Here's a taste of some of the Colour Expert questions and answers to help you with your own colour scheme.
If you would like more colour advice for your project, please ask our Colour Expert for help or come in and see our staff at your local Resene ColorShop or Reseller. Colours are a representation only.
Please refer to the actual paint or product sample. Resene colour charts, testpots and samples are available for ordering online.
Q. We are wanting to paint the interior of our new house in a neutral colour but don't want any yellow tinge. Our colour consultant has suggested Resene Rice Cake. I like it but am concerned it may be too yellow. What would you suggest for a white with no chance of looking yellow? A. You might need to paint up very large samples (A4 would be the smallest size sample for judging colour) and view them with all of the other coloured things that you have made decisions on - all flooring, kitchen cabinets, kitchen work tops, tiles etc. By holding the samples to the right and to the left of you and looking at them under electric light and natural daylight you will see them alter a lot - you need to see that before you make a final choice. Perhaps check out these colours - Resene Eighth Thorndon Cream, Resene Half Barely There, Resene Half Sea Fog or Resene Half Merino. None of these have yellow in them at all.
September 2015
|
||||||||||
Q. Our new build is clad in Ironsand vertical angular-profiled metal, and our window joinery is Ironsand also. We have parts clad in cedar stained High Country, but no cedar on the front face of the house where the entrance is. We are really struggling to pick a colour for our front door! We loved the idea of metallic Resene Copper Fire, but the swatch was too sparkly. Tossing around Resene Bright Spark or Resene Rata, but not liking either of them. Help!!! We are open to any colour, even a green? But not orange. A. Yes, you do need a bit of 'va va voom' for your front door. I like the idea of Resene Bright Spark but you might also check out these colours - Resene Starstruck, Resene Tweet, Resene Limerick, Resene Bullseye, Resene Poppy, Resene Windfall or Resene Bowie. These colours are gorgeous, bold and totally exciting.
September 2015
|
||||||||||
Q. I am painting the exterior of my house. I got samples today of Resene Triple Truffle and Resene Half Thorndon Cream (I have two different sections - one with weatherboard and one with Shadowclad®). On testing them I feel the Resene Triple Truffle is too light and silvery, especially next to the white. I have mid blue joinery so I have to be careful with that. Can you suggest a darker, deeper colour than the Resene Triple Truffle? I was thinking Resene Stonehenge? A. Resene Stonehenge will certainly give you a dark colour and a huge amount of contrast. If you like that colour you might also check out Resene Quarter Gravel (greyer) and Resene Double Friar Greystone (not as brown as Resene Stonehenge and not as grey as Resene Quarter Gravel). This will give you plenty of options to choose from.
September 2015
|
||||||||||
Q. I have a dark brown clinker brick unit with amber glass panels and would like a colour for around the door. I painted it bright red - cheerful but wrong. The door is a varnished wood. Not sure if I should paint this or not. Can you suggest a colour to replace the red? And maybe for the door? A. I think the combination of amber glass panels, brown clinker brick, white frames around doors etc, a feature colour panel as well as varnished carved wooden door may make the house look very busy - that is a lot of 'features' isn't it? Perhaps look at these colours - lighter for the door and deeper (but a bit related so it isn't too challenging) for the panel around the door – Resene Imprint and Resene Tiki Tour, Resene Wishlist and Resene St Kilda, or with more contrast – Resene Gin Fizz and Resene Quarter Lignite.
September 2015
|
||||||||||
Q. I have decided on Resene Gin Fizz for my kitchen walls and would like your advice on a lighter paint colour in keeping with Resene Gin Fizz for the kitchen cabinets/cupboards. A. You might check these colours out – Resene Orchid White or lighter – Resene Half Orchid White or Resene Quarter Pearl Lusta.
September 2015
|
||||||||||
Q. We are getting a new kitchen in Resene Double Alabaster (semi-gloss) and wondered what colour to use on the walls. The bench top is Resene Raven and our floors will be stained dark oak. Space is lounge, dining and kitchen with lots of windows and ranchsliders so lots of light. A. You don't indicate whether you would like a tonal neutral look or a definite colour for the walls. The benchtop, the cabinets and the floor allow you almost any colour option. It may be the colour of the lounge furniture or drapes that controls what you might use. If you like the idea of a tonal neutral you might look at these colours – Resene Double Sea Fog or slightly greyer – Resene Quarter Delta. Or if you favoured a definite colour you could consider one of these – Resene Secrets or Resene Duck Egg Blue. Sometimes a soft airy colour looks lovely and restful with white and dark grey.
September 2015
|
||||||||||
Q. We are building a new house and need to decide on a kitchen splashback colour. We are thinking to also use the same colour in the laundry behind the washing machine etc as a colour splash in the otherwise white laundry. We were looking at Resene Kumutoto but upon getting a testpot, I find the colour a bit too washed out and maybe a touch too greyish. We also got a testpot of Resene Fountain Blue which I like a bit better, I think. Is there another colour similar to Resene Kumutoto that is a little stronger in colour, a turqouise colour, but not too blue? Or a colour in between Resene Kumutoto and Resene Fountain Blue? A. You don't indicate what other colours you have already chosen for the new house - kitchen bench tops, kitchen cabinets, flooring, main wall colours etc so it is always a bit of a challenge choosing a feature colour - there is no way of knowing whether it will work with all the other elements in the house. You might look at these colours – Resene Glacier, Resene Onepoto or Resene Gulf Stream. A word to the wise - there is only one type of glass used in splashbacks that allows the paint colour to be seen in a true to reality way. It is low iron oxide crystal clear glass. The other glass - standard float glass - has a definite green cast to it and alters considerably how all colour looks behind it, often not in a good way. You may need to check this out for yourself. The glass merchants have small samples of these types of glass that you can lay over the paint samples to ensure you get the colour looking perfect.
September 2015
|
||||||||||
Q. I have a late 1950s - early 1960s stucco house. I have been told that stucco can create 'shadow' so am wanting some advice around the best colours and shades to paint it. I do want to get away from white if possible. A. If you use colours that are really crisp and clean - warm colours or cool colours - you shouldn't create a shadowy colour scheme. Beige, brown, taupe and greys seem to look deeper/denser when applied onto a stucco textured surface. You might check these out to see if they appeal to you – Resene Rice Cake, Resene Half Pearl Lusta or Resene Quarter Dutch White or cooler colours – Resene Half Carefree, Resene Solitude or Resene Half Secrets.
September 2015
|
||||||||||
Q. We are renovating the bedrooms of our 100 year old villa at the moment. I want to paint the walls and ceilings white to create a light and airy feel. The ceilings are full height, the floors are polished matai and the rooms are west facing. I don't want a warm, cream or yellowish tone and have been looking at Resene Quarter Black White. I am wondering if this is a good choice? Also do I need to do Resene Eighth Black White on the ceiling, or do Resene Quarter Black White on walls and ceilings as there seems to be very little difference between quarter and eighth? A. If you are considering using Resene Quarter Black White then you are right, you might never notice the difference between it and Resene Eighth Black White as there is only a small difference in colour. Personally I would be inclined to use the same colour on the ceilings as they are higher than standard and any difference in colour would have to be very different in order to be noticed. In a west facing room (especially in winter when the sun is lower in the sky) you may notice late afternoon sunlight does alter your 'white' and make it seem warmer toned for an hour or so toward sunset, but for the rest of the day it will be 'white'.
September 2015
|
||||||||||
Q. I've painted my interior walls with Resene Sonyx 101 in Resene Black White and am wanting to know which white to paint the doors and trim? A. If you want the walls to look slightly 'coloured' then you could use Resene Eighth Black White for the trims/doors - this will be seen as 'whiter' than the walls. If you would prefer to keep the whole look 'white' with no difference showing then you could use exactly the same colour - Resene Black White - for walls and trims but the trims/doors would be painted with slightly more sheen - i.e Resene Lustacryl semi-gloss waterborne enamel. If you are worried about the trims/doors showing dust and marking and would prefer a little more colour in your white then you could use Resene Double Black White.
September 2015
|
||||||||||
Q. I have chosen Resene Concrete for my interior wall colour. Our carpet is Dove Papa which is a charcoal grey colour. What white will work best for ceiling and trims? I have looked at Resene Alabaster but not sure if this will work? Also what colour could I use on doors? A. You could check these colours out - the first one for the ceilings and the other for the trims and doors - Resene Half Alabaster - whiter than full strength so the walls 'pop' and Resene Half Concrete - slightly lighter than the walls, or Resene Quarter Black White and Resene Concrete - same as the walls so they merge.
September 2015
|
||||||||||
Q. We have been upgrading the bathroom and have used Resene Blanc on the walls and doors and Resene Alabaster on the ceilings and window sills to match the tiles. However we would like to use the Resene Blanc colour on the walls on the rest of the house and Resene Alabaster on the ceilings. However we have cream aluminium windows and doors and I'm unsure which colour we should put on the architraves and the skirting board. We have looked at Resene Double Blanc but that almost seems too off white. A. If you are just worried about the architraves and skirting boards and how they will look close to the powdercoat joinery you could use the same colour as the wall but in a semi-gloss enamel paint. This way you don't introduce another colour to confuse the issue or possibly clash with the cream joinery. If you undercoat the woodwork in white you will then see what that looks like in relationship to the cream powder - if you don't like that look then you won't use Resene Alabaster for the topcoat. Using a deeper version of Resene Blanc - i.e Resene Double Blanc - might work but I think you may need to carefully test it as it does yellow up quite a lot which might detract from the delicate chalky mushroom/grey toned Resene Blanc.
