From habitat magazine - issue 26, editorial
Looking at homes that use neutrals well makes me instantly relax.
Yes, neutral colours are nice. They’re easy to live with, and come in a huge range of variations from icy white through toasted browns to dense greys and inky blacks (the Resene Whites & Neutrals fandeck has close to 400 colours). Looking at homes that use neutrals well makes me instantly relax.
But... when I first saw the image that graces our cover this issue, something in my heart started to sing. Strong, bold, jewel like colours can be overlooked in preference to ‘safer’ choices but when you see not just one but three intense wall colours used in one area (if you count the fireplace), it shows that going all out can bring stunning results. I just want to sit in that velvet chair with a large glass of something red and not come out until spring.
Bold colour is an element not often associated with eco housing but the home featured on page 18 flips that notion on its head.
If you’re nervous of strong colour, one way to introduce it is in feature walls or in creative DIY projects. We have some to inspire you this issue, for adults and for kids – check out "wonder walls", "bit on the side" and "fun times".
Another way to cosy up your home for winter is with tactile, beautifully made fabrics. We check out the trends for this year and show some of the latest ranges, including new designs from the ever-growing Resene Curtain Collection. See "7 fabric trends".
Have fun with all elements of your home, inside and out, this autumn and winter. Happy reading.
Sharon Newey editor
Somehow when it comes to choosing colours for our homes, many of us feel bound by invisible rules. But who made up all these rules that we’re expected to follow? As one of our colour experts always says, ‘your home, your choice’, and she’s quite right. If you love the way it looks, then it’s right for you.
When making bold colour choices, sometimes it’s hard to know exactly where to be brave. If you’re new to using colour, the easiest place to be brave is with things you can change easily.
Unless you’re starting from scratch, in any scheme there are often existing materials that have to be taken into consideration and which might clash with the paint colours you want to use – the roof, joinery, benchtops or carpet. These elements are hard or expensive to change regularly, so if you have the opportunity, it’s good to think ahead and choose colours for these that go well with many other colours. That way you will have more freedom to change your paint colours down the track to a whole new look.
A front door or a feature wall, on the other hand, is very easy to repaint in a day – so you can indulge your favourite bold colour and easily repaint it to another colour when you feel like a change.
As you get braver with colour you can easily extend your colour choices to more walls, ceilings, floors, furniture and accessories with a few litres of paint.
Take your time and choose colours that you’ll love to live with. Happy decorating!
the Resene team
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Printed copies of habitat highlights are available from late March 2024 at Resene ColorShops and resellers, while stocks last. You can view back issues of habitat magazine online.
Specifiers:
If you have an idea, project or story that you think would suit habitat, we’d love to hear from you. Please drop us an email with your details and include photos if submitting a project.
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