Let’s do lunch

Resene – Paint project, from Homestyle magazine

… and make it a long one like we’re summering in the Mediterranean at laden tables set up on the deck, in the backyard or at the beach.

A hand painted wall for your outdoor dining area

Accessories: (From left) Orange surprise-filled decorative ball, Italian Fruit candle, garden-objects.com. Candleholder, and Twisted candle, pair, by Anna & Nina; Paloma bag by Lalo, rubynz.com.

Get the look

When styling tablescapes like these, select a palette of three to five key colours to ensure a cohesive look you can roll out across everything from tablecloth to glassware to flowers.
Position tall floral arrangements between place settings, so the conversation can flow effortlessly around them.
If you prefer your dining table to be more pared back, arrange your food, drinks and decorations on a separate trestle table, as we’ve done overleaf. Consider your food to be decorative too — think exotic fruit, bright packaging and large platters that display a feast of colour.
Wide, coloured stripes are an instant mood booster. We’ve added them to the hero element in this scene — a tablecloth that could double as a picnic blanket. Before you commit to painting an entire piece of material, use inexpensive Resene testpots to trial different colours on some smaller fabric swatches.

Handpainted dining area with accessories

Painted table mats and coasters

Painted items: Wall in Resene Waterborne Smooth Surface Sealer in Resene Longitude and Resene FX Paint Effects Medium tinted in Resene Seachange; tablecloth in Resene Spacecote Low Sheen in Resene Pōhutukawa; placemats and coasters in Resene Spacecote Low Sheen in Resene Escapade, Resene Lemon Twist, Resene Sepia, Resene Stromboli, Resene Cararra, Resene Red Red Red and Resene Aviator; vases in Resene Waterborne Smooth Surface Sealer and Resene Spacecote Low Sheen in Resene Escapade, Resene Cararra and Resene Stromboli. Accessories: (table & chairs photo) Bistro folding chairs by Fermob, jardin.co.nz. Flowers, isadia.co.nz. Thrifted vases stylist’s own. Accessories: (closeup photo - from top left) Freemans linen fabric (used as tablecloth), marthas.co.nz. Small Checkers napkin, set of six, bonnieandneil.com.au. Coasters by Crafters Choice, set of six, spotlight.co.nz. Coucou glasses by Maison Balzac, pair, thisisfabric.com. Cutlery basket by Icon Chef, chefscomplements.co.nz. Cutlery, 24-piece set, acmecups.nz. Mansikkavuoret plate by Marimekko, boltofcloth.com. Afternoon Delight bowl, thearcdept.com. Ortiz sardines, sabato.co.nz. Placemat by Crafters Choice, set of six, spotlight.co.nz. Wavy bowl stylist’s own.

Go extra

Sketch ideas for painterly placemat, coaster and vase designs on a piece of paper. Apply a base coat of Resene Waterborne Smooth Surface Sealer to your vases, then paint them, your placemats and coasters with two base coats of Resene Lustacryl tinted with your chosen colours — we used Resene Escapade, Resene Lemon Twist and Resene Cararra. To achieve a smooth finish on your placemats and coasters, use a roller. When dry, draw your designs in pencil over the top before using small brushes to colour them with tinted Resene Lustacryl — we used Resene Escapade, Resene Lemon Twist, Resene Sepia, Resene Stromboli, Resene Cararra, Resene Red Red Red and Resene Aviator.

Line it up

Make this tablecloth by laying a piece of linen on a dropcloth. Mask a border by sticking two widths of 38mm painter’s tape side by side around the edges, ensuring clean lines by pressing it down firmly. Use a ruler and pencil to create your stripes; the thicker they are, the quicker they’ll be to paint. We stuck two lengths of 38mm painter’s tape side by side, leaving 76mm gaps between each tape stripe that we then painted with Resene SpaceCote Low Sheen in Resene Pōhutukawa. Allow to dry, then remove the tape.

Set the table

To recreate this graphic trestle tabletop, take note of our design — it’s dynamic, with lines and shapes that allow an interplay between our selected colours, yet uncomplicated to mask with painter’s tape. We used a roller to paint the entire table with two coats of Resene Lustacryl tinted with Resene Cararra. Once dry, mask out your pattern before painting over the top with two coats of Resene Lustacryl tinted with Resene Aviator. Allow to dry, then remove the tape.

Table painted detail

Accessories: (corner detail) Cutlery basket by Icon Chef, chefscomplements.co.nz. Cutlery, 24-piece set, acmecups.nz. Small Checkers napkin, set of six, bonnieandneil.com.au, Forge pickle fork, cittadesign.com.

Set the scene

Replicate this lime-wash wall effect with two base coats of Resene Spacecote Low Sheen tinted with Resene Longitude. When that’s dry, switch from roller to a large brush to apply Resene FX Paint Effects Medium tinted with Resene Seachange in a criss-cross pattern, before using Stockinette cloth (available from Resene Colorshops) to immediately wipe it in a figure-eight motion. Work quickly across the wall, aiming for an irregular but uniform finish.

Blue painted dining table with geometric pattern

Painted items: Wall in Resene Spacecote Low Sheen in Resene Longitude and Resene FX Paint Effects Medium in Resene Seachange; tabletop in Resene Lustacryl in Resene Cararra and Resene Aviator; vases in Resene Waterborne Smooth Surface Sealer and Resene Spacecote Low Sheen in Resene Cararra and Resene Lemon Twist. Accessories: (from back left) Alba cushion cover, Serena dip bowl, Forge pickle fork, cittadesign.com. Coucou jug, and glasses, pair, by Maison Balzac, thisisfabric.com. Checkerboard cushion cover by Castle, boltofcloth.com. Flowers, isadia.co.nz. Candleholder, and Twisted candle, pair, by Anna & Nina, rubynz.com. Afternoon Delight bowl, thearcdept.com. Wavy bowl and thrifted vases stylist’s own.