COLOUR FEEL

• Published date: 23 June 2021
• Publication title: Stratford Press

At home, it pays to consider your paint and décor selection not only from an aesthetic standpoint, but from an emotional one too. Here we look at some hot-right-now hues and how you can use them on your walls to set the mood.

Sage and moss green

These greens offer a refreshing link to nature — something many of us need more of in these device-driven times. “There’s nothing nicer than gathering herbs, watering plants or trimming foliage in the garden,” Auckland-based designer Debbie Abercrombie says. “It’s never stressful, and that’s what greens can do for us indoors too. They’re also nurturing , and they’re suitable for any room in the house.”

Sage and moss greens are tranquil promoters of balance and harmony that offer a sense of growth and renewal. Enhance your wellbeing at home with favourites include reviving Resene Spring Rain, lucky Amulet, quiet Green Spring and smoky grey-green Tom Thumb. As they do in nature, such greens go well together: think forestry Dingley layered with Olive Green and misty Pale Leaf.

Embrace the natural theme by pairing sage and moss greens with timber, going for a soothing effecting by coupling them with white or cream from Resene’s The Range White & Neutrals palette, or aiming for a cocooning effect with several shades of grey such as warm, dense Resene Jumbo and Half Jumbo, or anchoring navy such as school-blazer blue Bunting.

Sunset pinks

The au courant cousins of the ever-popular blush pink, “sunset pinks make time stop,” Abercrombie says. “They soften and energise a space without being demanding, and are also rather romantic for a bedroom.”

Conjuring soothing images of tender moments and otherworldly beauty, sunset shades from sweet pastel Resene Pink Lace, to peachy Romantic, to lilac pink Twilight go dreamily together and are divine combined with sky blues, such as hazy grey-blue Smokescreen or slate blue and lilac Panorama. Pale yellows like lemony First Light are a welcome complement to this type of colour palette, as are taupes like Nomad and dusky corals such as Coral Tree.

Spice brown

This colour requires a measured approach, but the rewards are well worth a little more thought. “Just like cooking with spices, success generally depends on what you combine these colours with,” Abercrombie says. “I see brown as the support crew, making white fresher, pink softer, and so on. Use it in a media room for moodiness, or somewhere unexpected like an entryway.”

Resene Cumin is a warm copper...