New life

From the Resene colour inspiration – latest looks gallery

Repurposing current household favourites in soothing new hues and calming tonal colour schemes can completely transform a space.

More often than not our grand plans for the bathroom can quickly rack up the bills. So, instead of heading to the shops, turn your gaze inward to see what you can do with what you’ve already got. With the right amount of care and attention, and a fresh lick of paint, items lying around the house can be given new purpose.

Flooring is an often-overlooked area for repurposing and upcycling. If sanding back your existing timber floor to uniformed perfection isn’t viable because of labour, time and costs (or simply because of the type of material), embrace this mismatched aesthetic and get the paint roller out. In this bathroom, the floorboards have been painted in a mixture of Resene Raven, Resene Half Raven, Resene Gull Grey, Resene Regent Grey and Resene Kensington Grey. The wonderfully soothing grey-blue hues are just different enough to add visual interest but avoid looking garish by staying within the same colour palette as the wider room.

Top tip

Worried about creating uneven lines between the many colours on your floor? Use good quality masking tape to delineate one area from the next, being careful to remove any bubbles that may have gotten caught. Allow your paint to fully dry before remove the tape. This will be a slow process, but the extra time spent is well worth it.

Using items for something other than their original purpose is another great way to create a unique, cost-effective space. The vanity in this bathroom, for instance, began life as a set of drawers. But, with a bit of plumbing and a fresh coat of Resene Bermuda Grey, they’ve been completely transformed and are fit for their new purpose. Likewise, the garden screen, which has been painted in Resene Half Black White, is now a chic room divider.

Blue has long been touted as the best hue for bathrooms thanks to its soothing, calming nature and ties to the sea and sky. Tonal or monochromatic decorating is a great way to create a balanced, harmonious space. Create a tonal colour scheme in blue and you’ve got yourself the recipe for the ultimate relaxing space that is sure to remain truly timeless.

The key with monochromatic decorating is having all the hues in the same tone or tint family (be it cooler tones or warmer tones) and accenting with darker and lighter variations to provide contrast and create depth. In this bathroom, Resene Cut Glass on the wall makes a statement as the feature colour for this tonal look. Complementary soft greys on the basin and the ladder, such as Resene Silver Chalice, serve to carry the blues on their tonal journey. Contrast comes in with the side tables painted in the inky, icy blue of Resene Avalanche, in the striking black of the basin mixer and in the clean white of Resene Black White on the duckboard and room divider, which punctuate but don’t detract from the colour narrative.

Because some visual relief from the sea of blue is needed, a sculptural leaf from a Monstera plant (also fondly known as the Swiss-cheese plant) cuts through for an injection of lively green. If you’re wanting to break through the swathes of blue a bit more, incorporate corals pinks like Resene Paper Doll, gentle mauves like Resene Marionette and natural textures like woven mats and baskets. These additions won’t detract from the overall look at all. Rather, they’ll work to highlight its best features: the continued sereneness, the clean yet comforting palette and the quiet sense of luxury.

Project by Megan Harrison-Turner. Images by Bryce Carleton. 2021