The colour code

“The combinations in nature are fail-safe,” says Rachel Lacy from Aalto Colour. “You never look at a plant and think, ‘What a terrible combination’.”

The current upsurge of interest in colour is a refreshing change after a period of monochrome neutrality, says Rachel. “For a paint company, it wasn’t particularly interesting. Then the pendulum did a huge swing back and now people want colour but they don’t necessarily know how to use it.”

She prefers to work with soft shades of muted colour. “Some of those hard, bright colours are difficult to live with. The gentler colours are easier on the eye and the heart. But, if you do want to use bright colours, look at the way they are used in nature. Look at the oranges and purples of a bird of paradise flower rather than the latest Marc Jacobs black and pink frock. Fashion doesn’t translate into paint colours as well as nature does. After all, that’s where colour comes from – pigments were first made from minerals.”

On these pages we have brought together the latest paint and wall coverings in four enticing new colourways inspired by the beauty of spring flowers.

Fresh greens

We’re used to being surrounded by green in the grass and leaves of nature so it’s not surprising that many of us subconsciously gravitate towards using it indoors too.

Resene colour consultant Carolyn Atkinson says the Resene 2010 range features many shades of green, from light, clear pastoral hues to dense, dark, fungal greens.

Kristine Boyle from Textilia says fresh grass greens, fern colours and moss greens are popular at the moment, but the shade should depend on the mood you want to create. A bold chartreuse/lime will be refreshing and energising; a greyed-out sage will have a soothing, calming effect.

“People tend to use the slightly cleaner greens for bedrooms or sunrooms,” says Dani Pike from Porter’s Paints. “If they’re using a green for a living area, they tend to use an earthy, dirty green – they’re softer and easier to live with if you’re using a room all the time.”

Kristine likes combining greens with white, silvers and greys, taupe, pink or shades of purple from lilac to grape. Carolyn, however, says green’s “best friend” is any colour that has an element of brown or red within it.

Aalto’s Rachel Lacy loves partnering pale greens with pale blues. “I think they’re a beautiful combination. If the paint is well pigmented there should be a commonality.” She’ll often also bring in pale neutral browns and tan colours. “Again, it’s that idea of reflecting the colours of nature.”

Duck-egg blue

Anywhere you want to create a calming atmosphere, chalky duck-egg blue comes into its own, though it’s particularly well suited to bedrooms and living rooms. “Deeper versions of the colour evoke a moody sea coast or quiet Scandinavian ambience,” says Resene’s Carolyn Atkinson. “They look good with pure white, taupes and charcoals.”

For a more luxurious mood, Vision Wallcoverings have paired duck-egg blue with a metallic coppery colour in a paper that looks different in different lights at different times of the day.

Dani Pike says Porter’s Paints sells a lot of blue and turquoise shades to people decorating bedrooms and bathrooms. “Those who are a bit more daring would use them for front rooms.” They’re especially popular for use in beach houses, often combined with white walls and wooden or whitewashed floors to create a relaxed, airy, Cape Cod look.

Aalto’s Rachel Lacy says blues need to be carefully tailored to work with natural light. “If a room wasn’t particularly sunny or warm, we’d make a blue with quite a lot of yellow in it. We have about half a dozen blues that we use regularly because we know they have enough pigment in them to do the job. I think blues are beautiful.”

Pretty pinks

Traditionally a favourite in little girls’ rooms, pink is presenting a more mature face this season and moving out of the nursery and into the living area.

“I love pinks,” enthuses Porter’s Dani Pike. “They’re so uplifting and vibrant. If people use pink for living areas and put interesting colours with it, it’s a really happy colour. You can throw orange or turquoise at it.”

Porter’s Paints sells a very popular hot pink called ‘Priscilla’, but manager Grant Gibbs urges caution when choosing bright pinks. “If they’re made with primary colours they can be a bit harsh and clean, which can be rather difficult to live with. Our bright colours always have some burnt umber or earthiness to them, which makes them easier on the eye.”

Alternatively, go for a softer mauvey pink, such as Porter’s ‘Man Pink’, or a mid-range dusky pink like ‘La Vie en Rose’. Or you could choose a wallpaper that features pink elements, such as flowers.

A modern way of toning down pink is to have it made up with a pearlescent lustre like Porter’s Duchess Satin paint. “It gives a bit of sparkle and interest,” says Dani. Using a limewash paint has a similar muting effect with a more rustic look.

Grant loves the combination of pink and gold – for example, a gilt frame on a pink feature wall – whereas David Abbotts from Vision Wallcoverings likes to combine pink with white, lime green or yellow. “Dusky rose pink is more romantic, so combine it with soft blues and greys and it’s ideal for an adult bedroom.” >

 Greys and neutrals

Almost as slowly as the tectonic plates move against one another under the surface of the earth, the interior design world is witnessing a gradual shift from the browner neutrals to slightly greyer-based neutrals. For Carolyn Atkinson, this means Resene stalwarts ‘Sisal’, ‘Parchment’ and ‘Tea’ are slowly falling out of favour as hues such as ‘Half Friar Grey’, ‘Truffle’ and ‘Half Napa’ steal the limelight.

“Often referred to as ‘smart’ or ‘classic’, grey has a sedate, timeless quality and favours being associated with pure white and charcoal or black,” she says. “But, because it offers no resistance or mood of its own, it can also be used to offset very bright colours such as red or orange or yellow. It can be a bit businesslike and industrial in mood if it is unrelieved by light, dark or bright colour.”

But there’s nothing industrial about the beautiful new ornate wallpapers that draw on a neutral palette of greys and charcoals, enlivened with a riot of pattern, texture and metallic lustre.

Grant Swinson of Swinson Group says large-scale patterns such as paisleys, florals or botanicals are all the rage in Europe and becoming more popular in New Zealand. They’re best restricted to one wall of a room, with the rest of the walls finished in a plain paper that picks up the background colour.

He says New Zealanders are getting bolder with colour choices and in their use of decorative wallcoverings. “In some of our top-end wall coverings the pattern is made of coloured glass beads. One is even finished with Swarovski crystals!”

David Abbotts of Vision Wallcoverings is enjoying working with embossed and patterned papers in neutral grey and green-grey shades. Large-scale prints in black and white are given a sense of luxury with a metallic silver background colour that is overprinted to deaden the shine and create a pearlised silver, gold or bronze effect. “People love the metallic look but they don’t want it too shiny. You just want a nice lustre – more of an aged look. It looks great in bedroom areas. It creates quite a dramatic effect.”