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From the Resene colour inspiration – latest looks gallery

For the past two years, shapes, motifs, colours and finishes reminiscent of the Art Deco era have been all the rage.

While it’s a trend that shows no signs of slowing down any time soon, the truth of the matter is that it is still a trend – one that will eventually fade in popularity.

It’s easy to get excited about new trends, especially if you’ve got a big decorating project on your hands like kitting out a new home. When shopping around for new furniture, you might feel like you have to go all in on something that won’t be around forever when you’re surrounded by the latest craze in every showroom you step foot into. After all, you should expect your major furniture purchases to last you a good while when you’re making such a significant investment, and you won’t want things to start feeling stale a year or two down the road. Luckily, you have two handy tools at your disposal that can free up some headspace to focus on choosing classic, timeless pieces for your home that you truly love while still being able to embrace the trends du jour and sticking to your budget – simple DIYs and Resene’s range of fashionable paint colours.

It may come as a surprise, but you don’t need to be super savvy with power tools to create your own décor items. These days, many components that you need to build a range of cool yet uncomplicated furniture are widely available and come pre-cut so that you can skip the need for seemingly scary saws altogether. But when you want a little bit of extra uniqueness and flair, hiring a jig saw will get you a long way – or you can always leave your local cut shop to tackle the tougher sawing for you.

This pared down space features a strong base with Resene Half Alabaster walls and Resene Rakaia floors, which are ripe for layering in character, creativity and colour, while the Pause Voile curtains in Blonde from the Resene Curtain Collection bring a touch of softness and warmth. The furniture includes a simple, classic armchair, a cream-coloured rug and an interesting yet neutral angular timber floor lamp. From here, it’s easy to layer on any trend you desire through cushions, decorative accessories and, of course, accent paint colours. This space has a timeless beach feel by bringing in soft Resene Pattens Blue and Resene Ship Cove to support woven fibre and shell motif accessories. But, to bring in a touch of today’s Art Deco trend, try getting a little crafty.

The first Art Deco-inspired DIY project, an arched corner divider, helps to physically set this cosy reading corner apart from the greater living area and minimise visual distractions. You can build this using two sheets of 1200mm x 600mm pre-cut MDF. Trace an identical curve onto each and cut with a jig saw. Screwed the edges of the two panels together so that they stand at a right angle, fill the holes with wood filler, then sand them down and remove any roughness from the cut edges. Wipe all surfaces with a clean, dry rag to remove any dust then coat with Resene Quick Dry primer using a small smooth surface foam roller. Once dry, paint the entire screen in two coats of Resene Lustacryl semi-gloss waterborne enamel tinted to Resene Half Alabaster so that it blends in with the walls. Measure and mask sixteen vertical stripes so that eight are centred on each screen. To add an extra bit of flair, don’t carry the stripes all the way to the top or bottom of the screen. Trace a large platter lightly on the bottom left and top right sections with a pencil, mask along where the curve and stripes meet, then paint the stripes in Resene Pattens Blue.

Create the second side table project using a 50cm diameter pre-cut MDF circle and six 32mm x 1.8m wood dowels cut into thirds (60cm long). Use a wide cardboard mailing tube to create the base, using strong quick dry adhesive to affix the dowelling to one another around the tube and then to the base of the circle. Wipe all surfaces with a clean, dry rag to remove any dust then coat with Resene Quick Dry primer. Apply two topcoats of Resene Lustacryl, allowing the first to dry before adding a second.

If a beach theme doesn’t feel like the right fit for you, you could easily play up the trend factor of this space with an olive-hued velvet chair, a simple brass Art Deco style lamp, and swapping out Resene Pattens Blue and Resene Ship Cove for pretty Resene Pale Rose and eye-popping Resene Code Red.

Accessories — White chair from Wolf & Co, runner rug from Kmart, lamps from Lighting Plus, artwork by Brenda Clews, basket, circle vase, throw and shell cushion from H&M Home, blue and white ginger jars from Bed Bath and Table, cushions and throw from Adairs, curtain from Resene Curtain Collection, shoes from Seed, candle from Flo & Frankie, sunglasses from Rubi, olive chair from Contempa, boots from Zara, tiny ceramic vase from Formantics, tall thin glass vase from Good Thing.

Project by Melle van Sanbeek. Images by Bryce Carleton. 2021