September 2015
|
||||||||||
Q. I'm trying to match kauri coloured wooden frames with a wall colour. I was going to use Resene Alabaster, but the new engineered stone bench has creams and kind of Resene White Pointer or Resene Half Tea colours in it and white makes it look dirty. I tried Resene Rice Cake, too white, thinking Resene Half Tea, but it doesn't really go with the golden kauri window frames and ceiling. It's an 1890s villa, restored rather than renovated in the bedrooms, hall and sitting room, with renovated bathroom and kitchen. Trying to keep colours in keeping with character but very hard! Cream doesn't go with the wood either - looks dull. Help! A. Given the all colours undergo distinct colour changes in different qualities of light - natural and artificial - and alter even more when seen next to any element that is coloured (benches, cabinets, kauri wood etc) I suggest you work with either the bench or with the kauri. Trying to find a colour that enhances both may be asking too much. I suspect that you may need to use a deeper colour for the walls (villas often suit definite colours) so that the golden colour of the kauri 'pops' and the kitchen benches are seen as quite white/neutral by comparison. I hope that makes sense. You might start by checking out Resene Double Thorndon Cream or Resene Double Merino.
September 2015
|
||||||||||
Q. Our bathroom is being renovated and I need to choose a colour. I initially wanted a white bathroom but now I’m not so sure. It’s a small bathroom (2.4 x 2.6m ish), with morning sun. We'll be having polyurethaned rimu flooring. The vanity is a dark oak and white tiles will surround the bath to approx 400mm high. A. In the meantime you might think about using a small amount of colour for the walls so that the 'white' elements in the bathroom 'pop'. The warmth of the rimu floor and the fact that you have early morning sun makes me think you could test these colours to see if they appeal to you – Resene Eighth Lemon Grass, Resene Whiteout, Resene Barely There or Resene Eighth Fossil. They all have a little 'something' going for them in the way of subtle colour - they are pale but not white.
September 2015
|
||||||||||
Q. We have just built a new company workshop and we would like to paint the office and toilet. The room is only small 6m x 5m and has one exposed concrete wall. So three walls and ceiling to paint. The room will be utilised by 3-4 engineers so fingerprints and dirt will be a problem. Any suggestions for wall colour? I have picked Resene Colins Wicket, Resene Kashmir Blue or Resene Triple Ash but am unsure and need guidance. A. I like the colours you mention but they are of similar depth so they will create a clash for attention. I feel you need a definite lighter colour, which you haven't got at this point in time, in order for the colours to work to best advantage. Perhaps look at using Resene Half Wheatfield as a main colour (creates lots of light) with Resene Colins Wicket on the concrete wall (this will stop it looking too cold and hard edged) and Resene Triple Ash for the doors as it hides a lot of fingermarking. The Resene Kashmir Blue might be a good colour for one wall only in the toilets - blues make spaces seem larger and walls further away from you visibly. This could be a good thing in the toilet as this space is not usually renowned for being spacious. Resene Half Wheatfield as a main colour could also be used for ceilings and skirting boards, door frames and window surrounds.
September 2015
|
||||||||||
Q. Repainting the interior of a rental property. The walls are not that smooth as some paint will be over wallpaper that has ripped in places. So I need a white please that will hide a few patches. Currently we have a colour which makes the place look dated and dirty. I was thinking of using Resene Sea Fog which I have used in another rental property. In the other rental property I have used it on the ceilings as well as the walls, doors, skirting etc. What would you suggest we use? The place gets knocked around a lot and I am getting in the painter regularly after tenants to fix up fist holes etc; the joy of tenants. A. It is a good idea to use the same colour - from a purely practical point of view and for economy as well. It means you will always have the right colour paint for touch ups. Once upon a time when our family owned properties we used the same colour in all properties but we also used a scrubbable/tough paint as it was easier to clean down and didn't draw attention to the areas that were repaired. We used Resene SpaceCote Kitchen & Bathroom low sheen waterborne enamel, not just in the service rooms. We found it stood up to a lot more 'joy' from the tenants. Yes, it cost a little more but as I was the person doing the cleaning I appreciated it. I found the full gloss enamel better for all the woodwork (it is tougher and cleans really well) and it was also used in the bathroom and laundry for ceilings, because of the steam/moisture/lack of ventilation (tenants don't open windows) and the drier etc. I could squeegee these surfaces easily. I found that painting the doors a slightly deeper colour disguised the finger marking and bump abrasion a bit more too. You might look at Resene Double Sea Fog if you want to use Resene Sea Fog on the walls and ceilings.
September 2015
|
||||||||||
Q. We are trying to work out the new colour scheme for our Queenslander cottage that we are just raising and extending. It has an old Headland COLORBOND® roof, and we are also planning to enclose the front verandah with oiled timber shutters (also many natural surian cedar windows in house). Our extension plans include some COLORBOND® in a complementary colour to the walls. We were thinking of a light neutral colour with COLORBOND® Wallaby or Basalt, but are worried this may not work with the timber. The extension will also have Ice Danpalon polycarbonate (a light grey colour). Any suggestions on colours? We also wondered if using a slightly darker paint may help the timber built-in verandah blend with the house. I don't like the yellows that many people pair the red roof with. We have recently seen Resene Perfect Taupe and Resene Mondo together and wondered if something like that might work too. A. I like the look of COLORBOND® Wallaby with the roof colour COLORBOND® Heartland you have now - they seem to work well together and I think they would look great with the oiled timber shutters. You might look at colours like these ones – Resene Half Foggy Grey or Resene Eighth Masala - they are earthy light neutrals. These are not as pink/grey toned like Resene Perfect Taupe or muddy brown toned like Resene Mondo - these colours might be ok if the roof wasn't red and the cedar was not a natural reddish tone. They make a muddy/heavy statement when all seen together. If you favoured using COLORBOND® Basalt (which has a nice warm deep grey tone) then you might look at these colours – Resene Triple Sea Fog, Resene Half Gauntlet or Resene Mountain Mist. They're an interesting assortment of greyed neutrals and they allow the rich colour of the cedar to be a lovely feature.
September 2015
|
||||||||||
Q. We're renovating half of the interior of our house (entrance/hall/bathroom/bedrooms/stairs) and I need some help with finalising colours. We're going with either Resene Half Alabaster or Resene Half Black White skirtings/doors and bathroom. For the master bedroom we're looking at using the same white with a feature headboard wall in Resene Fuscous Grey. I'd like to carry through the entrance way and hall and into bedroom 2 a light silver grey, and in bedroom 3 (nursery) the white with a very light pastel mint coloured feature wall. Can you suggest some colours that you think may help us decide? Ideally white/dark grey (no green or blue hue) with a light grey and pastel for the nursery. A. There is a definite difference between Resene Half Black White and Resene Half Alabaster. Resene Half Black White is slightly deeper and greyer whereas Resene Half Alabaster is lighter and whiter. It is your choice and you may need to carefully test the colours as one may look cooler compared to the other. The Resene Fuscous Grey - a good choice - is a warm charcoal. But another option worth considering is Resene Half Bokara Grey. You might check out these lighter silver greys to see if they appeal to you and they look good in the space you want to use the colour in – Resene Quarter Silver Chalice, Resene Concrete or Resene Quarter Delta. These light silver greys also come as deeper variants if you feel they look too pale. A pastel mint colour might be one of these colours – Resene Peppermint, Resene Snowy Mint or Resene Surf Crest. September 2015
|
||||||||||
Q. Can you please help me with what the best colour would be for the wooden wall in our lounge room? There is also a wooden wall in the front entrance I would like painted. I also would like to know what colour to paint the stair rail in the front entrance. A. Firstly to paint over the wood, which may be stained and clear coated, you will need to wash down, sand and dust off, seal and apply 2-3 coats of paint. They will still be wooden walls etc, just a different colour. As a precursor to this big job perhaps you could cover the wooden walls with a very large white sheet pinned up in such a way as to replicate what a light colour would achieve for you. Certainly the spaces will look much lighter than they do now - deep coloured wood does suck up a lot of natural light. Then, still with the white sheet in place, you could pin up large A4 samples of colour on the sheet to see how different colours will look. This is a good way to test what you favour to see if it works in the space, with the existing colours of carpets, drapes, furniture etc. If the object of the exercise is to remove the 'feature' of the dark wood then choosing a light neutral is possibly the better way to go rather than making the wood a feature again with a definite strong colour. September 2015
|
||||||||||
Q. Desperately seeking a warm neutral colour for our living spaces. One room is very bright with lots of natural light so don't want the colour too stark. Also not a fan of the grey tones. Would love a list of suggested colours to try. A. All colours respond/react to existing coloured elements in the space as well as natural and artificial light so it is really important to test them. You might look at these to see if they appeal to you – Resene Half Thorndon Cream, Resene Half Blanc, Resene Double Blanc, Resene Eighth Akaroa or Resene Eighth Bison Hide. These colours come as deeper variants also so if the ones suggested feel too light you can try the deeper versions.
September 2015
|
||||||||||
Q. We are repainting our roof (we think Resene Ironsand but are open to suggestions) and want a complementary colour to stain the cedar dormers and our cedar garage doors. Our house is two storeyed, reddy orange brick (Fendalton smooth) with bronze aluminium joinery and dark grey pointing. A. Resene Ironsand sounds like a good choice for the roof, especially seeing as you have bronze aluminium joinery. You might look at using one of these stain colours for the cedar dormers – Resene Woodsman Tiri - greyish/brown, Resene Woodsman Banjul - a deeper slightly bronze charcoal or Resene Woodsman Dark Oak - a mellow red based brown.
