LINEA® paint or a lighter colour. Do you have any colour suggestions? A. I think you have to decide whether you want the LINEA® to be a dominant factor on the house (dark) or a recessive (light) feature on the house. I doubt that you would use a dark colour related to the Ebony - but some people like that strong attention seeking black look. Your mid tone colour is the Sandstone Grey - windows and garage door - and you possibly might use a colour match to that - Resene Gauntlet - which would tie in the joinery and still have the bricks looking a little lighter. Or much lighter but somewhat related to this type of colour could be Resene Quarter Friar Greystone which may blend a little bit with the bricks. Take your time - paint large A2 card (available from your Resene ColorShop) with the ones I have mentioned so that you get a clearer idea of what the colours are really like.
February 2015
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Q. We have a 1995 yellow brick house with Karaka green roof, joinery and spouting and I want to change the yellowish gable colour. What would be a good match? A. A sympathetic colour is what you probably need - something that will work with both the roof and the bricks. Try Resene Quarter Villa White, Resene Quarter Spanish White or Resene Quarter Wheatfield. They are lighter in colour than the bricks - this makes the bricks seem like they are more coloured - and they lift the gables so that they don't appear to be heavy (pushing down) and create quite a different look to the house.
February 2015
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Q. I am building a new house and have a white kitchen with a grey quartz benchtop and dark hardwood floors and I am struggling to choose a colour for the walls. I want something clean with a touch of warmth. I've tried Resene White Pointer but it feels too cool. A. These colours may be worth testing to see if they appeal to you - they are warmer than Resene White Pointer – Resene Merino, Resene Eighth Bison Hide or Resene Eighth Truffle.
February 2015
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Q. I have a 1960s weatherboard house in Resene Orchid White with greyed green aluminium windows - looks like Resene Mantle but a bit duller. The fence is dark brown and freshly stained. I need a colour for the windows and the gables, and another for the roof that matches the scheme. I am looking at Lignite for the roof and but need to find a colour to give the whole theme a zing and make friends with the brown fence. I am thinking maybe Resene Cobblestone for the windows and gables, and Lignite for the roof but am not sure. Can you suggest a green grey that will like the fence and the aluminium windows? I am looking for a fresh classic look. A. I rather suspect that the green aluminium windows may be COLORSTEEL® Rivergum as it has been around about 30+ years. It may have faded/oxidised a lot over the years but if you wet wipe a bit of it you will see the original colour before the wet dries back to the aged colour. If this is the case then Resene Rivergum is the match colour. I suggest you look at COLORSTEEL® Ironsand for the roof as it will work with all other browns and greens without desperately trying to do the 'matchy match' thing. Leave the fences to be the 'browner' element. Resene Cobblestone is a lovely yellow/stone green but you might also look at these colours - if you don't use Rivergum – Resene Port Phillip, Resene Gondwana or a browner/earthier colour to relate to the roof colour Resene Groundbreaker.
February 2015
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Q. Which pop colour will suit on Resene Morning Glory? A. Try Resene Such Fun, Resene Scrumptious, Resene Ayers Rock or Resene Curiosity. They will definitely 'pop' and create an exciting colour scheme.
February 2015
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Q. Can you please tell which curtain material you would recommend to go with Resene Half Truffle on our walls? I would like the curtains to blend - i.e same colour and tone - with wall as far possible. None of the curtain fabrics are an exact match but these ones are really nice with your wall colour – Resene Curtain Collection Meander – Stone, Haven – Naturalle, Frequency – Naturalle or Harmony – Naturalle. Sometimes if windows are tinted with a UV treatment, double glazed with sunscreen roller blinds etc and the house has central heating or heat pumps I like using a double layer of the voile instead of heavy drapes - it is light, filmy, semi-translucent and airy - it can be luscious.
February 2015
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Q. We are building a new house in LINEA® and painted brick and are looking to achieve a rustic West Coast look. We are thinking COLORSTEEL® Ironsand for the roof, some sort of grey/silver aluminium joinery and painting the roof trim the same colour, with an exterior colour of Resene Truffle or Resene Sandspit Brown. A. I like the colours that you are considering but perhaps check these ones out to compare them so you are happy in your choices – Roof – COLORSTEEL® Thunder Grey, windows – COLORSTEEL® Sandstone Grey and house – Resene Eighth Friar Greystone or much deeper Resene Half Friar Greystone . A word to the wise - Resene Sandspit Brown is lighter/warmer/browner/yellower than Resene Truffle which is a grey/beige. Truffle looks great with much lighter windows and an Ironsand roof but Resene Sandspit Brown looks better with (much lighter) Warm White windows as it is a warmer /sweeter look but still looks OK with an Ironsand roof.
February 2015
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Q. My roof and windows are Ironsand, the exterior house colour is Resene Half Stonehenge and the decks medium brown. I am looking at a black colour for the baseboards but am confused whether I should be going with a neutral black, brown or green black. A. It all depends what colours you really like - Resene Bokara Grey is warm and relates well to the roof and main colour on the house. Alternatively you might check out Resene Triple Dune which isn't as black as Resene Bokara Grey but still looks really good although it has more olive/yellow in it. If you do decide on real black - Resene Black - it may look harder and not as well related to the other colours.
February 2015
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Q. What would be a good colour to paint my kitchen wall and above the cupboards? It’s a character house with a white ceiling and cabinets in a colour that looks like Resene Bulgarian Rose and the rest of the walls and doors are in rimu. I like Resene Manuka Honey which we have on a couple of the lounge walls and it really brings out the colour of the rimu but the kitchen is quite dark so it probably needs something lighter. A. I am inclined to agree with you - similar but lighter to Resene Manuka Honey - this would enhance the rimu, brighten a dim room and tie in the other rooms nicely. Try Resene Splash, Resene Popcorn, Resene Sidecar or Resene Dutch White.
February 2015
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Q. We have painted our 70s Fibrolite house in Resene Linen and are having trouble matching a darker colour for the trim. With white windows we want a darker match on the barge board, the door step/front door and the poles of carport. We have bought Resene Double Lemon Grass for this but in certain lights it either looks the same as the house colour or not even the right match at all at other times. More blue grey than green. Can you suggest some colour choices for us that tone in with our Resene Linen? A. You may need a deeper colour with a similar amount of yellow/green (as Resene Linen) but with an undertone of grey or brown in it so that it is seen as a definite contrast to the Resene Linen. In the bright natural light on an exterior all colours appear lighter/brighter. Some colours that should look deeper don't show as different - sometimes they are too closely related - but mostly it is light that robs the depth away from the colour. You are right – Resene Double Lemon Grass is a slightly bluer type of green. You might try these deeper colours – Resene Quarter Evolution, Resene Half Cobblestone or Resene Quarter Gravel.
February 2015
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Q. I am painting my feature wall Resene Triple Sea Fog and I looking to paint my other walls a warm white, I wondered if you had any suggestions? The room is north-west facing, so doesn't get a huge amount of light. A. You might check out these warm whites to see if they appeal to you - they may look warmer in the later afternoon as the west facing light is yellow/orange and 'warms' all colours – Resene Eighth Rice Cake, Resene Half Sea Fog or Resene Double Alabaster.
February 2015
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Q. I am looking for the perfect neutral grey for an interior paint on a new build, probably for the whole house so we can colour it up with our furnishings and fabrics etc. Ideally it will have a hint of blue/green in it. In the past I have beige/greige and I definitely want grey this time. I think I have settled on Resene Half Periglacial Blue. Is it a colour that can be ‘coloured up’ in different ways? From aqua in the living area to purple in the kids bedroom... if so, what is the perfect white for trims/skirting and ceiling? The windows will also be white (aluminium joinery). A. Resene Half Periglacial Blue is a definite pale blue/green and isn't as neutral (grey toned) as Resene Half Duck Egg Blue or Resene Quarter Surrender. In an east facing (early morning) room it may look quite a bit greener. It looks great with Resene Quarter Wan White or Resene Alabaster as a 'white' - it makes the colour look so 'duck egg' and pretty. In regard using 'feature' colours with it I think as long as they are delicate muted colours (nothing too bold, bright or clear) it would be lovely. You may find it 'controls' what colours you can use and how they are seen.
