Elevate your bach

Holiday homes mean different things to different people. It might be an old-school small shack or even a caravan that’s been in the family for years; it could be a grand beachside home that’s the regular holiday retreat.

Either way, decorating your bach, inside or out, is a great way to let your personality shine and create a space that really reflects the colours, styles and design ideas that work for your family. It might be a total makeover or it could simply be reviving a piece of furniture. Either way, beaches are great places to experiment with colours and finishes you might not want to use at home, and that can give your whole bach a lift.

Resene Colour Expert Meryl Southey says: “Decorating at the bach is a great way to have fun. Here we can relax and encompass those designs perhaps we wouldn't use at our primary home; it’s a place to really express ourselves.”

Though it makes a degree of sense to go for coastal themes and colour schemes, like sea blues and sandy neutrals, Meryl suggests going beyond the expected to try something new.

If you don’t have the luxury of having a bach, you can borrow these ideas for your everyday home too.

Create a feature wall

“Embrace the quirky and fun with wallpapers such as the funny swimmers of Resene Wallpaper Collection ONB102696234,” Meryl says, suggesting pairing it with Resene Merino or a navy such as Resene Ocean Waves.

For a less-nautical, and more nature-inspired look try the tropical leaves and birds of Resene Wallpaper Collection 91343 paired with Resene Wan White, and deep greens and blues such as Resene Palm Leaf and Resene Bullitt, she says.

If you have an older bach, lean into its original era, with a 70s-inspired geometric pattern like Resene Wallpaper Collection 177504. If you are looking for more modern country charm try the vintage floral of Resene Wallpaper Collection E307302 paired with Resene Double Sea Fog to create a restful, calming space.

Other wallpaper designs, like the muted, but quirky arches and palms of Resene Wallpaper Collection 103846403 create an instant mural-style backdrop that can immediately change the whole look of your room.

Front door flair

Painting your front door with a new pop of bold colour is an easy way to add personality and a welcoming vibe to any type of bach, from simple cabins to chic new homes, Meryl says.

“It can also create a conversation starter with your neighbours, and even inspire others. It becomes a landmark for visitors too.”

Deep reds like Resene Aroha, burnt oranges like Resene Thunderbird or even bold greens like Resene Good To Go, are becoming increasingly popular shades for front doors that can make more neutral bach exterior colours look particularly smart and fresh. Other less expected front door shades could be sweet pink Resene Coconut Ice, which looks beautiful surrounded by lush leafy green plants, or Resene Idyllic, the colour of tropical lagoons which looks great with a planter treated in Resene FX Faux Rust Effect.

Freshen up the outdoors

Invest in weather-resistant cushions for deck chairs and loungers, Maryl says. “They give peace-of-mind knowing you don't have to change your cushions frequently due to weather damage and it means you can leave them outside.”

Once you have found a fabric you love, look at painting furniture or garden decor like planters to match, or stain wood surfaces in Resene Woodsman wood stain.

Before you start working on outdoor decoration though, Meryl says it’s a good idea to make sure your decking is cleaned with Resene Timber and Desk Wash and has been re-oiled or re-stained with Resene Furniture Decking Oil or Resene Woodsman Decking Oil Stain.

Repurpose old furniture

Baches are often repositories of older furniture and decor pieces like art and ornaments, which also means they can be a goldmine of furniture ready to be refreshed, which is a simple and cost-effective way of breathing new life into the bach, Meryl says.

Experiment with different paint finishes for different looks, she suggests. Resene Lustacryl is a water-based enamel that will give you an easy-care semi-gloss finish. For a more suede-like matt finish try Karen Walker Chalk Colour, which can be tinted to a range of Resene colours. Add a finishing layer of Resene Karen Walker Soft Wax for a slightly aged or antique finished effect.

To really bring the weathered, driftwood look of the beach inside your coastal bach, Meryl suggests the Resene Colorwood We Speak Beach range which comes in a ranged of muted washed shades like pale Resene Becalm, natural-toned Resene Bask and darker greyed Resene Shade, among others. These will add a light wash of colour to your timber while still allowing the grain to show through.

Changing soft furnishings like cushions and curtains will immediately freshen and reinvent your holiday home interior, without needing to take on a big decorating project, Meryl says. You can then take the colours of those fabrics and experiment with matching or contrasting paint colours, even in just highlighted notes like pots for plants, light fitting, a single shelf or an upcycled wooden stool.

An older dining table can be a fun way to play with colour. Paint your table a dark neutral like Resene Ironsand, then paint your chairs in different vivid tones like Resene Very Berry, Resene Roadster, Resene I Dare You and Resene Good To Go. Let your family choose their favourite colour for their place at the table.