September 2015
|
||||||||||
Q. Which colour should we repaint our garage door and balcony? The house is an 80s amber brick townhouse with an oxblood red roof (one day we will repaint that too...) and an 80s flat brown balcony. Currently the garage door is dark green. We would love to modernise the colours. A. You might look at using the same colour for both the garage door and the balcony to tie together both levels of the house. Check these colours out to see if they appeal to you – Resene Gravel, Resene Half Ironsand, Resene Evolution, Resene Coast or Resene Toorak.
September 2015
|
||||||||||
Q. I found a Habitat by Resene NZ article from 2012 which has the exact colours I would like to use on my house. (Resene Gauntlet, Resene Half Ash and Resene Quarter Bianca). I am trying to find a COLORBOND® colour that is the closest to Resene Gauntlet. A. In COLORBOND® the nearest colour (not a match) to Resene Gauntlet that you might consider is Wallaby It is deeper but sympathetic and would work well with the other colours. If you were using COLORSTEEL® then there is an exact match to Resene Gauntlet - it is COLORSTEEL® Sandstone Grey.
September 2015
|
||||||||||
Q. I would like some advice for a paint colour in my mum’s house. She has cream walls, architraves in the same colour, green blinds and berber/green tinge carpet. A friend recommended Resene Acropolis (Resene Half Tea) but wanted your opinion. At this stage she will keep the green blinds. A. Resene Acropolis (also called Resene Half Tea) is nice but it may be a little too deep and with the green it could be a bit 'bossy'. If you use a slightly lighter colour it may be more obliging and still give a modern look but not be too much of shock after the cream wall colour – Resene Eighth Akaroa, Resene Quarter Tea or Resene Eighth Bison Hide.
September 2015
|
||||||||||
Q. Our home renovation involves a COLORSTEEL® Sandstone Grey aluminium roof, Resene Triple Sea Fog weatherboards, and Ghost Grey window frames. We would like to mark out the deck level with an accent stripe in an aqua colour. The house is close to the sea and the strip would be on the north and west faces, which affects the light. Can you suggest a suitable shade for the accent stripe? A. The warmer north and west sun light may make any aqua colour look a little greener, but you could look at these colours to see how they look – Resene Wishlist, Resene Kumutoto, Resene Meltwater, Resene Tradewind or Resene Ming.
September 2015
|
||||||||||
Q. Looking to doing an alternative to white along the rear side of my 1962 weatherboard and Besser block house. I am thinking possibly a dark colour. My roof and trim is COLORBOND® Surf Mist. The present colour around the house is white with a dark grey base which we quite like and the simple thing to do would be to do the rear weatherboards in that colour. I am open to new ideas. Also the plain white is used on the vertical weatherboard and the window trim. I'm not sure whether to highlight the windows and create more of a mid-century aesthetic or maintain that which we have at present which is an attempt to hide window trim and modernise the aesthetic. A. Sometimes when redecorating a house it feels as though a 'big' change is needed in order to make it a worthwhile exercise and to be seen to be different from what is current. If a radical change is decided upon my first thoughts are 'is this a knee jerk' reaction (from what is current) and might it be a little too much. In this particular case I would encourage you to think of modest changes possibly in line with the existing Besser block colour and roof and trim colour. Using a slightly deeper colour (but not too dark) on the weatherboards and maintaining the white around the windows is a good idea. Perhaps you might look at these options for the weatherboards – Resene Half Thorndon Cream, Resene Bone White, Resene Double Sea Fog or Resene Double Ash. If you wanted a different colour for the blocks - that also might be used on the trim if you wanted to - you could use a colour like one of these ones – Resene Gravel, Resene Triple Friar Greystone or Resene Half Baltic Sea. Something for you to consider - if it is appropriate - handrails around the deck and up the stairs to the entry could be the same colour as the windows. This would stand out crisply against the dark base and the new main colour.
September 2015
|
||||||||||
Q. We own a 1970s brick and tile unit and want to modernise the exterior colour scheme. The brick work is painted cream, the trims are a reddish brown, the aluminium joinery was a bronze which has weathered to a much lighter silvery bronze and the roof is a dirty terracotta colour. A. You might look at these sharper/cleaner whites and earthy neutrals to see if they appeal to you – Resene Rice Cake and Resene Tapa, or Resene Titania and Resene Wireless, or Resene Eighth Ash and Resene Quarter Foundry.
September 2015
|
||||||||||
Q. You have a page that shows good colour combinations that go with rimu woodwork. One of the colours that I really liked was Resene Half Innocence. I wanted to get a testpot, but was told it is an 'old' colour, and they can't make it anymore. Can you suggest a similar colour that is in the new colour collection? A. The colour isn't 'old' as in 'gone' - it was on an older fandeck and it can be viewed at your local Resene ColorShop as a A4 real paint sample in their Colour Library books. Even colours not on current charts are still available but due to the sheer volume of colours often testpots of old colours aren't in the shop as there is not enough room to store them. Depending on the colour it can be ordered in or a small can of paint can be tinted.
September 2015
|
||||||||||
Q. We are building a new house that faces the sun and has large floor to ceiling windows in most rooms. The frames for our large windows/external doors are all black. The flooring is Bristol Oak and the carpet Hilton Boulder (so fairly neutral). We want to paint the interior Resene Half Black White but wanted to know if we just use this on all ceilings, walls, doors and trim or should we be using different strengths (i.e Resene Quarter Black White, full Resene Black White, Resene Double Black White etc) or different finishes (i.e. flat, semi-gloss etc). A. Using the same colour on every surface relies on different gloss levels on different surfaces in order to create any visual excitement. If every surface was a matt or low sheen then nothing would make it look exciting - apart from massive input in colour, pattern, texture and sheen level differences in curtains, blinds, duvets, upholstered furniture, accessories etc. Same paint colour/same gloss level on all surfaces denudes the rooms of interest. If the look you want is very simple (no massive input of colour, pattern, texture and sheen level differences) i.e white on white and minimal then it is very important to alter the depth of colour and apply different sheen levels of product to different surfaces to stop the 'no eye interest/nothing to look at' ambiance or lack of ambiance. I do tend to describe this look as 'empty shoe box' as everyone knows that if there are no gorgeous shoes in the box there is absolutely nothing to look at. So if Resene Half Black White was your predominant colour (it is white, so not a colour at all) and the rooms received a tremendous amount of natural light then you may have to wear sunglasses inside all day to cut the glare factor. I suggest that you use this colour where rooms lose sun early and it is replaced by shadow or rooms (like hallways) where natural light isn't a major factor because there are no windows letting it stream in. You might use it as the 'whitest' of the colours and paint all woodwork and ceilings also in this colour. Very large, perhaps overly sunny, rooms may need a slightly deeper version of the preferred colour i.e Resene Black White or even Resene Double Black White so that you aren't constantly pulling the drapes or blinds in order to not be 'blinded' by the brightness.
September 2015
|
||||||||||
Q. Which colour is most intense, i.e. darker, of Resene Milestone, Resene Acropolis and Resene Joss. A. Resene Joss is the deeper colour but all colours can double in intensity in dim or small areas. The first two numbers denote the depth - Resene Acropolis Y85-019-081 (also known as Resene Half Tea) is the lighter of the colours but because Resene Milestone carries a lot of red tone it may look more dominant in a smaller space.
September 2015
|
||||||||||
Q. What would you recommend for the window sills for our house, which is red brick downstairs and upstairs is dark green Karaka. The new garage close by has red brick, soffits in Resene Alabaster and the door is Ironsand. I would like the sills to link with the garage. A. I think you have two options - Resene Alabaster or Resene Ironsand. These two colours are on the garage and either could work on the window sills on the house. There are two lighter versions of Ironsand also that might be considered - Resene Half Ironsand or Resene Quarter Ironsand.
September 2015
|
||||||||||
Q. We have just had a new fence built where there hasn't been one for 80 years. We want some advice on the best colour stain for it. A. I think you have two options - a warm colour that favours the bricks or a dark colour that favours the black house – Resene Woodsman Cherrywood or Resene Pitch Black. The gate and pergola/trellis over it could be painted Resene White if you prefer not to have a strong colour close to the house. The white would tie in the trims/windows on the house.
September 2015
|
||||||||||
Q. Our kitchen cupboards are Resene Duck Egg Blue, the walls are Resene Half Bison Hide, feature wall is Resene Mondo but I want to change the feature to Resene Half Bokara Grey. Do you think it would work? The kitchen tiles are a light/mid grey. A. Resene Half Bokara Grey is a warm charcoal. It looks nice with Resene Half Bison Hide. Another charcoal that looks good that you might check out also is Resene Fuscous Grey.
September 2015
|
||||||||||
Q. I am tiling bathrooms in an lightish ash grey colour tile and want a ceiling white. What is the best white to use? A. You might look at either of these two 'whites' to see if they appeal to you – Resene Alabaster or Resene Half Sea Fog.
September 2015
|
||||||||||
Q. I am looking at painting our north-facing living room in Resene Coriander. The room is large and gets a lot of light/sun. Our kitchen/dining is connected to the living room and I am wanting to use a neutral colour on the kitchen walls. I have recently painted the kitchen cabinets Resene Highland. I was looking at Resene Merino for the kitchen walls although I feel like it may be a bit too grey-toned. I'm thinking about trying a more green-based neutral such as Resene Half Thorndon Cream. I need to make sure the colour I choose goes well with both Resene Coriander and Resene Highland. A. I would be inclined to use sharper/cleaner neutrals like Resene Rice Cake or Resene Quarter Cararra. These colours enhance the greens you have and don't compete with them in a muddy, muted or greyish way.