February 2015
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Q. What colour should I paint my front door? The walls have recently been painted with Resene Lumbersider Caraway. A. It is not just the main house colour you have to consider - it is the green frames on windows and door and the terracotta on the guttering and roof - so you don't have a lot of choices available to you because of that. You might look at a deeper green as a friend to the window and door frames like Resene Tiki Tour or a teal blue that has a definite element of green in it - Resene City Limits. An alternative is Resene Twizel which may link in the guttering etc.
February 2015
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Q. We are building a new house with a minimal design emphasis. The living areas and kitchen have glass walls overlooking courtyards. We are using Travertine classic light vein cut for floors inside and outside the building. The idea is to use Resene Eighth Blanc on all interior walls and ceilings. The question is whether that paint choice sits well with travertine. A. As long as you really like Resene Eighth Blanc and like the cool mushroom pink undertone it is your choice. Using it on both walls and ceilings may double the strength of the colour also. But it might not be mine or for that matter anyone else’s but we are all different so in order for you to be absolutely happy with your choice please check out a few other options. This helps you identify by comparison what colours really look like. Please check out - Resene Quarter Albescent White and Resene Quarter Merino. Testing colours in your home also is really wise - testpots are your best friends - and I always recommend that you paint the all of the testpot onto large A2 white card leaving an unpainted border all around the edges. This helps you see enough to judge colour, the unpainted border helps you focus on it and keeps the colour away from existing wall colour (even unpainted plasterboard is a colour) which has a detrimental influence over how you see the colour plus you can move it from wall to wall/room to room to see how changes of angle and light alter what the colour looks like. Colour is strongly influenced by other colours seen close to it so if you are having carpet it pays to look at the wall colour samples with carpet samples to see what looks best overall.
February 2015
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Q. I am renovating my kitchen and am after some suggestions for wall and splashback colours. My kitchen cabinets are PolytecAmaro (off white, very slight grey tinge), the benchtops are steel grey granite and the floor is dark oak wood look porcelain tile planks with stainless steel appliances. The kitchen faces east so gets quite a bit of sun in the morning but less in the afternoon. I’m after a wall colour that just ties all the other colours together and some contrast in the splashback colour. A. Try these colour options - Walls - Resene Half Titania with splashback – Resene Delta, or walls – Resene Double Sea Fog with splashback – Resene Meridian, or walls Resene Quarter Silver Chalice with splashback Resene Madam M.
February 2015
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Q. I have a clinker brick clad house. I can't afford to pull the cladding off at moment but would like some ideas on colours. I am thinking of replacing the roof in a charcoal grey. What colour do you suggest for the outside window surrounds and sills and the base. Currently they are bright white which definitely clash with the clinker brick cladding. Would a softer white be better? A. A softer off white may look better. You might look at these colours to see if the appeal to you – Resene Merino, Resene Barely There or Resene Double Sea Fog. If you are replacing the roof (with COLORSTEEL®) you might look at these roof colours – Ternstyle or Thunder Grey. They have a warm undertone that might look good with the clinker brick and the off white windows.
February 2015
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Q. We have an east facing lounge that we are redecorating. My husband likes Resene Concrete but I feel it is too cold. Is there such a thing as a 'warm grey'? If so could you recommend a colour. I quite like the creams – e.g. Resene Thorndon Cream. Is there a colour where we can find some kind of middle ground to suit both tastes? We are also thinking of using the same colour in a darker shade in the dining area. A. Yes there are warm greys - they usually have a yellow or brown undertone. You might look at these colours - Resene Quarter Foggy Grey, Resene White Pointer or Resene Triple Sea Fog. Please note - they can look a little green in an east facing room first thing in the morning so you need to check them out very carefully to see if they suit the room, the light within the room and the definite colours in the furniture and flooring. The same colour used in the dining room (because it gets natural light from a different aspect) may appear slightly browner. It is really important that you test colour in the space you want to use it in - but not on the walls as they are a colour (even old plasterboard is a colour) so I recommend that you use the testpot - all of it/two coats - on large A2 card (available from your Resene ColorShop). If you leave an unpainted white border all around the edges it helps you see the reality of the colour and you can move it from wall to wall to see how it changes on different angles and in different qualities of light.
February 2015
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Q. We are painting the exterior of a Federation weatherboard house in Resene Triple Black White with Resene Quarter Alabaster on the windows and trim. We're looking for a complementary darker colour for the barge boards and guttering - have tested Resene Foundry but am not convinced. Can you please suggest a colour that will give the house a classic look - perhaps the same tone as Resene Triple Black White but four to six times the strength? The roof is COLORBOND® Dune, so the guttering has to work with that. A. Because the roof colour is so light if you want the barge boards and guttering to be similar or related you might like to check out these colours – Resene Half Sandstone or a little deeper – Resene Sandstone or slightly greyer – Resene Stonehenge. But if you want something different like Foundry and not related at all to either the main house colour or the roof but deep and neutral enough that they may add a bit of contrast then you might look at these colours – Resene Half Gravel or Resene Quarter Fuscous Grey.
February 2015
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Q. We are building a board and batten shed with accommodation. The roof, windows and garage doors are Sandstone Grey. The cladding is preprimed rough sawn Shadowclad®. The roof pitch is 35 degrees with a lean to on one side. What colours would you suggest would go with Sandstone Grey? We were thinking of using a semi-gloss to make it easier to wash. A. There are several colours that would work really well with the Sandstone Grey powdercoat roof and joinery - Resene Triple Merino, Resene Double White Pointer, Resene Double Truffle or Resene Half Foggy Grey. If you do want a slightly shinier paint surface for ease of cleaning then you might look at using Resene Sonyx 101 semi-gloss.
February 2015
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Q. I was wondering if you might be able to suggest a darkish blue colour that would work with Resene Curiosity (walls are in Resene Curiosity, the blue will be for the wardrobe doors). A. Resene Curiosity is such a fresh yellow green it can work well with several different types of darkish blues. You might like to check these colours out to see which one appeals to you – Resene True Blue, Resene Into The Blue, Resene Bellbottom Blue, Resene St Kilda or Resene Submerge.
February 2015
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Q. We are building a beach house with a high pitched roof, pressed steel (silver), wooden exterior. It’s right on the water and we want it to be in harmony. Was thinking of Resene Smokey Ash but don't know if that would be too harsh. Should I stick to white? A. If you plan to stain the exterior I can think of nothing nicer than Resene Smokey Ash. If you do find the idea of white for an exterior close to the sea appealing have you thought of these options – stain – Resene Woodsman Whitewash - a soft weathered off white look that isn't too stark and glaring or paint - Resene Wan White - a soft cool white colour that is misty instead of optically bright.
February 2015
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Q. I am painting my walls Resene Double Blanc and would like some ideas on what to paint the architraves etc. A. If the woodwork in the house is modest, minimal and not all together worthwhile enhancing then you could paint it to absolutely match the walls but in a semi-gloss enamel for a tough hardwearing easily cleaned surface. If you want the walls to look a lot deeper and would prefer a light colour for the woodwork you could match it to the ceiling colour which is often a white - but unlike the matt acrylic of the ceiling you would use a semi-gloss enamel for a tough hardwearing paint finish. If you were unsure about using a cool or stark true white (on the ceiling and the woodwork) then you might look at a sweet warm lighter version of the wall colour - Resene Half Blanc - for a softer transition between walls and other elements.
February 2015
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Q. We are building and have chosen off white aluminium joinery. We intend to paint the window surrounds and trim Resene Spanish White (as it's essentially a match), but I am concerned that it looks too yellowy (rather than cream or white). Can you please suggest some colours for the walls that would reduce the yellow tone? I prefer light blues/greys/greens and neutrals. We are also intending to paint the exterior in a mid-light grey. Any suggestions for that would be great. A. For a cream or white look you could use a much lighter version of Resene Spanish White - Resene Quarter Spanish White - so there is less yellow. Alternatively - a neutral that might work is Resene Half Tea, grey/greens like Resene Ash and blue/greys like Resene Duck Egg Blue may be nice. For the exterior - because of the very definite off white aluminium joinery you may need more depth in the grey in order to force your eye to see the window joinery as a lighter colour – try Resene Stack, Resene Half Taupe Grey or Resene Revolution.
