Plaid-tastic

From the Resene colour inspiration – latest looks gallery

If you have one or more neutral walls in your home that are screaming out for colour and zing, it’s time to take action! Lure out your creative side and get graphic with paint in a way that will leave a lasting impression.

There are plenty of patterns with which you can apply paint to a wall, depending on your taste. When it comes to gingham, there’s something undeniably timeless and classic about it. Combined with a fresh, modern hue, you have the perfect partnership. Whether you want to add personality to a feature wall in a bedroom or bring the walls of a hallway to life, a bold plaid will make a real statement. It’s a sophisticated way to combine dramatic colour in a formulaic way and can help you to zone areas within your home.

Choose any colour that makes your heart sing, but consider the emotional impact of your colour too. The regal blue of Resene Indian Ink and Resene Rhino make their mark in this hallway and bedroom. With blue known to evoke stability and tranquillity, what better hue to walk through in your hallway or wake up to in your bedroom each day? It symbolises a place to reset and recharge.

Select a dark shade for the horizontal strip and a light shade for the vertical line. The background should be light enough for both colours to shine. Ours is in Resene Sea Fog. Once you conquer this stylish paint design on your wall, relish in the satisfaction of a job well done. After all, this DIY project is easier than you may think!

Sometimes in a bedroom a little fun is needed on the walls, but not necessarily throughout the whole room. A feature wall solves this issue. This plaid wall sits behind the bed, complemented by side walls in Resene Double Sea Fog, a hint darker than the background of Resene Sea Fog. Harmonise your bedroom by carrying one of the colours from your plaid throughout, such as the dark navy of the Resene Indian Ink. This appears in accents such as the fireplace, bedlinen and cushions. Create further depth by bringing in elements of lighter blue too, as we've used in the bedside table in Resene Rhino, and vase in Resene Kashmir Blue. Rugs in natural-coloured fibres such as jute or sisal, will soften the entire scheme. A simple cushion or mat in earthy tones does this easily.

It's easy to overlook the hallway as a place to get creative with colour and pattern. Such underused spaces have potential; it’s a matter of honing in on your creativity. The hall is the main thoroughfare in our homes, so it makes sense to express the personality of those who use it.

Once you do, you’ll be greeted by a cheerful, upbeat interior when you enter your home. When deciding on how to organise your hallway consider your family’s lifestyle needs. A bench seat provides a place to put on or take off shoes and the boxes underneath allow for a tidy place for bags, keys and shoes. These are accessible for any age, even the young ones, at the ideal height. And being under the bench they don’t take up valuable floor space. Personalise them with a colour dedicated to each member of your household, to give some order to the chaos. Add a touch of welcomed greenery with a large plant in a pot in the same hue. A coat hook in the same stylish colour stores jackets and bags. Polish the scheme off with an artwork that stays in keeping with the general colour scheme. If you can’t find artwork to suit, create your own with a few Resene testpots.

With graphic use of your favourite colour, thoughtful accents and smart storage solutions, you’ll streamline your hall from a dumping ground into a chic, inviting space or your bedroom from bland to bold.

How-to create your own plaid feature

You will need:

• Measuring tape or ruler
• Pencil
• Level
• High quality painter’s masking tape
• 2 Resene testpots in 1-2 stripe colours of your choice – we used Resene Indian Ink and Resene Rhino
• Resene SpaceCote Low Sheen in a base colour of your choice (enough to cover your accent wall in two coats) – we used Resene Sea Fog
• Resene FX Paint Effects Medium

Step-by-step instructions:

1. Prep and paint your wall in your chosen Resene SpaceCote Low Sheen colour in two coats, allowing each to dry completely before applying the next.
2. Once your wall is dry, using measuring tape or ruler and a pencil, mark 10cm increments up the height of the wall on both the left and right ends.
3. Using a level and a pencil, lightly connect your measured marks horizontally.
4. Apply high quality painter’s masking along the lines, alternating your placement above the marked line, then below the next marked line, and so on.
5. Mix the entire contents of a Resene testpot in your first colour choice – we used Resene Indian Ink – with a quarter of Resene FX Paint Effects Medium. Stir to combine. Make sure you keep a note of the combinations you mix in case you need to mix more later.
6. Using a small smooth surface paint roller, and working slowly and evenly, apply your Resene FX Paint Effects Medium blend to each of your wider masked areas. Allow it to dry to the touch before removing your masking.
7. Once your wall is dry, using measuring tape or ruler and a pencil, mark 10cm increments along the length of the wall at the top and bottom.
8. Using a level and a pencil, lightly connect your measured marks vertically.
9. Apply high quality painter’s masking along the lines, alternating your placement to the left of the marked line, then to the right of the next marked line, and so on.
10. Mix the entire contents of your second Resene testpot – we used Resene Rhino – with a quarter of Resene FX Paint Effects Medium. Stir to combine.
11. Using a small smooth surface paint roller, and working slowly and evenly, apply your Resene FX Paint Effects medium blend to each of your wider vertical masked areas. Allow it to dry to the touch before removing your masking.

Project by Vanessa Nouwens. Images by Wendy Fenwick. 2021