September 2015
|
||||||||||
Q. We would like to update our interior walls. We currently have Resene Half Spanish White on the skirtings and architraves and Resene Double Spanish White on the walls. I would just like to update the wall colour, something more modern and lighter that will still go with the Resene Half Spanish White. A. Resene Half Spanish White is quite a definite colour and it likes being with deeper colours. You could look at these colours to see if they appeal to you: Resene Quarter Canterbury Clay, Resene Drought, Resene Half Bison Hide, Resene Tea or Resene Quarter Pravda.
September 2015
|
||||||||||
Q. Can you suggest a pale colour to repaint our blue gables? What colour should I paint the garage door? I have painted the fence Resene Nocturnal. I would like something neutral with no blue tones. The roof, guttering and window joinery are blue. A. Will you mind the new colour options drawing more attention to the roof, the guttering and window joinery which is blue? You could use Resene Half Nocturnal on just the garage door so it ties in the fence colour and a greyed white for the gables like Resene Double Black White. Alternatively you could look at using a colour similar to the bricks - a warm red brown - Resene Half Lumberjack - or a pale warm biscuit/cream - Resene Nougat or a beige/cream - Resene Half Spanish White.
September 2015
|
||||||||||
Q. We are painting our house in Resene Quarter Tana, with Resene Double Tana trim, the roof in Karaka and Titania joinery. However the house has a very deep foundation, and while I don't want to make a feature of this, I can't decide whether to use Resene Double Tana or something different. Also, we are staining the deck and I want something to blend in with these colours. Do you think Resene Riverstone would work? A. If you don't want to highlight the deep foundation perhaps you could paint it slightly deeper than your main colour - Resene Half Tana - but not as dark as your trims. The stain colour - Resene Riverstone - is quite a warm rose grey and not at all related to your house colours. It would not be my first choice for a stain colour. If you like these soft greyed stain colours you might look Resene Smokey Ash, Resene Iroko or Resene Equilibrium.
September 2015
|
||||||||||
Q. We need to repaint our 1970s apartment block. Our body corp said that Resene are trying to get away from NZ blocks being grey. We were thinking of keeping a light grey but painting deck rails and doors charcoal, but can you suggest otherwise? A. If instead of the light grey (looking like unpainted concrete) perhaps a slightly warmer grey/beige colour might meet with approval from the Body Corp and appeal to the residents. You might check these colours out: Resene Half Pravda or Resene Napa. Then the deck rails and doors could be a warm charcoal: Resene Half Ironsand or Resene Baltic Sea. This would create a modern look.
September 2015
|
||||||||||
Q. We are currently building a new house and looking at interior colours. Our window joinery is Desert Sand. We are wanting some of the floors to be a warm wood colour. What colours would you recommend to go with both of these colours? A. Usually I recommend that the paint colours be chosen last after all other (more limited/more expensive) elements have been chosen - this way you have free choices and aren't controlled/compromised by the wall colour. If you choose the kitchen cabinet colour, the work tops, the carpet and the wooden flooring, curtains, and any tiles that you may be having (and taking into account the very strong window joinery colour and also any existing coloured upholstered lounge furniture etc) you can then pick a paint colour that loves (and harmonises) with the other elements in the interior. September 2015
|
||||||||||
Q. What colours do you recommend in your range for an office and spare bedroom for the Hamptons style/Cape Cod look? Windows and cupboards are in white and the rooms have a picture rail. A. There are some lovely washy colours that you might consider: Resene Half Tasman, Resene Duck Egg Blue, Resene Dusted Blue or Resene Secrets. Or bone whites like these – Resene Double Sea Fog, Resene Double Merino or Resene Half White Pointer.
September 2015
|
||||||||||
Q. We have just reroofed our house with Gerard colour tiles similar in colour to Ironsand. The weatherboards are painted Medlar which has a green tinge to it. We would like suggestions on matching colours for the doors and gables. A. To co-ordinate with these colours, try these warm earthy colours to see if they appeal to you – Resene Pravda, Resene Stonewall or Resene Taupe Grey, or deeper Resene Quarter Ironsand.
September 2015
|
||||||||||
Q. I am repainting my garage door and am not sure what the best colour would be to complement the house. I am close to either COLORBOND® Evening Haze equivalent or just black? Do you have any suggestions please? A. Black will be very smart and dramatic. COLORBOND® Evening Haze (you could use Resene Overland as a paint equivalent for the colour) will be lighter and tonal but won't attract as much attention or heat. Darker colours do absorb a lot of the sun’s rays and radiate heat. This may make a difference to your decisions. It is your choice. Have you considered a colour in between the Black and the Evening Haze - perhaps COLORBOND® Bushland? If you are painting the door the Resene colour match to this is Resene Climate or softer toned deep colour - Resene Nocturnal - this is a Resene match to COLORBOND® Monument.
September 2015
|
||||||||||
Q. We are repainting the interior of a small bach. The walls are Resene Sisal and the ceilings Resene Half Spanish White. The kitchen cabinetry will be Resene Half Spanish White with a black gloss bench top. I need a colour for the kitchen door and am thinking of a grey theme. A. A grey that isn't related well to the other colours may wonder what it is doing there (without a friend in sight) but if you were to consider a warm soft charcoal like one of these it could look quite smart – Resene Wireless or Resene Half Masala.
September 2015
|
||||||||||
Q. We have just painted our bedroom Resene Dusted Blue. The room is very light, with lots of sun in summer and now I want to do the trim. I have 4 litres of Resene Lustacryl in Resene Quarter Spanish White in the garage so I am wondering if that would work. I don't like pure white. The trim, sills etc are all varnished pine looking. Also I have a double wardrobe in varnished pine on a wall beside the Resene Dusted blue and I am wondering if I should paint that Resene Dusted Blue too as it certainly isn’t a feature. There is a trim around the wardrobe so would I paint that in the Resene Dusted Blue too or the Resene Quarter Spanish White? A. If you don't want to have a 'feature' wardrobe then I do suggest you paint it, all parts of it, the Resene Dusted Blue. The 4 litres of Resene Lustacryl in Resene Quarter Spanish White in the garage could definitely be used to do the trims. I think it all sounds lovely.
September 2015
|
||||||||||
Q. We are repainting our interior walls and ceilings in Resene Bianca. The existing contrast on the doors, door frames and window sills is Resene Joanna, but we are looking for an alternative. Something with the same depth of colour, but less drab and green. A. Have you considered using a lighter or deeper version of Resene Bianca? You could try Resene Quarter Bianca, Resene Half Bianca or Resene Double Bianca. Or exactly the same colour as the walls and ceilings but in a semi-gloss enamel finish so it is just a sheen level difference not a colour difference.
September 2015
|
||||||||||
Q. Can you assist me in choosing a colour for my roof? My house colour is going to be Stonecrop (rendered) once the roof is done. The fence posts can change colour if needed. I just want a wow look not just a drab look. Perhaps Woodland Grey or Jasper? A. I like the idea of the COLORBOND® Woodland Grey - it is a gorgeous sludgy olive grey colour. COLORBOND® Jasper is nice too, but it is a mid brown and may look lighter due to the angle of the roof to the sun. Whichever colour you choose you might use the Resene match colour for the fence posts: Resene Squall (to go with Woodland Grey) or Resene Groundbreaker (to go with Jasper).
September 2015
|
||||||||||
Q. We are currently renovating and trying to decide on exterior paint colours for our home. We have light silver aluminium joinery throughout which we need to ensure 'works well' given there have been two additions in different eras. I'm quite keen on a dark charcoal colour with a lighter contrasting colour; however we really don't know where to begin. A. Deep charcoals are on trend still and are appealing aren't they? They could work well for you, especially on the brick veneer with perhaps lighter grey whites on the wooden weatherboards. You might check out these colours to see if they appeal to you: Resene Foundry, Resene Baltic Sea or Resene Grey Friars. For contrast colours try Resene Double Concrete, Resene Quarter Silver Chalice or Resene Triple Sea Fog.
September 2015
|
||||||||||
Q. We are renovating a small townhouse with the intention to sell. We want to paint the interior a warm good all rounder neutral colour but still want it to have some personality. I would like to do the living area a different neutral colour than the bedrooms and hallway. It would be good to have flow between these neutrals. Can you recommend a greige based colour scheme with a few bolder charcoals for feature walls and neutrals that go well with pops of colour in our accessories when we go to dress the home to sell? A. You might look at using one of these colours – Resene Half White Pointer and Resene Double White Pointer, or Resene Quarter Truffle and Resene Truffle. For a bolder charcoal try Resene Half Baltic Sea (warm) or Resene Foundry (deeper/cooler). If you use lots of crisp white for woodwork and ceilings (always looks clean and fresh) it enhances the lighter main colours and makes them seem a bit deeper in tone. Use turquoise and navy as pops of colour and keep it simple and uncluttered. Too much of anything just makes smaller spaces seem overly busy and smaller in dimension.
September 2015
|
||||||||||
Q. I am looking into colour schemes to repaint our exterior (c. 1918 two storey bungalow). Currently the weatherboards are Resene Don Juan with a lighter colour used as complement on shingles, fences etc. The roof is dark grey Decramastic tiles. I am considering Resene Tapa (or maybe Resene Pravda) for the weatherboards with Resene Black White on window frames etc. Could you please suggest a complementary lighter colour that would work with Resene Tapa (perhaps Resene Eighth Tapa) and also suggest contrasts for the door, gate, possibly garage? Also, as Resene Don Juan is no longer on colour charts, can you tell me whether it is similar colour intensity to Resene Tapa (or darker)? A. In regard to Resene Tapa - this colour is lovely with Resene Black White. So is Resene Pravda but it is a yellow/brown whereas Resene Tapa is a yellow/green and deeper. Both of these are lighter colours compared to Resene Don Juan which is a lovely warm deep brown. If you want a lighter colour to work with Resene Tapa you might use Resene Quarter Tapa but it is quite grey whereas Resene Tapa carries more yellow/green. You could check out this colour - Resene Half Taupe Grey - it looks lovely with Resene Tapa - warmer less grey.
