Are you renovating for you or your buyers? 

Adding bolder accents and colour blocks to a neutral room adds a touch of personalisation to suit your taste that can be easily changed by a new owner. Side and right walls painted in Resene Pale Prim, nook wall and shelves in Cornfield, sideboard in Awaken, floor stain colour washed in Colorwood Breathe Easy, skirting in Alabaster, coffee table in Double Alabaster and Summer Rose. Lamp and chair from Soren Liv, artwork from Maiko Nagao. (Project by Melle van Sambeek, image by Bryce Carleton)

that includes being clear about whether they are making over their home to suit their own lifestyle, or whether they are improving things to make their home more appealing and valuable to potential buyers. 

The good news is, the two design outcomes don’t have to be mutually exclusive. It just requires some planning, so you spend your budget in the right places. 

The variables 

Where you put your design focus will depend on how long you expect to be in your current home for. 

If it’s your first home, you might be expecting to outgrow or upgrade your house within a year or two, or you might have deliberately bought a do-up with the goal of selling on for a profit. 

If you’ve bought a home you intend to live in for many years, your makeover is obviously going to be much more focused on what you like and how you and your family live in it. It's okay to have aspects of a renovation that turn the house you have into the home you love. 

Spending wisely on bathroom and kitchen improvements will almost always resonate with buyers. 

It’s a good idea to get good advice from a local real estate agent before undertaking projects that reduce the number of bedrooms or bathrooms you have. A specialist in your local area should be able to tell you what buyers will look for in a home like yours. 

If you're considering selling, it's not just about doing a cost-effective renovation; it should also add something to your property, whether that is space, amenity, or value. 

The subtle blue of the wall in this living room adds enough colour for personality without overwhelming the space. Walls and battens painted in Resene Duck Egg Blue, floor stain colour washed in Colorwood Breathe Easy, coffee table in Innocence. Couch from Nood, linen cushions from H&M Home, rug from Mocka. (Project by Vanessa Nouwens, image by Bryce Carleton)

Whether you’re designing for yourself or for others, a backdrop in Resene whites and neutrals can be your best friend. It allows you to create a versatile, adaptable canvas from which to build your own look, or spark the imagination of potential buyers. 

Rather than a minimalist white-on-white approach to neutrals, Colour Consultant Jackie Nicholls suggests exploring some of Resene’s more complex mid-tone neutrals.  

You want colours that are a blank canvas but also feel inviting and spark some imagination in people. 

Within the Resene Whites and Neutrals range there are many quite mutable off-whites and creamy tones that look quite different in different light conditions or when placed next to other colours, appearing warmer or cooler, she says.  

Some good examples are Half Tea, Resene Spanish White, Fossil, and Merino which are very versatile. 

One place to play with brighter whites, like classic Resene Black White and Alabaster, is in a kitchen where they CAN make the space feel functional, sophisticated and modern. Pair them with contrasting softer dark colours like Bokara Grey or Foundry for a clean, uncluttered, and timeless look.  

Other shades that can work well in bright white areas like kitchens are notes of a deep green like Midnight Moss, surrounded by pot plants for fresh herbs. Red is another popular colour in kitchens, so try contrast accents of wine shades like Red Berry or Vanquish.  

A light touch of colour 

If giving your walls a refresh, you can work with subtle pastel and muted colours that will often give you a widely appealing neutral look, with a little extra colour. 

You get the benefit of colour, without it overpowering the room. Some subtle shades to try are grey-blues like Resene Nebula or Half Spindle, soft pastel greens like Paris White or Coconut Cream, delicate peach tones like Cashmere or Dust Storm, or pale yellows like Egg Sour or Splash. 

Bold pops of primary colour, whether it’s paint or stain can be used to create a connection between your interior and exterior entertaining areas. Deck stained in Resene Woodsman Decking Oil Stain in Natural, exterior v-groove wall in Chicago, trim in Half Sea Fog, interior wall in Silver Chalice, skirting and outside light in Double Sea Fog, interior floor stained in Colorwood Shade, chairs finished in (from left) Tulip Tree, Shade and Whero. (Project by Moneuan Ryan, image by Bryce Carleton)

The subtle blue of the wall in this living room adds enough colour for personality without overwhelming the space. Walls and battens painted in Resene Duck Egg Blue, floor stain colour washed in Colorwood Breathe Easy, coffee table in Innocence. Couch from Nood, linen cushions from H&M Home, rug from Mocka. (Project by Vanessa Nouwens, image by Bryce Carleton)

Tips for outdoors 

One of the key things to do for your outdoor space is to make it look both intentional and adaptable. That means creating at least one space that feels sheltered and well-used for sitting or dining, ideally connected to your interior. 

Take a similar approach to your indoor area by using a combination of neutrals in wood stains like Resene Colorwood Natural or Colorwood Driftwood and popular outdoor paint shades like Merino and White Pointer. 

Top tip: A darker fence stain like Resene Waterborne Woodsman Charred Black can make your outdoor area feel larger as black tends to recede from the eye so your property borders aren’t so firmly defined. 

If you need help finding the right colours to bring out the best in your home, visit your local Resene ColorShop, ask a Resene Colour Expert free online, www.resene.com/colourexpert, or book a Resene Colour Consultation free instore or virtually or a paid home visit in selected areas, www.resene.com/colourconsult.