Habitat plus - dine in style

Here, retro-based vintage colours are used for the new-look rooms, inspired by the furniture.

While traditional dining rooms tended to be stand-alone affairs, only used on high days or holidays, today’s dining spaces are often integrated with the kitchen for an effect that’s airy, friendly and relaxed. If yours needs a spruce-up, have a play with some paint colour charts, and see if you can dream up a new scheme.

Painted furniture: The fashion for painted furniture lets you be even more flexible with your colour schemes, and have even more fun! When painting furniture, use Resene Enamacryl (gloss) or Resene Lustacryl (semigloss) waterborne enamels, which are tough and can be tinted to your favourite Resene colour. Or for an on-trend chalky finish, use Resene SpaceCote Flat.

1.Peaceful and serene, the marriage of three very light colours gives this dining room a sense of tranquillity. On the walls the owners have used Resene Double Rice Cake, a classic barely-there beige with a tiny shot of green. Contrasting beautifully, crisp, cool Resene Black White makes the trims stand out, while a handsome wooden cabinet has been given a new lease on life, painted with the ever popular Resene Half Pearl Lusta.

2.The colours of nature dominate this scheme with sea-green Resene Juniper taking pride of place on the walls and helping highlight the eclectic collection of furniture. Then the timeless favourite Resene White Thunder is used to add punch on the trims and ceiling, while the wood cabinet appears in Resene Half Pearl Lusta again. A lighter floor lifts this scheme, stained in Resene Walnut from the Resene Colorwood range.

3.Staying with a vintage look, Resene Link Water is a purple blue with an edge of grey – almost baby blue but not quite. And for rich contrast, the cabinet is painted in the steely grey blue of Resene Hammerhead. Adding a sweet and gentle touch, Resene Half Bianca is used on the trims and ceiling.

4.Like sunshine in a paint pot, the warm and cheery tones of Resene Pale Prim, positively glow off the walls here. It works perfectly with the crisp white of Resene Alabaster on the ceiling and trims, while the cabinet is in the complex pale grey hue of Resene Harp.