September 2015
|
||||||||||
Q. I am thinking of painting my home interior with either Resene Rice Cake or Resene Half Villa White. We have dark blue joinery with stained, mid depth (rimu kind of colour) sills and frames. I have a high gloss white kitchen. Will these go together ok? Also, what would you recommend for the ceilings? A. Resene Rice Cake has a slightly more subdued almost green undertone and Resene Half Villa White picks up a little more yellow undertone. Both of these colours when viewed close to the dark blue joinery may look 'whiter' than you imagine they will be. It is your choice as to which one you use - either would look good with the rimu. If you want the walls to appear to have more colour/warmth and be definitely different to the crisp white cabinets then you might use a lighter variant of the wall colour for the ceiling. It will increase the 'colour' aspect making the cabinets the 'only' white in the room i.e Resene Quarter Rice Cake or Resene Quarter Villa White. If this doesn't appeal to you then you could be traditional and use Resene White.
September 2015
|
||||||||||
Q. The exterior is Resene Double Pearl Lusta with Karaka roof and balcony trim. I have New Denim Blue on the front door and garage door. I would like to change the boundary fence colour. What colour do you suggest please? There is presently a courtyard at the side of the house which is painted red oxide pavers. Should I remove this also? I’m looking for a more neutral look that will add to the appearance and complement the foliage. A.You have a unusual combination of colours on the house. If you want the fence to be a backdrop to planting I suggest you use Resene Karaka which is already on the house, not another random colour. If the pavers are painted then you could repaint them any colour but I do suggest that rather than 'featuring' them so that they are the dominant aspect of the courtyard you consider using a soft toned charcoal i.e Resene Half New Denim Blue - this will tie in the front door and garage door colour and 'befriend' it, or a lighter version of the Karaka green type of colour i.e. Resene Touchstone.
September 2015
|
||||||||||
Q. I intend to paint three walls of a fairly small but open bedroom a cold white colour, with one feature wall painted Resene Grey Friars. Is that too stark a contrast/too dark a colour? Two of the white walls have big windows with charcoal venetians. A. If you are worried that the Resene Grey Friars might be too dark you might look at using a lighter variant of this colour - Resene Quarter Grey Friars or alternatively Resene Tuna or Resene Steel Grey.
September 2015
|
||||||||||
Q. We are doing a major renovation, including an extension and full reroof. We are struggling with exterior paint colour choices. Our window joinery is anodised silver aluminium, our roof colour choice at this point is Ironsand. What would you recommend in term of exterior colour? We are looking at the on trend taupes and neutrals, but I am going round and round, currently have Resene Akaroa, Resene Quarter Stonehenge and Resene Half Pravda as testpots. I don’t want to go too grey, for fear of it looking a bit cold. I’m not a fan of contrasting sills either (i.e. don't really want to do Ironsand sills). Our spouting will be replaced with Longrun and I thought we'd paint the fascia boards Resene Ironsand too. A. I think you might consider using a slightly lighter version of Ironsand for the fascias to create a little contrast (a shadow effect not a definite colour contrast) so perhaps you could check out Resene Quarter Ironsand. If you maintain a crisp white colour - Resene Alabaster - for under the soffits and on all the window and door joinery - that means sills as well - you will create a nice balance of contrast. For the main colour - apart from the colours you have already looked at - you might also check these out – Resene Half Cougar and Resene Truffle. They are less grey/less brown toned. A good idea is to pop into a Resene ColorShop to view all of the colours - as A4 real paint samples - from their Colour Library and compare them with a sample of Ironsand - this is helpful as your eye compares and judges the true reality of the colours and then you might only try one or two testpots. I always suggest that the testpots be applied (all of the testpot/two coats) onto A2 card (available from Resene ColorShops) leaving an unpainted border all around the edges. This makes a super big sample that can be moved around all of the walls of the house so you can see what different angles and qualities of light alters the colour - and it does - sometimes to a surprising degree.
September 2015
|
||||||||||
Q. I want to paint the house in a neutral colour but have a feature wall in a darker shade in a couple of rooms. I selected sample pots in a combination of Resene Double Haystack and Resene Half Haystack . Although the Double was in the correct tones the half shade looked pink. I then tried the Resene Canterbury Clay and the Resene Quarter Canterbury Clay and the latter also had a pink tinge. I went back to the paint store and they checked the formulas for the four sample pots in question. It seems that the full strength and double strength had no red in them but the quarter strength samples each had red in the formulas. Why would this occur? We had decided we liked the colour of Resene Double Haystack and were considering getting reduced strengths of it for walls and ceilings etc but we do not want any pink tonings. A. What you refer to as pink is really a peachy tone. Red and yellow tinters combined create a pink/peach. Lighter variants of any colour are not the same (identical) colour made lighter - they are similar (like brothers and sisters in large families are) but not identical. Resene Double Haystack has a lot of yellow ochre in it and a little red oxide which warms it. As the colour lightens the red oxide tint (which has a lot of strong personality) develops more warmth (pink/peach) as the amount of yellow ochre reduces and the base it is tinted into whitens in order to make the colour lighter. Resene Double Haystack is made into a Pastel base which has less white so the tinters are taken up in a stronger/deeper way. Resene Canterbury Clay has different tinters (yellow ochre being the stronger tint) but a similar 'osmosis' takes place. Asking for reduced strengths of Resene Double Haystack may still cause you 'pink' problems. It would be a gamble that you would have to accept once the colours were made for you whether they were ok to your eye or not. Another random but interesting reason for the colour to 'pink' up may be the room that you are using the colour in faces to the west (low sun/red toned light). This can make any colour change into a far warmer pink, orange, yellow or red-toned colour. Personally I would be inclined to use an unrelated neutral creamy colour as the main with the Resene Double Haystack as the feature. That way there won't be the same problems. You could check out Resene Clotted Cream.
September 2015
|
||||||||||
Q. My kitchen and living room are open plan, with lots of windows which look out into the green garden. I am having the kitchen redone at the same time and was thinking of the ceiling, doors and trim in Resene Half Rice Cake, and kitchen cabinetry also in Resene Half Rice Cake, but I didn't know if the walls should be Resene Rice Cake, or more of a contrast like Resene Eighth Sisal or Resene Quarter Sandspit Brown? Or whether I should just do Resene Rice Cake walls with white trim, ceilings and cabinetry. I was hoping for a warm white effect... not too stark A. It is my opinion that White trims, ceilings and cabinetry are a style classic - timeless and elegant plus the ultimate in allowing decor flexibility. It doesn't matter what colour you choose for walls, now or in the future, it will always work with White. Using Resene Rice Cake which has a tiny touch of green in its undertone may reflect the green garden in a nice way - whereas Resene Eighth Sisal is a cream with a touch of rope beige in it - natural but more of a colour. Resene Quarter Sandspit Brown carries more pink edged beige - possibly not my first choice for the walls but it is really your choice - colour is personal. I think you need to paint up all of the testpot/two coats onto A2 card (available from Resene ColorShops) leaving an unpainted border all around the edges so you focus on the reality of the colour. The A2 card allows you to move it from wall to wall so that you can see how it alters in different qualities of light - both natural and artificial. You can pin it to the drapes and the upholstered furniture and see how it looks with them and stand it vertically on the carpet (as it would be seen if the walls were painted) and check out what works and what doesn't. Testpots used this way are your best friends.
September 2015
|
||||||||||
Q. I am planning a new kitchen. To cope with my horrible old kitchen I painted the drawers and cupboards using testpots we had in the shed. I like the effect and want to incorporate that into my new kitchen. The main place this would happen is a new wall unit with sliding cupboard doors and then perhaps one of the colours would be on the other cupboards, drawers etc. Anyhow, I am not totally happy with the colours I already have and wondered if you could come up with some options for me. I am looking for a soft effect rather than a riot of colour. Currently, the living room walls are in Resene Botticelli and the kitchen walls are in Resene Surf. I don't mind changing the colour of the kitchen walls but want to keep the Resene Botticelli. The drawers also use Resene Botticelli and Resene Surf and two other colours I don't know the names of. I am not a great fan of the current pink on the drawers. I would also like a cottagey cream colour that I could use for the open shelf in the wall unit and possibly for some of the cupboards. There will be lots of stainless steel bench! A. Perhaps you might check out one of these as your cottagey cream colour – Resene Clotted Cream or Resene Half Pearl Lusta. I like both the Resene Surf and the Resene Botticelli for the walls in kitchen and living room but I do wonder about using slightly different variants of these two colours on the kitchen units - i.e Resene Escape and Resene Summer Green with a slightly brighter watermelon pink Resene Glorious (yes I know you don't want pink but this one is so delicious and the secret is to use far less of it than the other colours) and Resene Melting Moment. If you went with paler colours the effect may be softer (more like gelato) but the happy aspect of the colours recedes. With paler colours you may need to use a 'whiter' cream in order to not overpower the whole look - i.e Resene Quarter Pearl Lusta or Resene Double Bianca.
September 2015
|
||||||||||
Q. Looking at going with Resene White Pointer weatherboard exterior and COLORSTEEL® Grey Friars roof. If I'm wanting to blend my joinery into the weatherboard what colour do you suggest? A. You don't indicate whether your joinery is wooden and will be painted or you are using powder coated metal joinery. I am guessing that it is powder coated metal and there isn't a lot to choose from in the way of colours. You might look at these colours – Canvas Cloth or lighter – Warm White Pearl. If your joinery is wood and will be painted you have quite a few options. You could try Resene Half White Pointer, Resene Quarter White Pointer, Resene Black White or Resene Sea Fog.
