Different parts of the room also reflect light differently. An off-white used under a window will look darker than the same colour used on the opposite wall. An off-white used on the ceiling will look much darker than the same colour on a wall because there is less light reflected. Use a half strength of your wall colour on your ceiling for balance. The paint sheen level can also affect the way the colour looks. A flat paint will make the colour look muddier and denser, while a gloss finish will make it look cleaner and brighter. Deciphering whites On the Resene Whites & Neutrals fandeck, beneath each paint swatch is the name and a code. Codes that start with Y for yellow or B for brown describe warmer whites, good for cool, south-facing rooms. Cool whites have G for green and N for neutral (which means black, or rather grey once you put it with white). Use cooler whites to take the visual heat out of north-facing rooms. Right: Walls in Resene Rice Cake. Far right: Walls in Resene Ecru White. Resene Spanish White Resene Pearl Lusta White is white is white – right? Wrong. When you’re decorating, there’s white (which you can buy as Resene White),and there are a slew of other‘whites’ or off-whites, with touches of yellow, green, brown or grey turning them to alabaster, chalk, ivory, cream. Our search for just the right white is what makes the ReseneThe RangeWhites & Neutrals collection so popular. With their yellow base, Resene Spanish White and Resene Pearl Lusta have the ability to lift a room and warm it visually. They and their varying strengths still take out many of the top places in the Resene’s most popular paint colours each year. Conversely, colours like Resene Sea Fog and Resene Alabaster have a cooling effect. Using white Whites and off-whites pick up on other elements in the room. If you have lots of greenery out the window, expect your walls to take on a green look. Use a strong blue rug or furniture, and your walls will pick up on that. Positive – Visually, white heightens our perception of space, so it’s ideal for small rooms. Representing hygiene and cleanliness, it’s also a popular choice for kitchens and bathrooms. Other traits include purity, simplicity, sophistication and efficiency. Negative – Can indicate sterility, coldness, barriers, unfriendliness and elitism, and can make warm colours look garish. white Resene Sea Fog Resene Alabaster 60 |