February 2015
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Q. We are putting in dark grey carpet and thought we would use Resene Half Spanish White for the walls. What colour should we paint the windowsills? A. You could do all the windows and any other woodwork in a semi-gloss enamel version of the wall colour. Or alternatively you could use a lighter version - perhaps Resene Quarter Spanish White or Resene Eighth Spanish White.
February 2015
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Q. I need to repaint a bedroom which is very light with lots of windows but it also has a timber floor and timber louvres and shutters. I was thinking white but I don’t want to feel like I am in a science laboratory. A. You could check these whites out - they have a slight warmth and are not at all stark – Resene Half Bianca, Resene Quarter Rice Cake or Resene Quarter Thorndon Cream. You do need to see how they look in the room - testpots are your best friend in this regard - watch how the colour alters at different times of the day with natural and artificial light.
February 2015
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Q. We are having the exterior of our house repainted. The roof is COLORSTEEL® Karaka. I am drawn to the wedgewood blues/greens that seem to be in fashion at the moment but wonder how the roof colour would look with those colours? A. Karaka is a deep sludgy olive toned green. It might not be a first choice to pair it up with a wedgewood blue/green as these hues don't like each other. The blue tones tend to make the Karaka look less olive and more yellow/swampy brown. But these colours may be worth considering – Resene Emerge, Resene Half Innocence or Resene Half Robin Egg Blue. Or alternatively you might look at these colours that adore Karaka – Resene Secrets or Resene Double Thorndon Cream.
February 2015
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Q. We are planning for our new house and have chosen our tile colour which is porcelain ivory polish and now we are looking for a wall and ceiling colour for good combination. A. You could check out these colour options – Resene Rice Cake (walls) and Resene Eighth Rice Cake (ceiling), or Resene Quarter Thorndon Cream (walls) and Resene Quarter Black White (ceiling).
February 2015
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Q. I'm looking for a mellow slightly olive green colour to go on weatherboards of a small and simple, single storey, gabled roof house I'm building in the country. I am trying to create the feel of an old French provincial farmhouse type of look, with black accents in wrought iron, carriage lamps etc on exterior. I am planning on a dark roof, probably Ebony with joinery in a matt soft white. I am trying to get just enough depth in colour to contrast with joinery so it doesn't just look washed out. I’d like to try and make it look like it's old and always been there and will blend in with the countryside. I am looking at Resene Lemon Grass, Resene Half Lemon Grass, Resene Tana or Resene Double Tana. A. Resene Lemon Grass isn’t as slightly olive as Resene Tana is if you compare them. You might look at these colours also – Resene Linen, Resene Double Linen, Resene Thistle or Resene Kangaroo.
February 2015
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Q. We are currently renovating our 1950s red brick property. We have painted the interior shades of Resene Grey Olive and Resene Linen which tie in nicely with the polished wooden floors and rimu architrave etc. Now it is the turn for the outside. We'd love some suggestions for the window trims, the foundations, fascia boards etc. We will keep the red bricks as they are and the roof is staying as concrete tile. A. Try Resene Half Hillary, Resene Double Ash, Resene Quarter Evolution, Resene Foggy Grey, Resene Triple Thorndon Cream or Resene Triple Merino.
February 2015
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Q. We are about to replace our aluminium window frames and front door and I am wondering what colours will best suit our brick colour, orange/terracotta with dark charcoal mortar. I am not sure whether to go light or dark so that the windows blend in nicely and don't pop out like white frames would. Once I have matched this correctly then I would like to paint out the pale green wood and white concrete/roughcast. A. You need to think this through carefully:
You need to get your hands on real metal powder coated samples because you are less likely to misjudge the reality of the actual colour than if you are relying on a colour brochure. The best colour is the one that you can find a lot of colours to go with it for the green wooden areas and the rough cast and it looks smart and adds a lot of appeal to the coloured bricks on the house.
February 2015
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Q. I am trying to choose a render colour for part of the roof/fascia of my house. It has red bricks with COLORBOND® Windspray roof and windows. The gutters and fascia are Deep Ocean. The roof is a skillion, angled, creating a triangle section that faces the street. Can you suggest what render colour I can put in here? I am torn between a blueish/grey or cream. A. Between the red bricks, the Windspray and the Deep Ocean you have three random colours already. In order to find a render colour that works with the colours - without adding another unrelated colour to the house perhaps you might look at using more of the COLORBOND® Windspray type of colour using Resene Lattitude or a lighter version of the fascia colour COLORBOND® Deep Ocean using Resene San Juan.
February 2015
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Q. I have an old Lockwood and want to paint the inside to lighten it up. The outside is painted in Resene Quarter, Half and full Stack. My choice is Resene Black White. However I am concerned whether it will be light enough and not too cold. A. You may find Resene Black White a little stark and cool especially after the glow of the polyurethaned Lockwood timber walls. Perhaps you could look at Resene Sea Fog or Resene Half Merino as they are similar but warmer.
February 2015
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Q. I have an 80s era cream brick house with brown aluminium joinery and some areas of vertical cladding. To make it even more tricky I have a large double garage close to the house the same but with mid grey aluminium. A colour consultant suggested all paintable areas including roof be painted in Resene Bokara Grey. What are your thoughts for a nice colour scheme? I don’t mind subtle, dramatic or somewhere in between. A. Seeing as you have a large garage close to the house that is a mid grey is there any way you can find out what the garage colour actually is and use it for the garage doors on the house to tie both buildings together? Just a thought - otherwise the garage will always be 'Cinderella before she was invited to the ball'. Are you are after a really dark colour to highlight the lighter coloured bricks? I have to presume that you have already tested Resene Bokara Grey CC N28-005-068 and decided you don't like it. Here are some colours you might like to try: Resene Windswept (roof) and lighter on the house – Resene Atmosphere, or Resene Squall (roof) and lighter on the house – Resene Half Tapa. Your front entry door - have you considered a bold exciting colour? It could lift the house and add a bit of gorgeousness to the frontage – you could try Resene Ayers Rock, Resene Into The Blue or Resene Madam M. All the other doors could be painted to match the house colour but in a gloss enamel so they are there but not vying for attention. Only the front entry door deserves to be 'special'.
February 2015
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Q. We are trying to choose colours for our large multi-storied house which has 1970 rusticated weatherboards. Our painter has advised not to go under 75% LRV so we have chosen Resene Half Thorndon Cream for the weatherboards with white for the window frames. We want a dark grey for the iron roof and are thinking Resene Bokara Grey or Resene Foundry. We also have a large block wall out the front which is the street view. What do you suggest for the block wall? Do we go Resene Triple Thorndon Cream or a lighter grey? The house goes four levels with the bottom in the bush. A. Your painter is very wise in regard the lighter colours - good colours fall into the grading 45 LRV% - 100 LRV %. I suggest a slightly deeper version for the main colour on the house - Resene Thorndon Cream - as all exterior colours look a lot lighter in the bright natural light and you need to see it looking more coloured so it doesn't look whiter than it actually is. You might check out these roof colours also – Resene Element, Resene Grey Friars or Resene Squall. These colours work really well with the Resene Thorndon Cream. You could use Resene Triple Thorndon Cream for the block wall but it might be worth considering these alternate options – Resene Half Tapa or Resene Taupe Grey.