August 2015
|
||||||||||
Q. I would like some advice on a colour that you think may suit the exterior of our house. We have COLORBOND® called Façade. We are looking for a colour to paint the foam which will be rendered. We are also looking for a colour or another material for a balustrade we will be putting on the balcony. A. Usually it makes a nice statement to create contrast. You might look at using a paler colour for the rendered polystyrene surface as this is usually the recommendation for this type of surface. Try Resene Merino, Resene Double Sea Fog, Resene Quarter Truffle or Resene Quarter Silver Chalice. You might look at using a much darker colour for the balustrade, perhaps powder coated metal frame work and clear glass in between or a metal louvered siding and square edged posts in a powder coat - possibly also for the front door to make a statement, or on fencing around outdoor leisure areas. You could try COLORBOND® Night Sky or Monument.
August 2015
|
||||||||||
Q. We are looking at repainting our house. The door is cedar with a rich kwila stain. The house is Hardiplank® with pine battens. The windows are 1960s gold aluminium, which we don't want to highlight. A. If you are repainting the house and you have such a gorgeous stained front door you might look at using colours like these ones – Resene Sisal or Resene Double Akaroa. These colours may hide the gold aluminium window joinery a little bit. Or alternatively these deep earthy colours may appeal to you – Resene Evolution, Resene Triple Ash or Resene Double Tapa.
August 2015
|
||||||||||
Q. I have painted Resene Double Spanish White on the walls of a (cold in winter) bedroom. I wanted to paint part of the chest of drawers and bedside cabinet with a complementary colour. The bedside lamp is very similar to Resene Regent St Blue. Do you they think they would complement each other if I painted the fronts of the chest of drawers and bedside cabinet? The bedroom is fairly large. A. I suggest you leave that type of cool pale blue for small accessories or cushions because if there is a bit too much blue it may feel colder. The colour for the fronts of the chest of drawers and the bedside cabinet may need to have more warmth and richness to offset the main wall colour and the 'cold in winter' feel to the room. You could check these colours out to see if they appeal to you – Resene Dynamite or Resene Pohutukawa, or or rich deep blues – Resene Regatta or Resene Bunting. But if you were feeling that the room needed a little more 'luxe' you might look at a metallic old gold colour like Resene Ignition.
August 2015
|
||||||||||
Q. I am hoping for advice on a light grey colour that would be warm looking to put in a bathroom. It needs to look good with a white bath, toilet etc and chrome fittings. I am just worried about grey making the bathroom feel cold. A. You might like to check these warm light greys out to see if they appeal to you – Resene Rakaia, Resene Double Concrete, Resene Quarter Foggy Grey, Resene Eighth Stonehenge or Resene Half Mountain Mist.
August 2015
|
||||||||||
Q. I am thinking of doing a feature wall in the master bedroom with Resene Half Robin Egg Blue, with the rest of the walls in Resene Half Thorndon Cream. Do you think this would be an alright match or is there another neutral you could suggest? A. I think the colours look good together. But if you wanted the Resene Half Robin Egg Blue to look a bit deeper than the main wall colour then you could use a slightly lighter version - i.e Resene Quarter Thorndon Cream. This enhances the Resene Half Robin Egg Blue a bit more.
August 2015
|
||||||||||
Q. I am looking for a colour for our living/kitchen/lounge area. We are having dark oak wooden flooring and Titania joinery. I am looking for a warm neutral that is not too yellow. It will be a very sunny area. The rest of the house we are planning on doing in Resene Half Thorndon Cream with charcoal carpets. A. You might look at these colours to see if they appeal to you – Resene Quarter Foggy Grey, Resene Half Ash, Resene Truffle or Resene Eighth Friar Greystone .
August 2015
|
||||||||||
Q. We have a 70s yellow Summerhill stone house with a recently painted Resene Grey Friars roof. What colours would you recommend for the windows (wooden), deck, fascias and tin parts under the fascias? We are partial to the charcoal grey palettes. A. You could check out a lighter version of the roof colour - Resene Quarter Grey Friars - for the deck and fascias and the tin parts and perhaps windowsills. A lighter neutral colour that you might consider for the window joinery - Resene Half Sea Fog - isn't too stark. Alternatively if you prefer to use a grey for the window joinery - but not as dark as the other grey - you could look at Resene Half Stack or Resene Grey Chateau.
August 2015
|
||||||||||
Q. Renovating. Up to choosing paint colours for interior and exterior. We have cabinetry in Resene Eighth Thorndon Cream with black granite benchtops. Wanting an off-white wall colour. A. If you want a 'white' colour that is lighter than the kitchen cabinets you might check out these two options - Resene Alabaster or Resene Eighth Pearl Lusta. Deeper colours that will work with the kitchen cabinetry that you might consider are Resene Half Thorndon Cream, Resene Quarter Bison Hide or Resene Eighth Truffle.
August 2015
|
||||||||||
Q. Could you please suggest some colours to paint our soffits and fascia board? The construction is cedar weatherboards stained in Pioneer Wood-X stain. The aluminium joinery is Silver Star and the guttering is Sandstone Grey. A. If the guttering is Sandstone Grey is that the colour also of the roof? A lighter colour that looks good with Sandstone Grey is Resene Half Gauntlet and a deeper colour (similar) is Resene Quarter Ironsand. Lighter colours for under the soffits that you might consider are – Resene Double Sea Fog or Resene Barely There.
August 2015
|
||||||||||
Q. I'm looking for a grey colour that would suit natural wood colour. There are two colours of wood in the room - Resene Oregon and Resene Jarrah Stain on Jarrah (the darker one). The walls are Resene Rice Cake but I would like a grey feature wall. A. You might consider using a 'coloured' grey that has a undertone of green in it to balance the rich warmth of the wood colours and the sharpness of the Resene Rice Cake. Try Resene Quarter Gravel, Resene Tapa, Resene Eighth Masala or Resene Transmission.
August 2015
|
||||||||||
Q. Where do I paint a contrast facade of a house? Do I leave it one colour? I don't want a strong contrast, just a subtle contrast. I was thinking of a light linen colour as I want to decorate French provincial inside so don't want it to look too modern. A. I think if you use more than one colour on the exterior it may look too contemporary and modern for the mood you are trying to create. You might look at using Resene Albescent White or Resene Merino for the 'linen' look.
August 2015
|
||||||||||
Q. We have a plaster over brick home, a plaster retaining wall and a 1.8m high fence around a swimming pool. Currently the house is yellow/straw/cream. We want to create a modern/Mediterranean look, but our roof and gutters are Resene Karaka, and we're not planning to repaint the roof. Any colour suggestions for the exterior walls, retaining wall and fence? Preferably not green. A. It may be hard to achieve a modern/Mediterranean look with the Resene Karaka roof and gutters as it does tend to push you toward cream, greens and browns. You might look at whiter colours with a hint of warmth in them - very modern looking and a traditional Mediterranean look. Check these colours out: Resene Half Sea Fog, Resene Eighth Thorndon Cream, Resene Half Merino or Resene Half Bianca.
August 2015
|
||||||||||
Q. For our weatherboard cottage we have Resene Quarter Gravel for weatherboards, Resene Half Gravel for gutters, fascias and pergola. We want a colour for windows that isn't stark white. The house is on a heavily wooded block, lots of gums and beautiful garden. Likewise, inside is Resene Craigieburn (full, half and quarter) and we want a trim colour that isn't stark. A. You might look at these colours – Resene Double Alabaster or Resene Quarter Rice Cake. The first is a slightly cooler 'white' and the second is a 'sharper/warmer' white - both would work with your colours - both for the interior and exterior.
August 2015
|
||||||||||
Q. I am helping a friend with some renovations and would like some colour advice. She has an open plan L shaped lounge, dining, kitchen layout. With her furnishings I would really like to go with a soft grey colour in the lounge – perhaps something like Resene Half Surrender accented with white trims. The problem is that the kitchen is quite an old creamy colour. I’m thinking we could do the lounge walls grey and then paint the dining wall which leads into the kitchen a complementary colour to the grey and cream cabinetry. Can you recommend a neutral shade that would complement the grey/white and the cream? A. The cream cabinets in the kitchen are a sticking point in making the whole scheme come together but if your friend is keen on the cool silvery look of Resene Half Surrender you could use a mid toned grey/blue as the link colour as this could work with the cream cabinetry. Perhaps look at these colours – Resene Neutral Bay, Resene Revolution or Resene Hammerhead. Accessories in the kitchen in upbeat orange like Resene Blaze might help also.
August 2015
|
||||||||||
Q. We are renovating and have decided on a Scyon LINEA® weatherboard house with COLORSTEEL® Surfmist roof, fascia and gutters. I thought the trim and the windows would be white. The builder thinks it would be better to have Surfmist window and trim to match gutters etc. We are planning on painting the walls Resene Foggy Grey. Would Surfmist be better than white for the windows? If not, which white would be best? A. If you want to create a distinct contrast between the roof, fascia and gutters - COLORSTEEL® Surfmist - and the main house colour - Resene Foggy Grey (and not have everything on the house merge into a mass with no visual interest) then you might use one of these powder coat 'whites' – Warm White Pearl or Appliance White. These ones have a tiny bit of warmth and look really nice and crisp against the Resene Foggy Grey and make a contrast so that the roof etc looks like a subtle colour and not a white.
