COLOUR ME IN
Choose the shades that invoke the same feelings you find in nature.
Connecting the indoors with the outdoors has become one of our most desired design trends. It might be a seamless flow from a living room through French doors to a sweeping deck, or it might simply be connecting through colour to create spaces that are soothing and comforting. Adding Resene colours inspired by nature to our interiors can be one way to find a little bit of that serenity until you’re next able to run barefoot through the grass or take a long walk in the bush. Earthy neutrals
Neutrals are a good place to start on a colour palette that connects your room with nature and the outdoors. Resene Colour Consultant Jill Marsh suggests looking at warm whites, or even soft subtle greens and warm earthy browns, like Resene Open Sesame, which is a soft milky latte colour perfect for layering with sandy-toned Resene Tua Tua.
“Resene Rice Cake is a stunning light warm white, or you could try Resene Peace, which is a soft green that can feel fresh or tranquil,” she says.
Try warm white Resene Rice Cake paired with the fresh herbal green of Resene Caper. Or try the blackened finish of Resene White Pointer to anchor bolder colours like Resene Raspberry, or the chameleon-like sandy beige of Resene Half Fossil with the deep primordial green of Resene West Coast.
Green and beyond
When we think of using colour to connect our interiors with the natural environment, the tendency can be to go for greens. Green is a widely appealing colour that comes in a huge spectrum of shades. Try the colours of a rainforest canopy in Resene Permanent Green or Resene Rolling Hills, the pale leafy green of Resene Transcend or the lush lawn of Resene Green Pea.
Greens work very well with a variety of different whites and neutrals, and when they are paired with bare or washed timber, create a simple, fresh Scandi-inspired space. But interiors don’t need to stay neutral to connect you to the natural environment.
If you want a colour scheme that connects you to nature that you will find uplifting, inspiring or calming, think about the natural environments that most stimulate those feelings for you and try to recreate them through your colour palette. For rose garden or other floral prettiness, try soft pinks like Resene Valentine or classic red Resene Rudolph. Try the classic Kiwi red Resene Pohutukawa against pale grey-green Resene Eau De Nil or opt for deep fruity red with Resene Red Berry.
If you want to try tonal layers in your interiors, sunset - or sunrise - shades are beautiful ones to play with. Keep to different colour intensities of dusky-hued pink or apricot shades like Resene Soiree and Resene Dawn Glow with paler Resene Dust Storm and Resene Umber White. If you want to get more of a light to dark representation of a sunset add in notes of sky blue Resene Dream Big and even purple-toned Resene Epic.
If you want to recreate a relaxing beachy landscape, pair a sandy neutral like Resene Half
Tea, with parched tussock greens like Resene Field Day and the wild blue of Resene Deep Teal. Grains and texture
The other aspect to consider to really bring your nature-focused interior to life is to think about textures and finishes, says Jill Marsh.
She suggests bringing in natural textures, plants and flowers, as well as natural-looking flooring, or even wooden ply on the walls will give your room a relaxed cabin or bach feel. Protect the wood and show it off with a Resene Aquaclear waterborne urethane varnish coating or go for a washed weathered effect with Resene Colorwood Whitewash.
Rattan, cane and even stone all add visual interest and extra dimension to your room while keeping it connected to the natural, exterior environment, she says.
Spaces to try
The key to creating a successful and appealing colour palette that connects your interiors to the outdoors will come down to finding the shades that really speak to you and invoke for you the same feelings of calm and inspiration you find in nature.
For help choosing colours to suit your projects, visit your local Resene ColorShop, ask a Resene Colour Expert online, www.resene. co.nz/colourexpert or book a Resene Colour Consultation, www.resene.co.nz/colourconsult.