Five makeover ideas to spring into

Windows can be opened, temperatures are optimum for paint drying and surfaces left mossy or mildewy by winter weather are ready for some care, attention and fresh coats of colour.

Here are just some ideas for spring – or summer – makeover projects that will leave your home looking fresh and smart inside and out; most of which can be done in a weekend.

Make a grand entrance

One of the most effective areas to focus on in a spring makeover is the front entrance to your house, says Resene Colour Expert Christine Hodges.

“Say goodbye to the drabness of winter by tidying up the front porch,” Christine says. “Start by cleaning away any dirt, dust and cobwebs with Resene Paint Prep and Housewash and treat any moss and mould with Resene Moss & Mould Killer, following the instructions.”

One of the most common – and most fun – ways to revive your front porch is by painting your front door, she suggests. “Choose an unexpected colour that makes you smile, every time you come through the door.”

Dark reds or burnt oranges are a popular front door choice that often work well with neutral exteriors with muted green-tinged off-whites or yellow-toned creams. Try Resene Lusty against exterior walls and trim in Resene Colins Wicket or Resene Moroccan Spice against Resene Half Stonewall. A neutral trim in Resene Half Pearl Lusta works well with both of these combinations or opt for a crisper, sharper finish in Resene Black White.

There are no rules as to the colour you choose. A spiced ochre like Resene Horses Neck gives a nice tonal complement to a home in Resene Greige or lighter Resene Half Nomad.

If you’re more of a minimalist, look to paint your door just a shade or two darker than your home’s exterior colour and add contrast with a crisp trim. If your home is painted in soft grey Resene Half Stack, try a door in Resene Stack with surrounding trims in Resene Alabaster.

For a bolder, yet still achromatic neutral finish, paint your door in almost-black Resene Jaguar.

If you have space, furniture like a simple bench seat or a shoe cabinet can be another way to add personality and colour to your front entrance.

To complete your new-look front porch Christine recommends adding to, or complementing, the colour scheme by painting planter boxes and pots. “As well as pulling the colour scheme together, it allows you to add flowers and shrubs to greet your visitors,” she says. If you can, add a colour from your front entrance to your street-side mailbox or another planter in the garden to pull the whole front yard together.

Create space

Look around your indoor and outdoor spaces to see if there’s an area to create a comfortable and relaxing ‘chill out’ space. It might be as simple as a lounger under a tree with an upcycled table, painted or stained in your favourite Resene colour, for drinks and snacks.

Outdoors, you could mark out a small area or create a path to your retreat space with painted pavers to place a table for morning coffee. Add colour by preparing your concrete pavers with Resene Concrete Primer, then use Resene testpots in your favourite colours to create your own colourful design or pattern. Or for a non-slip finish you can paint your cleaned pavers in Resene Non-Skid Deck & Path.

Surround your outdoor calm zone with moveable wooden planters on castor wheels so you can arrange the space to suit the sun, breeze or to accommodate larger and smaller numbers of people. Wooden pallets are a great upcycling material to use for DIY planters. Finish them in Resene Woodsman wood stain. A dark stain shade like Resene Charred Black makes a great backdrop for flowers and greenery. Just add fairy lights!

For a retreat zone inside your house, try and find a corner for a favourite chair or even a pile of comfy cushions. Paint around that corner, including the floor and ceiling in a different colour to the rest of the room, even just a shade or too darker than your room colour will mark the space out as separate without competing with your existing colour palette. Try Resene Double Tea against walls in Resene Quarter Tea for a neutral look. It’s a simple visual trick that makes your reading zone feel separate and a bit more secluded even when it's part of a bigger room.

Add personal touches like throws, and if you have space, add a moveable trellis or screen, painted to match your colour scheme for adding privacy.

Add colour where you can

One of the simplest ways to give your home a fresh look for spring is to look for easy ways to add colour. If you live in a neutral space, just adding a few bursts of colour can give both your interiors and yourself an instant lift.

Christine suggests getting your kids involved in simple colour projects like painting plant markers for the vege garden. “Use Resene testpots on the markers and add the names of veggies, herbs and flowers decorating with colours they like. Try using old pallets cut down and sanded so there’s no sharp edges.”

Resene colour expert Madison McLeod suggests another kid-friendly project by painting old, clean jars. “They make great planting pots for your kitchen herbs and spices.”

They can also be excellent storage solutions for small kids’ toys or art supplies that the kids can paint themselves to add some colour to their bedrooms or play space. It’s a particularly great way to add a colour boost if you’re in a rented home and can’t paint your walls.

“Paint a rectangle on the front of the jar in Resene FX Blackboard Paint and write a label for the jar’s contents in chalk so it’s easy to clean and change when needed.”

Painting the cupboards in your kitchen is another quick way to give your home a spring refresh. If you’ve been living with an all-white or all-neutral kitchen, a touch of colour on even just a couple of cupboard doors or drawer fronts can make it feel new and contemporary.

It needn’t be bold brights either. Try a soft green like Resene Tic Tac Toe against greyed whites, a delicate blue like Resene Double Duck Egg Blue or subtle yellow Resene Moondance.

The other simple way to add a seasonal colour update to your interior is by adding a feature wall. Even a small wall in a bathroom or spare room adds an instant boost and can be easily, and affordably repainted when your tastes change or you want another spring makeover!

Paint floors and ceilings

Giving flooring and ceilings a fresh coat of paint or Resene Colorwood wood stain will immediately give your rooms a fresh spring facelift – and don’t feel as though you must stick to classic stained wood floors and white ceilings.

Painting wood floors can be a practical option if your floorboards are damaged or stained and need a little more camouflage than a sheer stain would give.

In larger rooms painting flooring in dark shades can anchor the space and create a sleek, sophisticated base underneath showpiece rugs. Try a moody brown like Resene Chocolate Brown, and to keep the room feeling light and airy, opt for walls in a watercolour green like Resene Carefree or a beige like Resene Karry with trim in Resene White.

Painting ceilings anything other than white or cream can be quite a hurdle for many of us to cross, but the impact on your space can be huge. For a subtle look that still adds interest and colour try a pale pastel like Resene Half Pale Rose. Deeper sunset shades like Resene Summer Rose or Resene Dawn Glow will add drama, while still being muted enough that the room still feels airy and light. Pair your bolder ceiling with tonally similar walls such as Resene Inspire and a crisper white finish like Resene Alabaster.

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August 05, 2024

There are plenty of ways you can bring spring into and onto your home. Visit your Resene ColorShop for everything you need to get your spring project underway.

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