August 2015
|
||||||||||
Q. We have a stucco house that has shutters on the windows. At the moment we are thinking about Resene Double Tea for the body of the house and would like to know what colour to paint the shutters and trim. Can you suggest any good combinations? A. I can think of several options open to you - one is to use a 'whiter' colour for the shutters and trim so that they pop off the deeper main colour and the other is to embrace deeper colours which attract attention or a combination of both. For lighter/whiter colours try Resene Sea Fog, Resene Half Rice Cake or Resene Quarter Thorndon Cream. For darker colours – Resene Coast, Resene Half Bokara Grey, Resene Cobblestone, Resene Everest or Resene Red Earth.
August 2015
|
||||||||||
Q. We are renovating our red-brick veneer home and would like to paint the exterior. Not sure what the roof colour is but similar to the Ironsand joinery we are thinking of. We would like an earthy/grey colour and unsure whether to go light or dark. A. You may need to carefully test colours to see which depth of colour looks best. On an exterior colours often appear lighter due to bright natural light stripping the depth of the colour. Perhaps start your earthy/grey journey by looking at these colours – Resene Quarter Ironsand or slightly deeper - Resene Half Ironsand, or Resene Gravel or slightly lighter - Resene Half Gravel, or Resene Masala or slightly deeper - Resene Double Masala, or Resene Triple Friar Greystone or lighter - Resene Friar Greystone . There are much lighter variants of most of the colours as well that you might investigate.
August 2015
|
||||||||||
Q. We are thinking of changing the lounge colour using Resene Half Spanish White. Would like to paint the dining room/kitchen a lighter yellow than it is now, and the kitchen cupboards a cream colour as well. Would appreciate any ideas. A. You might consider using gradations of the Resene Spanish White palette of colours so there is a harmonious flow of colours – Resene Half Spanish White for the lounge, Resene Double Spanish White for the dining/kitchen and Resene Eighth Spanish White for the cabinets. Or slightly warmer creams that may work well with the tiled floors – Resene Half Solitaire for the lounge, Resene Half Haystack for the dining/kitchen and Resene Quarter Solitaire for the cabinets.
August 2015
|
||||||||||
Q. We are about to paint the interior of our house. It is currently a mixture of Resene Half Napa and Resene Napa on feature walls. We get all day sun, but are hoping to brighten our home up a bit. We like neutral tones but are looking for an earthy off white colour scheme. We've got testpots of Resene Merino, Resene Half Thorndon Cream and Resene Milk White, but it's all beginning to become a bit confusing. We hear Resene Black White mentioned a lot. We are trying to avoid cooler grey tones and looking for a good neutral that just looks good, and blends in - no yellow whites either. A. Resene Black White is the epitome of a cool greyed white, so if you are trying to avoid cooler grey tones I think it would be wise to leave that colour off the 'to try' list. A handy hint - never ever apply testpots to already coloured walls. This makes you see the tested colours completely wrong - it only will confuse you further. Apply all of the testpot/two coats to large A2 card (available from Resene ColorShops) but leave an unpainted white border around the edges of the card so that you can truly judge the colour against the white border. You can move the card from wall to wall/room to room also so you can see what changes of natural light, shadow and wall angles do to alter the colours, and they will alter often to a surprising degree. Of the colours that you have mentioned only Resene Merino and Resene Half Thorndon Cream have any earthiness to them and then only to a very subtle degree. Perhaps try Resene Eighth Parchment and Resene Eighth Fossil - compare them to Resene Merino and Resene Half Thorndon Cream. The one that looks best with your existing carpet, drapes and furniture (unless you are replacing all of these things) will make its presence known and if it doesn't it is because the colours aren't right and you need to keep searching. My other advice is not to listen to what colours other people mention - they may be perfect at their place but not necessarily at yours. Testpots used the way I mention are your best friend.
August 2015
|
||||||||||
Q. I want to check that the colour choice I have made is not going to be too green tinged. I have been advised to paint my kitchen/living/dining walls in Resene Quarter Thorndon Cream and also my kitchen cabinetry, trims and ceiling in Resene Alabaster. A few people have said that the Resene Thorndon Cream range is green based so just wanting to check it won’t look too green. I am trying to create a white look but not a cold white. A. If the rooms get maximum sun on them and never shadow then the colour will look warmer. However it is a subdued cream with an element of green undertone in it so this may appear more definite in dim light and shadow. It really is a case of painting up huge samples, A2 card (available from Resene ColorShops) and if you use all of the testpot/two coats on this card leaving an unpainted white border all around the edges it will help you a lot:
If you do all of this,and there are no short cuts and this is where you find that testpots are your best friend, and you do find it creates too much 'green' for you then you could test Resene Triple Alabaster (Resene Half Sea Fog) to see if it might be better.
August 2015
|
||||||||||
Q. We have Matai wooden floors and an older style house. We are wanting to choose an internal wall colour for the living space. We tried Resene Quarter Parchment; however it's appearing very yellow near the windows, which looks terrible. We think its picked up the ceiling and wood floor tones. We'll be painting the ceiling plain white. Suggestions for colours to use with Matai floors would be fantastic. We also intend to use the same paint colour for hallway and kitchen. A. All colours when painted around windows (a source of natural light) will look far deeper than you might expect. So the creamy tone looks a lot more yellow. Resene Parchment, in any of its variations, has a lot of yellow/green earthiness to it, so yes it would pick up any 'woody' colours and develop more colour. Matai is a warm coloured wood - a red/ginger tone quite unlike Rimu which has more yellow in it - and generally I find any neutral that carries some undertones of warmth looks better with it. You might look at these colours - Resene Half Spanish White or lighter - Resene Quarter Spanish White, Resene Quarter Akaroa, Resene Quarter Solitaire or Resene Double Bianca, or richer/warmer - Resene Nougat.
August 2015
|
||||||||||
Q. I have painted my hallway in Resene White Pointer which came out darker grey than I expected and has a cooler colour hue than the testpot. The trims are plain white and so is the ceiling. The hallway is quite dark with eight doors and a metallic grey carpet. What colour would you recommend to paint the doors please? I would like to give it a warmer feel. A. I am not sure that a warmer colour on the doors will make the Resene White Pointer look warmer and lighter but if the trims, the ceiling and the doors were all a warmer 'white' like Resene Half Bianca it might help. Pure white only serves to make Resene White Pointer look cooler and greyer plus using a deep coloured carpet only adds more darkness to the area as it absorbs any light and creates more grey/shadow. You might try another way of making the hallway seem lighter and warmer using incandescent light bulbs (it is a warm yellowish light) in the light fittings (not LED) and placing mirrors opposite any sources of light (doorways to sunny rooms) so that a lot of reflected light lifts the wall colour.
August 2015
|
||||||||||
Q. I want to paint a group of wooden chairs in different bright colours (red, orange, greens, blues etc). Which tone/colour suggestions can you advise me on? I have Resene Yabbadabbadoo on kitchen cupboards, Resene Black on framework, and lighter turquoise and lime on the sofa and armchairs. A. You have an scheme that features bright but cooler colours now so it may be appropriate to introduce a few warm colours. There are thousands of possibilities but you might check out these colours to see if they appeal to you - Resene Scrumptious, Resene Curiosity, Resene Juicy, Resene Whale Tail, Resene Poppy, Resene Adrenalin, Resene Kakapo or Resene Resolution Blue.
August 2015
|
||||||||||
Q. I'm struggling to find a warm white exterior colour for a LINEA® board new build. I need a white that's going to complement cedar features. A. On an exterior in bright natural light colours often appear lighter/whiter so you may need to test one or two to ensure you get the 'right warm white'. You might check out these ones - Resene Quarter Villa White and slightly deeper Resene Half Villa White, Resene Rice Cake or Resene Quarter Thorndon Cream.
August 2015
|
||||||||||
Q. The previous owners of our house had terracotta tiles laid on the floors. Each of the main tiles are graduated in colour with colours ranging from a pale terracotta to a darker blush. It does limit the colour choices but I want to achieve a light fresh approach. The open areas of the living room, lounge and kitchen are large and get a lot of light. We have tried colours and they don't work, so I would like to try a neutral colour, but not a grey white or cold white as these don't go well with the tiles. The kitchen has white cupboards and bench top. A. You do have a dilemma don't you? At different times of the day and night the colours in the tiles may alter. If you are wanting a neutral white then perhaps you might test these to see how they look with the tiles and how they associate with the 'greater white' of the kitchen cabinets - Resene Eighth Spanish White or Resene Half Bianca.
August 2015
|
||||||||||
Q. We are painting the interior of an old 1960s weatherboard home that has dark chocolate almost black floorboards and feels quite small throughout. We want to freshen and brighten the space without it feeling too 'yellow'. We would like it to feel bigger and are looking for a shade of white that will do the job. We are also looking at exterior house colours and like Resene Arrowtown, Resene Akaroa or the Resene Bison Hide colours. The house is north facing. A. Try these colours to see if they appeal to you for the interior - Resene Sea Fog, Resene Black White or Resene Half Merino. For the exterior you might also check out Resene Half Napa as it has less yellow/brown undertone and more grey/beige which is a smart look.
August 2015
|
||||||||||
Q. Would you be able to recommend a white paint for the barge boards of a house with the right tones to work with Resene Woodsman Smokey Ash stain? A. Check out these 'whites' to see which appeals to you - Resene Sea Fog or slightly deeper - Resene Double Sea Fog or Resene Half White Pointer.
August 2015
|
||||||||||
Q. We are doing up our kitchen soon and are wanting some advice. Our walls, trim and ceilings are all Resene Double Black White which the previous owners painted. We like the colour and are considering using it for our kitchen cabinetry. Would this look nice or would the whole area look too stark and too black white? Resene Alabaster is another colour we are considering for the cabinetry. Would this go well with our Resene Double Black White walls? Do you have any suggestions of whites for cabinets that would go nicely with our existing Resene Double Black White? It's an apartment with the kitchen, dining and lounge altogether so we don't want to introduce too many new colours. A. The Resene Double Black White will work really well with Resene Alabaster. The lighter/whiter kitchen cabinets will look fresh and clean. The fact that the ceiling and walls are the same colour may make the Resene Double Black White look greyer/deeper. You might consider repainting the ceiling in Resene Alabaster later on to get a lighter look that emphasises the greyness of the Resene Double Black White in a smart contemporary way. Another 'white' option that you might consider for the kitchen cabinets is Resene Quarter Black White.