February 2015
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Q. We are building a house and are trying to decide on an external colour and one main internal colour. We want white for both, but are unsure which white/s will work best. Outside, we have charcoal roofing and Ironsand doors and white window frames. We want a white that is definitely white (not cream or grey), but not so white that it looks too stark against the roof and doors. Inside, we are painting the same colour throughout, so need a white that will work in any area. Most of the house is very light with big north-facing windows, but there are some darker rooms. We have a mixture of wood in our furniture and the main colours are teal, duck egg blue, yellow and lemongrass, as well as lots of off white, white and cream. A. For the exterior these whites might be considered as they work really well with Titania which is a far more coloured white than you would imagine – Resene Eighth Ash - a nice light white with a hint of the Titania colour in it, Resene Half Titania - a slightly lighter version of the window joinery colour, Resene Bone White - a slightly deeper version of the window joinery colour, Resene Atmosphere - a grey/white that looks good with the window joinery or Resene Delta - slightly deeper grey that looks good with the window joinery. If you were wanting a whiter exterior colour you might be in danger of the windows looking a lot deeper in colour. If you can get a real metal powdercoat sample and place it on a sheet of printer paper you would see what I mean. Yes I do know that you said no grey for the exterior 'white' but the window joinery says 'pay attention to me!' and seeing as it is a grey/green/yellow colour it controls your options. For the interior it definitely would pay to check out any colour possibilities against the wooden flooring and carpet etc as it may surprise you how much it will influence your options.
February 2015
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Q. I have painters coming in to do my whole home - but I am limited to three colours including the ceiling. Can you give me some ideas please? I love bold colour but am not sure if I can handle one colour throughout the whole house. I want to create a look that is a mix between industrial and olde world. The bathroom will have a ROXX Urban tiled shower (close to Resene Rakaia). I have a yellowy/cream marbled vessel basin resting on recycled timber and a claw foot bath painted Resene Gravel. The bathroom and bedrooms have floorboards that I am thinking of whitewashing. The kitchen/lounge/dining area will have ROXX Riverstone 600mm x 600mm tiles. The downstairs area has polished cement floors. The joinery is all brushed stainless. The ceiling is raked so the back half of the house (bedrooms, bathroom, library) has a very high stud of 3 metres+. A. Firstly - always colour the ceiling - even a little bit - because it gives you back your third colour instead of using a real white which reduces you to two colours. Then you can elect to use it as a main colour in another room with one of the other colours as a feature wall and in all bathrooms where tiles etc have definite coloured influences. For the timber floor - you may need to do the whitewashing yourself if the painters aren't up with this procedure - it isn't hard. You don't indicate what colour the kitchen cabinets and benchtop are - white for cabinets will add 'another' colour into the overall look to the house as will the bench top. The window joinery also is a colour that will be seen inside the house. I love that you have used Resene Gravel on the underside of the clawfoot bath. I love your Roxx urban tiled shower and Roxx Riverstone tiles. Bold colours for you in this particular instance will have to be all of the other elements in the house - drapes, cushions, rugs, duvets, artwork, china, glassware and other 'special' things. So you see you can have absolutely what you want - you just need to adjust your mindset in regard where the colours will be. You could try: Resene Sea Fog - your new 'white', Resene Truffle, Resene Quarter Gravel, or Resene Half Rice Cake ‘your new white’, Resene Half Ash or Resene Half Tapa.
February 2015
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Q. Can you please recommend some darker contrast colours to go with Resene Quarter Malta? This would be for the external render of a new house. A. It also needs to be decided in relationship with the roof and joinery colour. You could try Resene Double Malta, Resene Quarter Oilskin or Resene Quarter Mondo. Also a lot of plaster renders require colours that are not too dark - have you discussed this with the builder? They might be able to let you know what the plaster manufacturer’s recommendations are in this regard.
February 2015
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Q. We have a Hinuera stone farm house, with a Karaka green roof. What colour would you suggest painting some external wooden cladding? A. I doubt that the Hinuera stone or the Karaka roof would stop you having certain colours on the cladding so it may be a case of 'what do you like?' Perhaps look at earthy yellow based browns or mid stone/green tones like the following to see if you find them appealing – Resene Double Fossil, Resene Craigieburn, Double Ash or Resene Double Arrowtown.
February 2015
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Q. We have a new kitchen with white units, black granite benchtop and we’re planning Resene Renew walls. In the adjacent dining room we will repaint but we still like Resene Cape Honey from 20 years ago. Will it go with Resene Renew? Or can you recommend another warm yellow tone? A. I think your dining room colour is lovely but just to 'freshen' it up a bit (if that is what you are wanting to do) to go with Resene Renew you might look at using one of these colours - they will still look delicious but they are a bit lighter – Resene Barley White, Resene Double Dutch White, Resene Melting Moment or Resene Oscar.
February 2015
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Q. We are painting a nursery for a boy. I’m thinking a light blue that is white based or light mint green. Our carpet is green however, and the room is very sunny. Can you suggest some colours to try? All blues I have tried are quite cold. A. Light blues that are white based are cold. Bright or mid toned blue and blue/greens are warmer. Unless the mint green was very sympathetic to the colour of the carpet it might not look good. You don't say what colours you have tested but you might look at these colours to see if they will work in the room and appeal to you – Resene Escape, Resene Comfort Zone or Resene Frozen. Sometimes if a blue appears too cool it is worthwhile considering using it as an accent in the room (rather than a main colour) with a neutral and warm it up with accessories, duvet etc.
February 2015
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Q. I am looking for a nice colour to paint my lounge room. The room can be quite dark so needs something light/bright/warm. My partner favours Resene Spanish White but I don't want anything too dirty or yellow looking, especially as the window and door frames are all white. Ideally, the colour would also not clash with Resene Tea and Resene Robin Egg Blue which we have used elsewhere in the house, but this is not so important. Do you have any suggestions? I heard about a colour called Resene Thorndon Cream which has a green undertone, might this be suitable? A. Resene Thorndon Cream is very nice and yes it does have a greenish tone. It is certainly worth testing it to see if it likes the room. Under some types of natural light it can look a little stony so I suggest you test some other colours at the same time to see how they compare - perhaps try Resene Merino which may be a little warmer and you might also try a lighter version of the Resene Tea that you have used elsewhere in the house - Resene Quarter Tea.
February 2015
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Q. I am having trouble deciding what colour I should have for my splashback. I have an Ice Snow polished bench top with black with splashes of white leathered finish square island top with Resene Half Wheatfield on the walls. I was thinking a silver type splashback. A. There are several metallic silvery colours that could look really good as a splashback – try Resene Pure Pewter, Resene Meridian or Resene Silver Streak. A word to the wise - standard float glass used as a splash back makes the colours look dirty and a little bit green - the only glass I recommend if you want to see the colour true to reality is low iron oxide crystal clear glass.
February 2015
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Q. We are looking at painting the bedrooms in the west, south and east Resene Rockbottom, as we have brown carpet, but would like a touch of grey/brown added to walls. A. I think that Resene Rockbottom is much more than a touch of grey/brown. It is quite a definite mid tone colour which may look twice as deep a colour in an interior. Most colours do look stronger than you might imagine. I suggest using a lighter colour - perhaps you might check out these ones – Resene Half Stonehenge, Resene Half Truffle, Resene Half Cougar or Resene Drought.
February 2015
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Q. I am looking for a colour that is the colour of driftwood. The rest of the rooms are blue with white trim and I want the entry foyer to be driftwood. Not too brown, and not too grey but a bit of both. Do you have any suggestions for me? The trim will be white, with a white dado rail and panelling. Also if you could recommend a wedgewood blue colour for me that would be terrific. A. You might look at these types of colours to see if they are the 'driftwood' colour you want – Resene Parchment, Resene Half Bison Hide or Resene Half Truffle. Every person has a different idea of what wedgewood blue is really like so you might check these out – Resene Rock Blue, Resene Smokescreen or Resene Waikawa Grey. And just to make life interesting we also have a blue that is called Resene Wedgewood.
February 2015
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Q. We plan to paint the interior walls of our house either Resene Quarter Thorndon Cream or Resene Merino. We have a mid-brown carpet. What paint colour would you recommend for the trims, doors and ceilings? A. If you want to enhance the wall colour and make it seem a little more 'coloured' then you might use a very much lighter 'white' like Resene Half Alabaster. But if you want the woodwork and ceilings to merge into the wall colour then you could use the lightest variant of the wall colour – e.g. Resene Quarter Merino or Resene Eighth Thorndon Cream.
