WEATHERED BLUES GO FROM SERENE TO STORMY
Blue. It’s a colour almost everybody loves in one shade or another from glacially pale to inky dark, or veering into green-edged tones of teal and turquoise. With its associations of sea and sky, blue is a colour that immediately evokes calmness and serenity, summoning memories of sundrenched summer holidays.
No shade of blue better inspires that feeling than the on-trend range of weathered blues. It’s a trend that has its roots in the Scandi look of recent years, but also the growing desire for more organic, lived-in interiors full natural materials, easy-on-the-eye colours and a certain eco sensibility.
Weathered blues are shades that have a greyed, washed look to them and a slightly worn-in, matt effect that allows for a relaxed but stylish finish to any room. They work particularly well in sun-drenched spaces as well as bathrooms and kitchens. They are comfortable and easy; much like a favourite pair of faded jeans.
It’s a colour that speaks to our collective national leanings toward casualness and friendliness. And one which suits a country where the coast in never too far away.
Look to the latest Resene The Range fashion colours fandeck for inspiration: Half Dusted Blue, Resene Slipstream or Resene Remember Me, as well as the classics like Resene Duck Egg Blue and its variants.
The look also slips easily and gently into misty and mid-toned greys such as Resene Grey Seal and Resene Silver Chalice.
THE HAMPTONS, ROUGHED UP
The simplest expression of the weathered blues trend is as a more ‘lived in’ version of the classic Hamptons style or nautical look of navy and white, softened with pale wood and natural fibres.
Weathered blues make for a more interesting tonal look than classic pale neutrals, and are being seen in either all soft, ethereal schemes of lighter blues, or can be punctuated with darker tones for interest. Where once navy would have been used to provide this visual depth, the trend is for smoky and stormy blues such as Resene Coast, Resene Artemis and Resene Safehaven. These anchor a room and prevent the look from becoming too floaty and ethereal.
Blues such as these work well with crisp, cool whites such Resene Black White or Resene Alabaster.
For accent colours, we’re seeing bold interpretations of sand, flax and pale timbers in colours such as Resene Influential, Resene Just Dance and Resene Peace, along with soft furnishings in natural fibres like flax or linen, and items in rattan or cane.
For a more classic, simple look, the accent colours being used are paler versions of these such as Resene Bubble N Squeak, Resene Despacito and Resene Secrets.
The overall effect of layers of weathered blues like this, and unpolished fibres and materials, is of a space that is low maintenance, well-loved and comfortable, rather than being a meticulous show home. It’s a perfect look for the bach, but also a great way to bring a beachy vibe into the family home wherever it may be – the suburbs, city or rural.
STAIN AND TEXTURE
Weathered blues have a translucency that can also be found in colours from the Resene Colorwood and Resene Woodsman stains ranges. The hugely popular Resene Colorwood Whitewash and Resene Colorwood Greywash are a perfect match to a collection of weathered blues – the first has a more classic finish while the second exudes a smokier, sophisticated feel and comes in two strength variations: mid and light.
For a deeper blue-grey finish, Resene Colorwood Greywash can also be applied over darker stains such as Resene Colorwood Pitch Black. The advantage of stain is that the wood grain of the original surface shows through, adding interest and texture for the eye. It’s a great way to create a ‘shabby chic’ look for any room - emphasis on the chic, especially when paired with more saturated colours of the same tone.
Many natural textures and fibres work well with stained finishes, emphasising the paredback approach: natural, canvas, hemp, rattan, bamboo and cork as well as lush green plants for serene, spa-like living spaces.
OTHER WAYS TO USE WEATHERED BLUES •
Layer a room in the full set of one shade, for example Resene Duck Egg Blue alongside its half and triple intensities. A classic approach is to use the palest version on the walls and/or ceiling and then layer furniture and accessories in darker versions of the colour. Add pops of bolder more saturated shades in both complementary and contrasting colours for depth and interest.
A pastel palette using soft grey-blues with subtle peach pinks such as Resene Ethereal or pale apple greens such as Resene Kandinsky.
A more surprising colour combo is to add splashes of gentle terracotta in Resene Sunbaked or you could even try pops of a buttery yellow such as Resene Chorus Line. When you’re matching shades from this part of the spectrum look for those that have a subtle bluish undertone themselves.
For an older school nautical vibe, use with spicy rich reds such as Resene Pohutukawa and buttoned-up navy such as Resene King Tide.