SUMMER LOVIN’ - BRING THE BACH HOME

Recreate the balmy days of summer holidays at home.

There’s nothing quite like that feeling that comes with a stint at the bach, or a family summer holiday of any kind.

If only there was a way to evoke those same feelings of peace and calm year-round at home.

Good news! There is. With some thoughtful use of paint, colour, and texture there’s no reason you can’t re-create the balmy days of summer holidays every day of the year.

Embrace the environment

Resene colour expert Meryl Southey suggests the soothing natural tones of the sky, sea and sand make a great colour palette to play with when it comes to recreating a bachy feel in your everyday home.

Meryl suggests juxtaposing mid greens, beiges and blues, such as Resene Double Duck Egg Blue, Resene Half Robin Egg Blue and Resene Awaroa Bay to create an inviting, holiday feel. Pair them with calming off-whites such as Resene Chalk Dust and Resene Half Carrara or brighter Resene Alabaster so the space feels airy and open.

If you’re a fan of neutrals, opt for sandy tones like Resene Sand, Resene Desert Sand and Resene Bronco. Want a stunning sunset vibe? Try Resene Solitaire with Resene Tuscany and Resene Soiree. Want a soothing native bush setting? Try Resene Sand with Resene Green Smoke and Resene Mangrove.

Add instant texture

Textured finishes on walls that make them look just the right amount of weathered is another way to bring a relaxed feel to a room.

One simple and quick way to do this, Meryl says, is by using a textured Resene wallpaper. Try the natural fibre look in an off-white with Resene Wallpaper Collection 38819-3, or the parched earth look of Resene Wallpaper Collection 38833-2.

A more elaborate wallpaper pattern can also immediately change the feel of a room, even if it’s used just on one feature wall, or in framed segments. Try the fresh delicate blossoms of Resene Wallpaper Collection SUM206, or the beachy waves of Resene Wallpaper Collection IF2-003.

Water and washed effects

Adding water-themed colour palettes and designs into your home can be a good way to recreate memories of past holidays. Colours to try together include Resene White Pointer, Resene Seachange, Resene Half Breathless, Resene Half Dusted Blue and Resene San Juan. If you want to get really creative try them together to create a layered water-colour style feature wall.

When it comes to what paint to choose for a relaxed beach house finish, Meryl recommends Resene SpaceCote Low Sheen. “It is a durable, washable paint that avoids a lot of finger marks on the walls and gives a lovely velvet effect.”

For an earthy softness she suggests Resene SpaceCote Flat for a matte finish, or Resene Room Velvet, a hybrid low sheen, which gives extra durability where required.

Indoor/outdoor flow

Try refreshing outdoor furniture or painting pots and planters with Resene Enamacryl (a tough waterborne enamel) or Resene Lumbersider Low Sheen (a low sheen waterborne paint) in colours you’ve used inside your home, or add interior furniture in materials often found outside like rattan and using a natural colour palette in greens and browns like Resene Wabi Sabi or Resene Open Sesame, or go for bold florals that reflect your garden like Resene I Dare You and Resene Coconut Ice. Decorate with foraged finds from the beach, bush or farm, Meryl says. Top tip: Resene Hot Weather Additive can help slow the drying time of your paint to give you more time to create the effect you want.

Natural light and life

Pull window dressings back to allow as much natural light in as possible. If privacy is an issue consider wooden or bamboo blinds that will still filter light through into your room.

If natural light is hard to come by, there are still some simple hacks that will help you make the most of what you have. Add a mirror to bounce around the light you do have, with added value that it can make your room feel larger and more open. You could also use a Resene Enamacryl gloss or Resene Lustacryl semi-gloss paint finish which will also add glints of extra light, or try touches of Resene FX Metallic which contains metal flakes that will help reflect more light.

If natural light is just too hard, make up for it with plants. Go for a mix of varieties and sizes so you get a layer of greenery that will add the fresh notes you’re looking for.

Top tip: When you’re trying to recreate the feel of summer bach holidays at home, don’t think too literally about the colours of a specific place. Think more broadly about how those summer holiday memories make you feel and choose the colours that help evoke those feelings.

Visit your local Resene ColorShop for all the quality paints, wallpapers and colours you need for your project. Get help choosing just the right colours for your place; book in a colour consultation with a Resene Colour Expert, virtually, instore or at your place.

Simply visit www.resene.co.nz/colourconsult to book.

Or use the free Resene Ask a Colour Expert service, www.resene.co.nz/colourexpert.

A natural toned colour palette, making use of Resene Colorwood washes and stains seamlessly connects this sitting room with the outdoors. The wall is painted in Resene Concrete, floor stained in Resene Colorwood Shade, cabinet and lightshade in Resene Nocturnal, trellis, stool and planter in Resene Colorwood Bask and table in Resene Triple Concrete. Sofa from Freedom. Cushions and throw from Adairs.

Sea blues and sandy neutrals layer with other natural colours and finishes for an easy-breezy relaxed space. Lower wall painted in Resene Dusted Blue with dado rail in Resene Atomic, and upper wall in Resene Linen, floor in Resene Colorwood Breathe Easy and bench seat in Resene Double Pavlova. Cushions from Nest-direct.com.

Bring all the warmth of a summer’s day with parched earthy tones and warm neutrals. These walls are painted in Resene Manhattan and skirting in Resene Dawn Glow, floor in Resene Colorwood Breathe Easy and bench seat and vase in Resene Ghost. Chair from Danske Møbler.