February 2015
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Q. I'm renovating my kitchen and plan to paint it Resene White Rock, with white cabinets and natural wood floors. What would be a good contrast colour for the splashback? We can match any Resene colour and would like something bright. A. Resene White Rock can look really sharp and bright in its green/yellow tone so what about using a colour that is slightly less bright as a contrast? The sort of colours I am thinking of are still bold just not fluoro. Check these yummy colours out – Resene Confidante, Resene Windfall, Resene Intrepid, Resene Scrumptious or Resene Shiraz. A word to the wise - if you use the crystal clear low iron oxide glass for the splashback you will see the colour behind it absolutely true to reality. But if you use the standard float glass the green cast that the glass has will 'dirty up' and alter the reality of the colour - a lot.
February 2015
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Q. I have a medium sized villa lounge painted Resene Half Tea and we have a grey charcoal lounge suite. We are currently installing an open Jetmaster fire, so was wondering what colour you might suggest for the chimney breast? It will have a traditional rimu wood fire surround as well. I’m hoping to go for a dark grey nearly black feature wall on the chimney breast and will put a large ornate black and gold mirror above, so I really want the chimney to make a statement. A. Try these dark grey/nearly black colours as they all throw different colour tones – Resene Baltic Sea, Resene Double Foundry, Resene Double Cod Grey or Resene Nero.
February 2015
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Q. We are painting our 50s weatherboard house Resene Taupe Grey with Resene Albescent White windows, barge boards and Resene Gravel under the soffits. What is the best powdercoating match for the Resene Albescent White to get the gutters done? A. There isn't an exact match in powdercoating colours to match Resene Albescent White. Have you thought of just having white PVC gutters - that way you could paint them to match the windows?
February 2015
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Q. We are building a new house (and have never done it before) and just wondered where to start in choosing interior colours etc. Are you able to assist? A. There is a sequence that should be followed - it helps to start at the beginning. Paint colours are chosen after you have picked kitchen cabinets and benchtops, after flooring and tiles. This allows you to have lots of choices from the most limited and expensive elements that are in an interior of a house because there are 1000s of paint colours but only a few options of the aforementioned elements. If one does it the other way around you may end up having to have (this indicates no choice but desperate compromise) certain flooring, tiles, kitchen cabinets and work tops because nothing else is happy to work with the wall colour. Dreams and plans are good - and if you can collect samples of flooring, cabinet colours and benchtops it certainly helps you to see what it is that you favour. You may discard some samples after due thought and consideration. What remains is the nucleus (the heart) of the home that you are building. You may fall in love with certain fabrics and want them for drapes or blinds and need to work them into the dreams you have. There will be things that you aren't throwing away or replacing that you have already that will be a part of the new house. You need to consider these things - it may be sofas, other furniture, duvets, all kinds of precious things that are a part of your life that you will always have with you. These have to look good with the new things that you are choosing. Last of all you will choose colours for walls, ceilings and woodwork that look wonderful with all of the new things and all of the older existing things you have. If you are wise you will paint extremely large samples of many colours and place them with the elements you have chosen the best of and any other coloured thing that you want to have in different rooms. They must look good together, they must enhance each other. Colour is a chameleon and changes constantly - with light, with other colours seen close to it - so this bit may need altering or tweaking to suit the spaces - the same colour will be a completely different colour in different spaces, in different types of natural and artificial light. Resene testpots painted on A2 card will help you - it isn't a waste of time. A2 card is available from your Resene ColorShop. You need to see paint in reality - not in a chart or on the computer or in a magazine. Take your time. Be patient with yourself. If there are limitations in regard what you can have - or can't have - what money can be spent or how many paint colours you can have then you need to know that first rather than decide on something (lose your heart completely to it) then find out it is not ever going to be a possibility. February 2015
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Q. I am looking for a cool grey/blue light colour for the walls and ceiling of a very sunny bedroom. Would Resene Zircon have those tones? New curtains are being purchased, but I do like a white/gold colour Resene fabric colour. A. Resene Zircon is a cool grey/blue. It all rather depends on what curtains you plan to use - they will have a definite influence on how you see the very pale grey/blue. Too much of a warm tone in the fabric will make the wall colour look greyer not bluer. Once you find the curtains you may find that you change your mind about the wall colour so I suggest you find them first and check out the colour and perhaps a couple of others to see if you still really like the colour and they look fabulous with the curtain fabric, carpet and bed linen. Other colours to try – Resene Mystic or Resene Catskill White.
February 2015
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Q. I have two accent walls in separate areas and need a neutral colour to go between them - teal and Resene Condor. The rooms are very bright and all the neutral colours I have tried are hardly visible on the wall. A. If you have very bright rooms (lucky for you) and the colours that you have tried are hardly visible it means that the colours may need a little dirty or greyed edge to them so you can see them without the brightness making them appear too light. Perhaps you might try these ones – Resene Merino, Resene Half White Pointer or Resene Eighth Bison Hide. It is really important that when you test colours that you apply the testpot (all of it/2 coats) onto large A2 card (available from your Resene ColorShop) leaving an unpainted border all around the edges. This helps you:
If you roll the card (colour inner most) into a cone and look into it you see the colour deeper as if a whole room is painted in the colour.
February 2015
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Q. When I had kitchen doors repainted in Resene Double Milk White and walls painted in Resene Half Milk White the kitchen doors actually looked lighter than the walls. I was told they used correct Resene formula. Now I want to paint an apartment Resene Alabaster (going lighter because it is a darker apartment). I want the kitchen doors to have a slight contrast but want to keep to the whites. What colour do you suggest I use for the kitchen? Should I use a white ceiling paint for the ceiling to lift the height of the low ceiling? How would white ceiling paint look against Resene Alabaster walls? A. Any woodwork or cabinetry will be painted in a different sheen level/different type of paint system to the wall paint. This will always alter the look and reflectivity of colour. So yes it may have looked lighter/brighter than the walls. Sometimes if a colour has been made into the wrong paint or not using the correct brand of paint and tinters it can also not look right. I doubt that at most times of the day or night you would see a lot of difference between a ceiling in White and walls in Resene Alabaster - you might but you might not. It is all about the angle. Ceilings often look greyer - even when they are pure White - than a wall painted with exactly the same pure White because of the light falling away from the vertical surface - it makes shadow. If you want contrast - same colour but contrast - just use a different sheen level. Semi-gloss (or full gloss) for cabinets and any woodwork, low sheen for walls and matt for ceilings and forgive the subtle shading differences. It is hard to win on this - light controls how colour looks.
February 2015
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Q. Our new house has a Sandstone Grey roof, silver joinery and garage door. One third of the house is vertical LINEA® and two thirds horizontal LINEA®. I would like the horizontal painted a grey and the vertical a green/grey. I quite like Resene Armadillo, Resene Half Foundry or Resene Quarter Foundry. I don't want the dark grey to have any blue. Greens I like are Resene Finch or more subtle like Resene Double Lemon Grass, Resene Double Linen or Resene Sage. And other recommendations please as I have no idea whether the colours I like actually work together. A. You might look at these groups of colours to see if they appeal to you - Option 3 - Resene Finch looks great with Sandstone Grey and Resene Squall - this palette is a harder edged green and charcoal option. February 2015
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Q. Can you please help me with ideas for colours that would go well with a black cabinet door and white benchtop kitchen? The walls of the sunny side of the kitchen and the walls in the sitting/dining room (which is small but has lots of windows on two walls) need to be one colour as they are an open plan L shape. Then I would like the lounge that comes off those rooms in a darker but same tone colour and also the hall that leads to both the kitchen and lounge. I was thinking of warm greys. The carpet is a taupe colour and the floor in the kitchen is polished concrete. Also could I use a textured paint on the walls as the inside of our econo-barn from the late 80s is very boring and we want to try to make it have a done up barn from the old days feel inside? A. You can have warm greys - they will work with the black cabinets, white benchtops and polished concrete. You can use a textured paint to replicate aged concrete as long as you don't mind the surfaces (textured) being a bit difficult to wash down and keep clean. You might like to pop into your local Resene ColorShop to see a sample of Resene Sandtex to see if it is the right type of sandy textured paint for you. In the mean time you might look at these types of colours (lighter and deeper variants) for the living spaces - Resene Rakaia and Resene Triple Rakaia, or Resene Silver Sand and Resene Mountain Mist or Resene Pale Slate and Resene Suva Grey, or Resene Quarter Foggy Grey and Resene Foggy Grey.
