Gently does it

WATCHING THE CLOCK as the working week passes, weekends spent catching up with family and friends amid the after-effects of the unsettling past few years; it is easy to feel the weeks sweep by quickly.

But when you do get the chance to have some free time, there’s nothing better than spending a few hours or a day at home.

If you feel like you’re still struggling to unwind even when you have the time, look at your surroundings. Is it time to create a more harmonious gentle interior? Somewhere that celebrates serenity and restoration. If you want to ramp up an ontrend vibe at home, your starting point should be colour. And in this case, pastels are your friend.

For years, pastel colours have been associated with youth — pale pink or yellow bedrooms for girls and baby blue or soft green for boys, generally speaking. Today they adopt a more dynamic, softer, romantic role rather than pale and bland.

Resene design advocate Brooke Calvert says that the wide array of pastel colours available is ideal for adding a tranquil home base. “They are the perfect blend to brighten up or create a sense of calm in any space; I love the soft quality they offer and how easily they can incorporate into an existing scheme.”

There are several ways to use these hues successfully in your home, and one look she is obsessing over is the interior colourwashed plaster finish. “Pastel shades seem to work very well with this look, particularly colours like Resene Dawn Glow, Half Perfect Taupe and Awaken.” These hues lean towards milky beige and mango-pink, soothing and pale, which lend a light, optimistic feel.

“For a standard paint finish to complement your pastel colours on interior walls, I suggest opting for a flat finish like Resene SpaceCote Flat waterborne enamel or low sheen finish such as SpaceCote Low Sheen waterborne enamel to complete the look.”

So where to start? Let’s take the bedroom, the ultimate calming space in your home. For this room, Calvert suggests a palette centred around blue, itself calming and tranquil. Blues are known for their soothing and de-stressing qualities; soft shades make this hue the perfect choice for a bedroom.

The key is that although blue dictates the room’s mood, its shades vary. A pale blue can be youthful, whereas a richer, dark version can offer atmosphere and something moody, with mid-range brights providing an element of fun.

“Imagine you are redecorating your

Quiet pastels mean nothing visual shouts out at you or looks like it doesn’t belong. This wall has been split into two plains of colour, the darker version acting almost as a headboard. Project by Annick Larkin. bedroom, and you want to create a restful but fun look; paint the walls and flooring in Resene Timeless, team it with white Alabaster for the ceiling and trim, then add accent colours on an arched-shaped mirror in Jordy Blue, Sail and Timeless,” she says.

“For a pop of colour, paint a side table in Sail Away.” Hints of unexpected bold colours will modernise the space, grounding the pale colours. “Bring in small elements of dark navy or black to avoid the space from being too wishy-washy.”

Consider how you want the room to feel; for something more sumptuous, you might minimise the pastel, using a more significant amount of darker hues instead. Alternatively, more pastels will lend an airier, lighter feel.

Not to mention a warm greige that will lend an earthier touch.

Calvert says pastel shades can work in any space when the tones are paired and used correctly. “From soft shades of Resene Duck Egg Blue on bedroom walls to rosy, pink kitchens, there are a lot of stylish ways to incorporate pastels, and this doesn’t have to be limited to just the walls.”

When bringing in pastels to a space, how do you ensure your interior evokes a soft romantic feel, and doesn’t just look washed out? Calvert suggests teaming your colour with a crisp white like Resene Double Alabaster on the trim and ceiling to help lift and brighten up the space: “Or bring in a bold accent colour like Salted Caramel on

a piece of furniture. You’ll find lots of fun colour options in the latest Resene The Range fashion colours fandeck.”

The role of pastels today is edgier than the sugar-sweet ones of yesteryear. They’re replaced by colours that in the past may have seemed unusual in the past. So don’t be afraid of mixing pastel with a stronger version of its colour.

Let your blue be in a bright, zesty form, such as Resene Wet N Wild, the perfect contrast to the milky mango pastel of Tacao.

“Contrasting with dark colours takes pastels to a modern, dramatic, more grownup look, taking away from the usual ‘cutesy’ and soothing look we all know pastels to be,” Calvert says. “For example, paint your walls in Resene Eau De Nil a tranquil pale green and pair with Off The Grid a mid-toned green — as opposed to keeping the whole scheme light and airy.”

While you want to pay attention to which colours make your heart sing, there is an element of formula that should be applied when using pastels. “To get a balanced colour scheme with your selected pastels, a good rule to follow is the 60:30:10 rule. 60 per cent is the main colour (for most of the walls, and perhaps some furniture and a rug), 30 per cent is the secondary colour that supports the main colour (for example, drapes and linens) and 10 per cent is the exact accent colour (cushions, lamps and accessories); it could also be a bold paint colour.”

To get a flawless finish with your paint colours, Calvert suggests studying the tones of the colours you want to use, ensuring there is an element of consistency among them. “The trick to using more than one pastel is to use colours with the same saturation or tint levels. So, either all dusky pastels together or all light and bright pastels together.”

For more advice, visit your local or ask a colour expert online at

Mitchell Itches by Kristin Kelly, illustrated by Amelina Jones, EK Books, $27.99

.. .. .. .. .. Koro’s Star by Claire Aramakutu, Scholastic, $20.99

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Meet Mitchell, a boy living with eczema who discovers he has a special talent playing the guitar as he tries to keep his itchy hands busy. Through his journey to becoming a music sensation, we are taught valuable lessons about empathy for others, bullying, resilience and the joy of being unique. The story is born from author Kristin Kelly’s own experiences living with eczema.

Karina Cooper

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This winner of the 2023 Storylines Tom Fitzgibbon Award is aimed at children 8-plus.

Atama is nervous at the start of his summer holidays. His dad is about to leave for Vietnam for an unknown amount of time and the family has just moved to a new army base. That leaves him and his younger sister, Maia, with their mum while he is gone. Atama has to make friends at the new camp, never easy for the new kid. To help him find strength, his dad leaves him with his koro’s medal, handed down after his death in World War II. His koro never came home from the war — will his dad come back? Atama hopes the medal will give him courage as he faces new friends, a bully and an initiation into a club that means he has to face the unknown.

Great characters and kids will relate to Atama and his search for friendship.

— Ann Kilduff