Habitat plus - seeing double

Nowadays, we love open-plan living, frequently allowing the spaces in our homes to run seamlessly into one another.

This can present a problem – where do you end one colour and start another, or do you just use the one colour everywhere? This reconfigured villa has two rooms sitting side by side, so allows for a layered colour scheme. Getting the balance right and deciding if the contrast in the two colours should be subtle or significant is a challenge that’s fun to attend to.

Top tip: If you’re nervous of using two different colours in one space, you can test-run an infinite range of colours quickly and easily by using the Resene EzyPaint virtual painting software. Download free Resene EzyPaint.

1. Crisp and cool yet bright and enveloping, white never goes out of fashion and, of course, there’s white, and there is white. Even a quarter or half formulation can bring a whole new note to the setting. Here Resene Merino, a light, versatile off-white with a green undertone has been used in both areas to tie them visually together. Resene Quarter Merino, clearly related, but with a quieter personality is seen on the ceiling and trims.

2. Staying with a neutral palette, this scheme takes the colours a little deeper and cooler. On the rear wall, the slightly acidic green-edged Resene Joanna provides a link to the landscape outside while Resene Linen, an earthy green that’s easy on the eye, adds a pleasing sophistication on the nearer wall. Resene Half Alabaster is a wonderful choice for the ceiling and trims in this demure cosy living space with its warm echoes of nature.

3. You can almost hear the waves lapping on a nearby shore with this sea-inspired scheme. Many of us wouldn’t use two greenbased colours like this side by side but because of their tonal similarity, this really works. In the back room, Resene Emerge is a soft sea-foam green, sedate and modest in mood, while in the closer area, Resene Pine Glade is a slightly sharper green. The near white of Resene Alabaster is used on both the ceiling and the trims.

4.Deep blues are the new black, or in interior terms, the new dark grey-brown. In the rear room, Resene Rhino is an inky and smoky deep grey blue, strong and masculine, making this space cosy and inviting. As a tonal contrast, Resene Neutral Bay is a serious, constantly changing weathered blue grey. Warming the scheme slightly with its versatile quiet cream tones is Resene Quarter Bianca used on the trims and ceiling.