February 2015
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Q. We are soon to repaint the exterior of our house. We have COLORSTEEL® spouting which is reasonably new and in good condition. It's colour is Permanent Green. We also have a conservatory which has brown joinery. Our house is on a split level and has a stucco finish with wooden joinery. We are looking for a colour for the stucco and then the windows that would bring the green of the spouting and the brown of the conservatory together. A. To bring both the Permanent Green and the dark bronze aluminium together is really all about using earthy muted colours to bridge the gap between these two colours. You might look at using a 'coloured' off white also for the windows also then they would be light but not starkly white. Try these colours: Resene Quarter Craigieburn with Resene Quarter Thorndon Cream or Resene Half Bison Hide with Resene Quarter Merino. If you used some more green (or similar but darker) for any trims, doors, painted fences or garden furniture you would increase the 'harmonising factor' to tie the palette of colours all together – try Resene Permanent Green or Resene Botanic.
February 2015
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Q. We are building a new house and I am trying to get ideas on interior colours. I want a white. The problem is there are so many whites. I want to steer away from the creamy colours and lean towards greyish tones. I don't want it to be too grey and cold but don’t want crisp white. What's a good in between colour? I want the frames and skirtings slightly darker than the walls, but do you do the ceiling lighter or darker than the walls? My kitchen colours are also going to be whites although I haven't got that far into even looking at what whites are available. At this stage I am going to take the colour all through the house. I am going to be different and have my doors Resene Ironsand... Or some Resene black. My joinery is Ironsand. A. Ideally you should be looking to find first the more expensive and limited of the options available to you to choose from for flooring, kitchen cabinets and work tops - so you have plenty of choices. If you leave those decisions to last - after the paint etc - your options (already small) may be severely limited so that you feel as though you didn't really have freedom of choice at all. I suggest you look at using this palette of colours - not stark, not too white or grey or cool – Resene Sea Fog (main colour), Resene Quarter Sea Fog (woodwork) and Resene Eighth Sea Fog (ceiling). Walls should be more coloured than the woodwork unless the woodwork is what you want people to notice - because it is so gorgeous. Ceilings are usually the lightest of the colours to help reflect light and to enhance the wall colours. If you have very dark doors they will suck up a lot of natural light and make some rooms look dark and will, because there are so many of them, break up the wall spaces into smaller blocks - it will make rooms seem smaller. Perhaps a little compromise may be needed? Have you considered just doing the wardrobe doors in the bedrooms in a dark colour as a feature instead of all doors or using a lighter variant of the window joinery colour - Resene Quarter Ironsand - for a softer look.
February 2015
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Q. We have painted the walls in our house Resene Bianca and the ceilings Resene Half Bianca. I would love to paint our formal lounge a navy. What would you recommend? Also we have polished concrete floors but I wish to get carpet in the lounge and bedrooms. I was thinking a grey but it’s so hard to find the right grey. Do you have any recommendations? Last question: I want to use a bright orange as a possible feature somewhere, maybe on a door or window trim. Could you recommend an orange that would look good with Resene Bianca or perhaps another bright colour to use as a feature? A. It is far easier to find a carpet that you love (your options are more limited and far more expensive than when choosing paint colours) if you pick up any/all samples that appeal to you and take them home to check them out in your light. Lay them partially over a white sheet - this helps you see exactly what type of grey they are and how deep or light or coloured the grey colour is - compared to white. The eye needs help to judge colour - comparing samples to each other and looking at how they alter in your light and when seen close to your furniture, other wall colours etc is a start. Then ask yourself which one do you like least (which colour changes too much/doesn't suit your other colours/furniture etc) and keep doing that and dispensing with the 'not right' ones until you have the last one which is the one you like the best. Then you can look to see which navy looks best with it. There are quite a few navy colours - some are blue/green, blue/grey, blue/purple, or blue/black. If you choose a colour for the walls and paint it and then go looking for a carpet you may end up with the one you like least of all, or the one that is the most expensive because it is the only one that looks good with the paint… this isn't making a choice, it is being compromised into a corner. Or alternatively you find one and get it put down without checking how it will look with everything else including the wall colours and it looks great but makes the paint colours look wrong. In regards the bright orange - door or window trim - will you mind if people say 'what is that about?' A feature colour of any sort needs to be used in an appropriate way so that it is an enhancement. If you love a colour so much you have to have it could you have it as accessories, a throw rug, cushions, duvets, art work? And if it is on the wall then make it a wall that doesn't have a role in life - the plain wall that doesn't have windows or doors on it - or a quirky wall that might be annoying because of its shape but you have dressed it with colour so it looks 'special'.
February 2015
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Q. I have just painted the outside of my house Resene Half Truffle and was wanting to have the garage door and fence in a darker colour. The aluminium joinery is white and the roof is light grey tiles. A. You might check these colours out to see if they appeal to you and are dark enough – Resene Triple Friar Greystone , Resene Half Gravel, Resene Groundbreaker or Resene Touchstone.
February 2015
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Q. We have moved into new commercial premises and have a dark grey/blue carpet with red and gold fleck. We painted some of the walls Resene Pearl Lusta and I'm looking for a darker contrast to go on the doors and cupboards. Any ideas? A. One of the nicest things about commercial premises is that you can use a little more colour than you might in your home. The following are colours that you might check out to see if you, and the other people who work with you, find appealing – Resene Red Letter, Resene New Denim Blue, Resene Beeswax or Resene Quarter Tuna.
February 2015
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Q. We are looking for a very pale grey interior colour, without getting a purple tinge. So far we have Resene Athens Grey which we like but it’s too dark for the halls. Can you suggest another option or two? We had Resene Alabaster on the wall and want to give it just a tinge of colour to offset the architraves. A. You might look at these pale greys to see if they appeal to you – Resene Concrete or lighter Resene Half Concrete, Resene Quarter Surrender or Resene Black White.
February 2015
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Q. Do you have the colours resembling the shades of face powder? How is this group of colours called? Powder colours? They are popular in clothes. A. As types of colours they probably fall into the nude/skin/flesh description. There are colours - quite a few because of yellow/pink/beige/brown skin colours - that you might check out – Resene Eighth Sisal, Resene Quarter Fossil, Resene Alpaca, Resene Quarter Joss, Resene Eighth Malta, Resene Quarter Drought or Resene Half Sandspit Brown.
February 2015
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Q. I have a fence painted in Resene Kilimanjaro. I am looking at painting the exterior of the house and have it look more modern. What colours work well with Resene Kilimanjaro? A. With a really rich dark fence colour a very pale contrast is considered modern so you might look at these colours – Resene Quarter Rakaia, Resene Double Black White or Resene Half Tea.
February 2015
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Q. I am building a house and would like your advice as to whether I have chosen the outside colours to give a lovely total look. The roof is Ironsand and the aluminium windows are Silver Pearl. For the Hebel I thought Resene Rakaia would look nice with LINEA® painted in Resene Half Fuscous Grey and Resene Alabaster or Resene Rice Cake for the soffit. A. Resene Rakaia has an almost purple undertone, the joinery - Silver Pearl - has a yellow/grey look, the roof - Ironsand - has an earthy brown/charcoal tone and Resene Rice Cake has a sharp almost green/yellow look and Resene Alabaster a cool/stark look and Resene Half Fuscous Grey has a warm (almost red) charcoal undertone. If you like them all and don't mind their differences then go ahead. But if you do want harmony and total balance you could try: Resene Silver Chalice instead of Resene Rakaia or Resene Quarter Ironsand instead of Resene Half Fuscous Grey. These colours look good with Resene Rice Cake, Ironsand and Silver Pearl.
February 2015
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Q. I like the colours Resene Silver Chalice and Resene Cod Grey together, but don't think it would go with my brown roof. Do you think Resene Grey Olive boards, Resene Nelson Red sills (too loud?) or Resene Aubergine sills, and Resene Bianca window trims would work? A. I like your idea of the Resene Grey Olive and Resene Bianca - they are lovely together but perhaps you might look at a slightly browner red for the sills. You might check out Resene Scoria or Resene Cab Sav.