If that’s too maximalist for your tastes, try more restrained, muted and earthy shades like Resene Red Oxide, Resene Tarawera, Resene Grass Hopper and Resene Permanent Green. Add an overhead light pendant in metallic Resene Gold for a note of bachy glamour.

Add personalised artwork and family crafts

“You can involve the whole family when it comes to creating personalised artwork or creative crafts,” Meryl says. Head out for a day of beach combing or bushwalking and collect items that you can group together in a creative way. It could be pinecones, shells, driftwood or even leaves and rocks.

Set the kids up with Resene testpots and fun products like Resene FX Nightlight glow-in-the-dark paint, and colours from the Resene FX Metallic range and let them paint their finds however they want. You could find an old frame to upcycle into a display box to showcase their creations. It's a fun wet day activity when everybody’s stuck inside or a good option when it’s too hot to be outside without getting burnt.

Painting pots for plants is another fun way to involve the whole family in your bach redecorating project, Meryl says. “Experiment with Resene FX Metallic testpots and Resene FX Faux Rust Effect on pots and decorative items for a rustic look.”

Look out for old painting canvases to upcycle by initially coating in a light neutral like Resene White – you may need a couple of coats to cover the work underneath. Once dry, grab your selection of Resene testpots and create your own masterpiece.

Painting your own artwork directly on to your wall is another way to create a beautiful, personalised feature wall. Paint your wall in a background colour of your choice then, when dry, pencil in your design, try a stencilled overlay design or simply freehand your image.

If you want something more abstract, you can create a watercolour style effect. Paint your basecoat then add your other colours diluted with Resene FX Paint Effects Medium, and with Resene Hot Weather Additive added to slow the drying time. Use broad strokes of each colour and after each application dip a wide brush into water to blend colours.

When working with Resene FX Paint Effects Medium it’s a good idea to do a test run on some spare wood or wallboard first and make a note of what you did to get the effect you like most.

Resene FX Paint Effects Medium can also give you lovely, weathered looks like lime washing or sponging that can work particularly effectively in baches for a relaxed ‘undone’ finish.

Paint the floor

Floors in holiday homes, whether they’re at the beach, the lake or in the bush, can have a hard life as everybody makes the most of that indoor-outdoor flow.

They’re often not the place for carpet, and wood floors or even tiles can become scuffed up over time. Add some flair and protect tired floors by giving them a coat of paint.

Treat your floor like a fifth wall, and an opportunity to add another layer to your overall colour scheme. Anchor it with a dark shade like Resene Coast, embrace the sandy look with Resene Parchment, or emulate the great outdoors with a fresh green floor in Resene Green Days.

For something more dramatic try a stencilled overlay to give the effect of a tiled finish, or, for a simpler checkerboard or stripe look. To achieve that look paint your whole floor in your lighter of the two shades, then measure and mask out squares and paint on your contrast colour. A classic Resene Black and Resene White combination is always smart, but you can mix it up. How about creamy Resene Spanish White with terracotta Resene Tuscany for a look that will feel super exotic and summery.

If you’re painting over a smooth surface like a stretch of wood or concrete why not try something intricate and unique like a large mandala design, using a stencil? These can often be found online, just remember to paint your mandala design from the centre and work outwards.

If you have wooden floorboards, adding a wash like Resene Colorwood Whitewash can give your room a charming, relaxed finish that pairs well with any colour scheme.

Floor painting tips:

• If you’re painting concrete that has been painted already, apply Resene Quick Dry waterborne primer undercoat, then paint two layers of your palest paint colour in Resene Walk-on. If you are painting onto bare concrete, make sure you prep it first and apply concrete sealer before applying your topcoat colour in Resene Walk-on.

• Resene paint expert Craig Hilliar says most wooden floors can be painted, but the condition of the existing floorboards will determine how much prep work is required. If the boards have a very hard solventborne finish or are in very poor condition, they may need sanding and a coat of primer or sealer before they can be painted. “What you’re looking for is a sound surface that the paint can stick to,” says Craig.

• Resene Walk-on paint is a hard-wearing non-slip paint designed for a range of flooring surfaces in both interiors and exteriors.

When you’re decorating a bach, it’s often best to break the project into lots of smaller parts and then just tackle one part each year. That way your bach will enjoy regular updates while you still have plenty of time to relax. And remember, many hands make light work. You might just find bach visitors are happy to lean a hand with some decorating in exchange for a nice BBQ dinner!

October 06, 2023

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