SMALL SPACES
Use colour to bring those awkward areas in a home to life
MOST OF US HAVE at least one small space in the home that can be tricky to maximise with a beautiful statement. Here are some tips on how to make them big on style.
Often these spaces have more potential than we think.
Do you have a tricky corner that would benefit from bespoke shelving painted in an on-trend green-blue? Or is your forgotten under-stair area screaming to be reworked into a storage cupboard in a moodenhancing colour? Either way, the benefit of creating storage out of unused space and decorating it in an eye-catching way is two-fold.
When it comes to an entire room that is on the small side, it can be hard to know how to approach decorating it. While there is an array of beautiful white shades, there are plenty of colours available that suit small rooms.
Laura Heynike, director of Pocketspace Interiors, says: “If you want your media room to feel cosy, opt for a darker hue. Alternatively, you may want a lighter colour in a lounge to draw the eye further out to the perimeter of the room. This doesn’t mean you must have white walls only, just soft palettes that allow your eye to work that way.”
Dark hues can create depth. We all love a nurturing, cocoon-like space, so get cosy with on-trend hues such as rich, chocolatey Resene Monkey, the calming regal navy of Resene Licorice, earthy grey Resene Armadillo or Resene Cinnamon. Continue painting your chosen colour from the walls up across the ceiling too.
Add tactile textures amongst pools
of layered light via table and floor lamps. If painting a small room in a dark hue, accent it with elegant items with shiny surfaces or bright colours to lift the space. Mirrors reflect light back into a room too, and light-toned furniture will enhance the sense of space. Tie in side or coffee tables in colours such as Resene Cargo, Resene Kilamanjaro or Resene Clover.
More of us are adding our personal touch with the way we use paint. Try painting a mural. It might be on your child’s nursery wall, family office nook or a small living area. It will allow your eye to draw up and around the room as it provides visual interest and depth, making the room feel larger. Try creating an illustration in Resene Bingo and Resene Apache against a neutral Resene Merino background.
Brenda Ngatai, colour consultant at Resene, believes a small separate space gives far more colour options than an open-plan space. “Separate rooms provide opportunity,” she says. “You could go bold or dark in colour, full wallpaper or a wall mural.”
A dramatic, dark colour will enhance rooms in which we don’t spend much time, either because we are always passing through it (an entranceway) or briefly visiting (a powder room), says Penny Fussell, interior designer at Home Creative.
“When used effectively, tones can be repeated throughout the house to create a colour story for your home,” she says.
Varied tones are livening up smaller kitchens too. “We’re enhancing coloured cabinetry again,” says Laura Heynike, director of Pocketspace Interiors. “Try a Resene colour on kitchen cabinets but go a tone darker than the surrounding wall colour, staying in the same family. For instance, use Resene Eighth Truffle on the wall and Resene Truffle on the cabinetry to bring depth, or vice versa.”
When artist Greer Clayton painted her small family bach Resene Double Sea Fog, it made an immediately lighter and more spacious impact on the timber Lockwood home. “We didn’t want to miss out on bringing in some colour, so the kitchen cupboards were painted in Resene Pale Leaf and the red benchtops were painted in Resene Alabaster.”
If your small room has a vista out to trees or a garden or trees, an easy green such as Resene Linen will provide a seamless link outdoors. Coupled with plenty of lush potted plants indoors, the link between inside and out will feel smooth, thus enhancing the space of your room.
Prefer lighter shades? Blue-greens create the illusion of space — try Resene Ziggurat or Resene Gulf Stream, complemented by Resene Foam or Resene Jet Stream on furniture or accents. And if you like sweet, creamy neutrals, lift a room with Resene Quarter Pearl Lusta or Resene Gin Fizz, for a more spacious feel..
For more ideas and inspiration, see the Resene Inspiration Gallery online at www.resene.co.nz/ inspirationgallery, then visit your Resene ColorShop for all the expert advice and products you need on decorating projects.