February 2015
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Q. About 8 years ago we had a Resene colour expert choose colours for the interior of our house. We wish to change the feature colours used (a mid blue and a brown, can’t remember the names). We are keeping the main wall colour Resene Sea Fog. We are looking for some new options that work well without having to change the wall colour. Thinking a different blue, purple, deep red or crimson. A. You are lucky - almost any colours at all will work well with Resene Sea Fog. You might like to check these out to see if they appeal to you – Resene Into The Blue, Resene Pohutukawa or Resene Kudos.
February 2015
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Q. I am looking at lightening the colour of my house and painting the wood. I am looking at a white colour but there are so many. What would you recommend? I am also painting the wooden panelling at the rear of the house; would you paint this the same colour as the walls? A. Yes I probably would paint the wood, the wood panelling and the walls all the same colour - this is a simple elegant approach to redecorating. Doors, skirting boards, window frames and door frames would be in a semi-gloss enamel, the walls and the wood panelling would be a low sheen acrylic finish. The varnished surfaces would have to be prepped well, and a varnish sealer applied before topcoating. You might look at these 'whites' to see if they appeal to you – Resene Quarter White Pointer, Resene Wan White, Resene Sea Fog or Resene Double Alabaster.
February 2015
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Q. Our church is getting a new name and logo from a sister church. The nearest Resene colour is Resene Bilbao. I'm wondering what colour to paint the brick wall? White to look crisp? Off-white to reduce glare? A pale brown/coffee, etc to give it a modern feel? A. You can get a crisp and smart look without being glary. You might look at these colours as they will enhance the logo and create a timeless, clean look: white type of colour - Resene Sea Fog or a little grey/bone neutral - Resene Triple Black White or sharper/warmer - Resene Rice Cake.
February 2015
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Q. I am looking at painting my walls in Resene Black White. My kitchen cabinets will also be a white (surrounded by timber and black (maybe Resene Nero). Would you use Resene Black White here also? A. If you want to see a difference between the walls and the cabinetry I would suggest you use Resene Half Black White. If you aren't fussed about creating contrast and are just relying on a different sheen (between wall paints and cabinets) to show a subtle difference then yes you could use the same colour. It is a simple elegant look that is appealing.
February 2015
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Q. I have a Victorian villa with a long slightly narrow hallway that is not all that well lit. The ceilings are high. We have yellowish baltic boards and some yellow in the stained glass which throws a yellow light. I am keen to have it lighter and brighter but keeping it elegant. I have Resene Alabaster in our modern addition to our home. Will this look too grey with the yellowish light? A. Resene Alabaster may be a little too crisp/grey to suit a space with a lot of yellowish light. You might check these whites out to see if they will work for you – Resene Quarter Rice Cake, Resene Half Bianca or Resene Eighth Thorndon Cream.
February 2015
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Q. We want to make our kitchen furniture with Bestwood Arctic White embossed, the kitchen top with Laminex Cosmos Natural finish and a light yellow wood floorcovering. We want to paint the walls with a warm white colour and the ceiling with a very white (similar to kitchen furniture) colour. We also need a splashback colour between white and the wall colour. A. I suggest you use Resene White for the ceiling as it is the 'whitest/starkest' white we have. Because of the light yellow wood floor and your request for a warm white you may need to check out several warmer whites to see which one is best in the room and with the type of natural light you have which alters every colour. Try Resene Quarter Thorndon Cream, Resene Eighth Spanish White, Resene Merino or Resene Sea Fog. A colour for the splashback between White and another warm white is going to be a big ask - a deeper colour isn't a problem - that would be relatively easy but between white and white is an impossibility. I think if you were to investigate using a crystal clear low iron oxide glass over the wall colour it may be the way to go. Alternatively a deeper variant of the wall colour (instead of lighter/whiter) may give you the subtle tone on tone you are looking for.
February 2015
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Q. I have just purchased an apartment which has been repainted throughout in Resene Half Sea Fog. Walls, trim, doors – everything! What pale colours would add warmth and subtlety to some walls while retaining neutral backgrounds for artwork? As the furniture is browns and blues I’d prefer some creams/beiges/pale browns that would work with the Resene Half Sea Fog and take it into the warmer palette rather than greys. And what colour for the trim? I prefer a white that would stand out against the Resene Half Sea Fog. A. You could start looking at colours like these ones – Resene Triple Merino, Resene White Pointer, Resene Half Fossil, Resene Eighth Bison Hide or Resene Albescent White. The only 'whites' that will work with Resene Half Sea Fog and stand out are Resene Quarter Black White or Resene Half Alabaster.
February 2015
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Q. We have recently bought a 1989 cedar weatherboard home with Karaka green aluminium joinery for the windows and doors. We want to repaint the exterior (which is currently a barn red colour) to something lighter, possibly in the grey family. We have painted the master bedroom Resene Truffle and we do love that sort of colour. What would you suggest to go with the Karaka window joinery? A. You may need to consider greys that are stony coloured or brown based in order to look well balanced with the Resene Karaka. Try Resene Half Stonewall, Resene Friar Greystone , Resene Tapa, Resene Gunsmoke or Resene Triple Bison Hide.
February 2015
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Q. I’m interested in your thoughts on possible front and back door colours. Our roof is Ironsand and we have decided on Resene Silver Chalice for our walls and Resene White for our windows. No different trim or foundation colours intended at this point. Our front door is very close to French doors that lead into our dining room. We will paint them Resene White to help guide people to our front door. Resene Violent Violet or Resene Clementine Orange are interesting front door colours. No idea on the back door colours but wondered if we should match it to the trim colours? Could you please suggest some colours we could consider for the front and back doors that might suit? A. If you want a bold, delicious hit of colour on the front door you go for it! It will be divine. Back doors are not as important in the scheme of things but in saying that - perhaps the back door could be the colour that you don't ultimately choose for the front door - after all you will see it even if people visiting you won't. So either another delicious colour or a deep grey for the back door - perhaps Resene Quarter Ironsand to co-ordinate with the roof and just in case you fancy checking these gorgeous colours out – Resene Clockwork Orange, Resene Kudos, Resene Bingo or Resene Kakapo.
February 2015
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Q. We are building a new house. There is a separate family room which we were thinking of painting Resene Stack or Resene Gravel. For the open dining/kitchen we are planning Resene Silver Chalice and the hallway and bedrooms in Resene Surrender. Do you think the Resene Silver Chalice would be too dark for the hallway to the bedrooms? The family room has four skinny windows in it - would the Resene Stack be too dark? A. Both Resene Stack and Resene Gravel are quite dark (and will appear even darker - often doubling in strength - as colours always do in an interior) but might be great if you are wanting to use the family room as a 'big screen TV room' like a darkened theatre space. Whether or not the Resene Silver Chalice will be too dark for the hallway depends how many windows let light into the hallway. Hallways don't usually have windows at all but yours might. It is best to test colour to see how much darker it will appear. It will react also with the colour of other things - carpet, curtains etc so testing is really important. If this is a new build it pays to take your time choosing colours - I suggest you purchase A4 samples of the colours you favour so that you can place them on different walls in the house to see how changes of natural and artificial light and wall angles change how the colours are seen and take them with you when shopping for all the other things that are going into the house so you can know that it will work for you. It is easier to be certain of your choices when you see larger samples of colours and can move them around.
February 2015
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Q. We are painting our weatherboard house very soon and are wanting a light olive colour. Our windowsills are in good condition and already white. We also need to coordinate a colour for the concrete base on our house. A. Light olive is a colour description that can mean many things to different people. You might like to check these colours out to see if they are the light olive that you are thinking of – Resene Quarter Evolution, Resene Bandicoot, Resene Eagle, Resene Double Ash, Resene Quarter Grey Olive or Resene Thistle.
