what a welcome

Revel in Cape Cod beachy style with these stylish front entry ideas.

Cape cod style front door.
Relaxed beach style

Treat your deck

To keep your deck looking good, use a colour from the Resene Woodsman outdoor stains range, or finish it with Resene Furniture and Decking Oil. This stain is Resene Woodsman Driftwood. If you’re worried about safety on step edges, you can use Resene Non-Skid Deck & Path, which has a gritty texture, or even Resene FX Nightlight, which glows in the dark.

Darker and different

When choosing exterior colours, err on the side of a darker tone as the sun will make the colour seem lighter. For tonal colour schemes, make sure there is enough contrast between the different colours so that it doesn’t all end up looking the same under outdoor light conditions.

A soothing scheme

Nothing says relaxed beach style more than a range of soft blues, pale greys and seafoam whites. The weatherboards here are Resene Half Periglacial Blue, accented with a Resene Blue Night door and Resene Alabaster trims.

Set down space

Shucking off your shoes, parking a hat and scarf, or simply sitting down to admire the garden, nothing beats a benchseat for versatility. It can be a sitting space, or become an outdoor coffee table. This one is painted in Resene Coast.

A place to rest

The entranceway of this home would be large enough to include a chair – maybe a cool retro peacock chair, painted in Resene Coast. It’s good to be able to include some relaxing space to sit to watch the world go by. When painting outdoor furniture use Resene Lumbersider (low sheen), Resene Lustacryl (semi-gloss) or Resene Enamacryl for a glossier finish.

Perk up your pots

Rather than search the stores for pots that match your scheme, it’s much easier to just paint them. There are so many colours in the Resene paint collection, you’re sure to find one that works. These are painted in Resene Slipstream and Resene Grey Seal. Also remember to coat the inside of any terracotta or porous pots with Resene Terracotta Sealer before painting to stop moisture leaching through and affecting the paint finish.

Handy storage

Make a handy storage trunk to stow all those bits and pieces of outdoor life, from kids' balls and toys, to cushions for the outdoor furniture. See how to make this.