August 2015
|
||||||||||
Q. We have a new build. Because it is on the horizon the local council only gave us three roof colours to choose from. Between getting consent and ordering our COLORSTEEL® the first two colours became obsolete. Now we have a COLORSTEEL® Thunder Grey roof, which is fine, but we now have to change the colour of the exterior walls as in the original consent they were to be either Resene Pale Oyster or Resene Craigieburn - both of which are grey and now the roof is grey we need more of a contrast on the walls. Which colour would you recommend to go with the Thunder Grey roof that is also quite in keeping with blending into a grassy paddock on a hill? A. Your new roof colour is a sludgy green edged grey so you still need to look at earthy tones. Try these colours to see if they appeal to you - Resene Bison Hide, Resene Double Truffle, Resene Arrowtown or Resene Triple Ash. These colours blend more with every lichen green, dried grass or tree bark colour so hopefully they will be appropriate.
August 2015
|
||||||||||
Q. We are building a new house with an open plan kitchen/living area. The kitchen is having Eurostone a pebble light grey benchtop, Irvine cappuccino Marbella vinyl and the lounge area will have warm greyish carpet. The ceiling is natural stained plywood. The splashback will probably be Laminex aquapanel zinc lustre ripple. We are looking for ideas for colours for the cabinets (some will be natural ply but not all) and smallish areas of painted walls. We like blue tones and have thought of maybe Resene Marathon or something lighter for the cabinets. A. I do like your idea of using a blue. If you like Resene Marathon (teal blue) you might also check out Resene St Kilda (slightly bluer in hue) and perhaps some lighter options like Resene Kumutoto (a maritime aqua/green) and Resene Meltwater (blue aquamarine) or even Resene Awash (slightly more muted blue with a warm green undertone). In short I think you should embrace your inner blue! If you should need a pale/whiter blue/grey edged neutral colour look at Resene Half House White or Resene Quarter Surrender.
August 2015
|
||||||||||
Q. Can you please suggest a colour schemes for a 1950s red brick house? The entire exterior (gutters, eaves, windows, garage door and roughcast) needs repainting. The roof tiles are a muddy light green and the back half of the house has aluminium joinery in a colour very similar to Resene Canterbury Clay. I'm not a big fan of the joinery colour and don't want to continue it in the paint on the street-facing side of the house, but need to use colours that will respect it. The front of the house is north facing. A. It is always a little more difficult to pull colours together if one doesn't respect what is already there - so because of that I suggest you use a little bit of Resene Canterbury Clay on the front and back door then the coloured aluminium at the back of the house will have a 'friend' and if at any time the windows are replaced with a more neutral or whiter colour then it is only the doors that will need to be changed. For the gutters, eaves and windows and door surrounds you might look at these bright/clean colours to see if they suit you - Resene Half Pearl Lusta or Resene Half Villa White. The garage door and the stucco base of the house could be just the one colour or a lighter and darker colour. You might look at these colours - Resene Bone White, Resene Touchstone or Resene Windswept.
August 2015
|
||||||||||
Q. We are going to repaint our house and want a colour to match the doors and Rimu wood trims that we have at the moment. Our doors are Resene Half Spanish White so we were thinking maybe Resene Tea or Resene Half Tea or those warmer beiges. If we use Resene Tea or a similar colour do you paint the ceilings white or Resene Quarter Tea? A. Resene Half Spanish White is a rich warm cream and any warm beiges would have to work really well with that colour. I do have reservations about Resene Half Tea but the deeper/warmer Resene Tea could work well. Alternatively you might check out these warm beiges - Resene Half Drought, Resene Nougat, Resene Biscotti or Resene Fossil.
August 2015
|
||||||||||
Q. Colour for my kitchen? We have grey tones for cabinets and benchtop and black for an island benchtop. The floors are rimu. Which colours would go with it? A. Because grey and black lead naturally to 'whites' you might look at these colours to see if they appeal to you for the walls - Resene Sea Fog, Resene Quarter White Pointer, Resene Rice Cake or Resene Quarter Thorndon Cream.
August 2015
|
||||||||||
Q. We have a 20 year old townhouse which we are about to re-carpet and paint. For the carpet we are thinking of a light beige/anchovy nice neutral colour and then for the main house walls perhaps Resene Half Sea Fog, then kitchen cupboards sprayed in Resene Double Sea Fog or Resene Triple Sea Fog, leaving toe kicks the same or Resene Half Sea Fog. The bench is dark. We also have banisters and doors to paint. A. The colours sound really nice but a word to the wise: the Resene Triple Sea Fog can throw out an undertone of green/grey in some lights - are you wanting to create that sort of colour? Toekicks often get quite grubby so, again, something for you to consider. If you don't want to be down on your knees washing down to keep it very 'white' then you might consider doing these the same colour as the cabinets. Painting the doors and banister railings the same as the kitchen cabinets is a good idea - very neat and simple.
August 2015
|
||||||||||
Q. I'm having a bit of trouble getting it right with the paint colour for our new home. We have Momentum for the roof, black window frames, three pillars for a feature stacker stone in earth colours (browns through to charcoal), the entrance is merbau wood pillars with the same stacker stone at the base. We also have Scyone which I want as a contrast colour. The whole house is rendered and the alfresco tiles are a charcoal colour. I did choose Resene Quarter Napa for the main colour and Resene Stonehenge for the contrast but I don't think I have chosen correctly. A. Perhaps you could look at using two related colours on the house instead of two un-related colours. Sometimes this is a good way to keep the balance and harmony. If you like Resene Quarter Napa as the main colour then you might consider using Resene Double Napa for the contrast. Alternatively if you really like the Resene Stonehenge for the contrast you might consider using Resene Eighth Stonehenge as the main colour. Another pair of colours that works well that you might find appealing is Resene Eighth Pravda as a main colour and Resene Pravda.
August 2015
|
||||||||||
Q. I wonder if you could solve a problem. I am painting a single building containing four two-storey units, each with separate owners. We are rebuilding in Christchurch and are having difficulty agreeing a scheme. Grey Friars was suggested for the corrugated iron roof and downpipes. The walls are weatherboard and we have three schemes: I suggested Resene Tiebreaker walls/Resene True Blue shutters/Resene Rice Cake trims. Two suggested Resene Eighth Stonehenge walls with Resene Cobblestone shutters and Resene White trims or there is the original scheme which was white walls with dark blue green shutters dating from repainting sometime in the 90s. Two owners are keen to have darker walls than the original white as they do not want to have to clear them of dust as we are on a busy road. I should add that I have just been speaking to some of the owners who are adamant that the shutters must be a dark, dirt-resistant colour. (They had opted for Resene True Blue for that reason.) I feel one of the problems for all of us is that some of us see COLORSTEEL® Grey Friars as grey/blue, and some as grey/chocolate brown, and I really don't know which is accurate. The people who see blue tend toward a grey blue palette, while the people who see grey/brown tend toward brown/beige/greenish colours. A. Firstly COLORSTEEL® Grey Friars is a grey with a steel blue undertone. If people saw it as a grey/chocolate brown I would have to ask if they are viewing large A4 samples of this colour in real paint (all these Resene colours, including the COLORSTEEL® roof colours, can be viewed this way at your local Resene ColorShop Colour Library) or are they looking at the computer and seeing the colour in a 'not true to reality' way? This is a very real problem with colour seen in print or on a computer. The only other reason one might see COLORSTEEL® Grey Friars as a grey/chocolate brown is if one had bad cataracts in their eyes. The first option - the blue/grey palette - is well balanced and harmonious and the colours might be COLORSTEEL® Grey Friars roof, Resene Tiebreaker for the main colour, Resene Half Rice Cake trims and Resene Biscay for the shutters. The reason I have suggested a lighter trim colour (a half strength version of Resene Rice Cake) is to add a cleaner/crisper 'white' as a contrast. The reason I have suggested a different deep colour for the shutters is to work better with the main colour (Resene Tiebreaker) as Resene True Blue is too bright a cobalt blue to associate well with the Resene Tiebreaker which has a purple undertone and suits the Resene Biscay better. Blue colour schemes for houses are having a surge of popularity at the moment because of the desire for pretty coastal influenced sea and sky colours or a desire for a feminine chalky blue French cottage inspired look. The second option - the stone/grey palette - is very popular as a warm modern look. If the roof was COLORSTEEL® Grey Friars then I would suggest a lighter cleaner white - Resene Half Wan White for the trims and altering the shutter colour to work better with the main colour of Resene Eighth Stonehenge. I feel Resene Cobblestone is not harmonious as it carries a lot of green olive tone which has no relationship with the other colours - perhaps you need to look at using a deeper grey like Resene Foundry for the shutters. However, if the Resene Cobblestone is the preferred deep trim colour then it may be wise to change the main colour to a more earthy hue like Resene Eighth Stonewall so the olive tone of the trim has a 'friend'. Warm earthy grey/beige colours are popular for many reasons but one that might help with decision making is that these colours hide a lot of windblown dust and dirt and road film from passing traffic. The most important thing that you might do is to purchase a set of A4 samples of all of the colours so that no one is under the misapprehension as to what these colours truly look like. When there are a lot of people with equal input who all want to choose/make decisions it can cause a lot of problems. August 2015
|