February 2015
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Q. We are doing a new house build. We will be painting the interior walls Resene Half Tea and Resene Tea. Our exterior cladding is terracotta coloured brick. We will have either New Denim Blue or Grey Friars above all the windows. The roofing, garage, fascia and guttering will be New Denim Blue or Grey Friars. We are not sure whether New Denim Blue or Grey Friars will be the best match for the terracotta bricks. We also need advice on the window joinery. We want a colour that will match the exterior colours and also match the interior colour. A. New Denim Blue is a softer blue based grey and Grey Friars is a deeper charcoal that still (in some lights) can look slightly blue based. Either will work with the terracotta bricks but I think the Grey Friars might be slightly better. I suggest that you match the windows joinery to the cladding and guttering to keep it all simple and harmonious. Unfortunately you can't have powder coated windows in Resene Tea or Resene Half Tea to match your interior colours so rather than choose a random unrelated 'other colour' I suggest you stay with the cladding and guttering colour.
February 2015
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Q. We have an old plain square 1914s house, with a Karaka roof. The house has white aluminium windows with wide timber trim around the window. The garage is Titania but is 20 years old so has faded a bit. It now looks like Whitewater. We have Resene Half Linen on walls and that goes perfectly with garage but would like a slightly deeper colour so that the house does not look dirty next to the white windows. We have tried Resene Quarter Grey Olive but that looks brown. A. Yes you are right - Resene Quarter Grey Olive can look a little 'sludgy' especially compared to Resene Linen. Perhaps you might look at these colours to see if they add enough depth without sliding off into brown or yellow - Resene Double Linen, Resene Double Ash or Resene Tana.
February 2015
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Q. We would like some advice on the inside of our home which is to be Resene Half Concrete. It is suggested we paint the internal doors white, but we are not too sure about this. A. If the doors, door frames, skirting boards and window surrounds are simple architectural detail and not ornate then you might paint them in a semi-gloss enamel version of the main wall colour - Resene Half Concrete - it may look slightly lighter because of the sheen of the paint. Alternatively you could go slightly deeper - Resene Concrete. A wee tip - if you think it might be OK in Resene White then if it is undercoated (white) and you don’t like it, you will know to use one of the other options. I don't think using a much deeper colour would look good as it will attract a lot of attention and if the woodwork isn't amazingly fabulous and worthy of being a feature it mightn't be a good look. Keep it simple and understated is my best advice.
February 2015
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Q. We are looking at painting our 2 year old son’s bedroom a blue colour. Its gets a lot of afternoon sun. We were originally thinking of a blue/grey, like Resene Casper or Resene Half Duck Egg Blue. But I'm worried about it looking too dark and cave like. Is there anything lighter with a blue tinge? A. I don't think the colours you mention will look too dark or 'cave like' as they are quite light colours but the main problem as I see it is the afternoon sun tends to steal any blue out of a colour and 'grey' it - sometimes quite a lot. Both of the colours you mention are already more grey than blue so if you do want a blue (that stays blue) you may have to use a clear bright tone and one that has an equal amount of green to it. Of course this may not be what you want but it is worth testing colours and looking at them at different times of the day and paying attention to what the late afternoon natural sunlight does to the colours. The best way to test colours is to paint the testpot - all of it/two coats - onto A2 card (available from your Resene ColorShop) leaving an unpainted border all around the edges. This helps you judge the colour by seeing enough of it and the unpainted border holds it away from the existing wall colour so it isn't altered by the close proximity. You can move it from wall to wall to see how light and shade and a change of angle makes it look. You could try these colours – Resene Escape, Resene Oxygen or Resene Comfort Zone.
February 2015
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Q. I am looking for an interior wall colour for the whole house that is a blue grey. I am thinking of having a feature wall in the dining room of Resene Half Smalt Blue. A. You might check out these colours – Resene Zumthor, Resene Mystic, Resene Quarter Periglacial Blue, Resene Half Duck Egg or Resene Quarter Surrender.
February 2015
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Q. We are building a new house. We are putting in a timber floor. We like the quality of it and the practicality, but not really happy with the colour as there aren’t many options. The colour a bit warm for our contemporary house. Are there any interior tricks we can do to cool our floor colour with lighting or a wall colour? A. The floor colour will always have a dominant effect in a house. It is the key colour. Cooler or whiter interior colours will enhance the warmth/colour in the wooden flooring. Very, very dark colours (like charcoal) will make you see the floor as being less coloured/warm but it is a dire remedy. Richer/warmer colours (rich creams/browns/red/oranges/yellows) may draw your eye away from the floor and make it not so noticeable. The short answer is nothing will change a floor colour that wasn't what you would have chosen if you had more choices. From this point on it is all about you accepting what the floor is and compromising. February 2015
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Q. We are in the middle of renovating our 1920s villa. I had initially thought of painting the exterior in Resene Black White. I want a fresh crisp sharp white vibe on the outside. I am now not sure if this is the right colour to use. Secondly do I paint all the window and door trims the same colour? I didn't want to introduce any other colours. My second issue is the interior. I have chosen Resene Sea Fog for every room (except the bathrooms which will be Resene Black White) as I liked the idea of a white with a subtle hint of grey. I am not sure whether to paint the skirting boards throughout the house the same colour or use Resene Black White as a contrast or another kind of white. I didn't want to introduce any other colours as I wanted a neutral fresh background throughout the house. A. If you want absolutely no contrast on the exterior then you could use Resene Black White - if the opening window sashes and door frames etc are in a semi-gloss waterborne enamel and the house is in a semi-gloss acrylic you should get the look you want. Alternatively - Resene Alabaster would achieve the same look - just not as grey toned.
February 2015
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Q. We are painting the interior of our villa and its new south facing extension (kitchen, lounge, dining). I would like a white with depth for the extension. The closest I have come to is Resene Sea Fog but it still feels too grey. How does Resene Wan White come up compared to Resene Sea Fog? Is it more grey than Resene Sea Fog? In the old part of the villa I would like a slightly warmer neutral than white, but on the greyish scale. I tried Resene White Pointer in one room but it came out too 'colourful', i.e. not white enough, and Resene Half White Pointer seems very white by comparison. Any suggestions for a white with a warm (but not yellow!) undertone that would suit a south facing villa? A. South facing rooms get a bad rap because of the natural light creating problems - white looks grey/cold, cream looks too yellow/sour, beige looks dingy/heavy etc etc. From my personal experience mid to deep toned definite colours look best in rooms with a southerly aspect. Whites may cause the most problems. It would pay you to carefully test colours by painting the testpot onto A2 card (available from your Resene ColorShop) leaving an unpainted border all around the edges. If you apply all of the testpot/two coats and move it from wall to wall and check out the colours under artificial light as well as natural light you will get a better idea of what works and what doesn't. Resene Wan White may be slightly better than Resene Sea Fog but they are very similar and as I have said already white looks grey in south facing rooms. You might try Resene Quarter Merino, Resene Eighth Truffle and Resene Quarter Milk White. Take your time with the other older part of the villa also - each wall and each room will make colours seem totally different to what you expect - even when they are all the same colour. Colour is a chameleon and it changes constantly.
February 2015
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Q. We have a 1960s red brick house with white pointing and we are in the process of replacing the wooden windows with double glazed aluminium windows. We had to replace a couple of doors a few years ago and they are silver so we were looking at silver pearl to work in with these. We are also renovating the interior lounge living area and trying to work with the aluminium colour and want a fairly neutral warm colour to work with blue/red/yellow curtains and a kitchen of Cirrus white benchtop and Alabaster cupboards. We were looking at Resene Half Akaroa for walls and Resene Double Akaroa for the splashback in the kitchen. I have been pointed in the direction of Titania aluminium and Resene Eighth Akaroa but it is all really too white for us. Very unsure about trims and what to paint the exposed boards on the exterior with the silver boards. A. If you already have silver aluminium windows then the new ones should match so the house looks harmonious. For exterior trims have you thought of using a warm grey/greenish white like Resene Triple Sea Fog as it sits well with the silver windows and the Karaka roof? For the interior - a warm off cream tone might look good. Apart from Resene Half Akaroa, try these colours – Resene Fossil, Resene Thorndon Cream or Resene Quarter Bison Hide.
February 2015
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Colours shown on this website are a representation only. Please refer to the actual paint or product sample. Resene colour charts, testpots and samples are available for ordering online. See measurements/conversions for more details on how electronic colour values are achieved.
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