Country connections

Harking back to a more relaxed way of living has become more familiar over the past few years.With many choosing to shift to the country away from the hustle and bustle of busy city lives, our interior style choices are increasingly reflecting a more relaxed way of life. Let’s take a look at some ways you can bring the country to your home using Resene paints and wood stains.  

A touch of Tuscan 

Take this beautiful Tuscan-style kitchen, with walls treated in textures of blues and greens to complement the garden-to-table feeling. The walls in Resene Dusted Blue are given a limewashed, rustic look with colourwashed topcoats in Resene New Denim Blue and Resene Half Emerge for a calming finish that looks like it has been there forever. 


To create this texture-look effect on your walls, roll on a basecoat of Resene Dusted Blue. Once dry, mix a testpot of Resene New Denim Blue with Resene FX Paint Effects Medium. In a second paint pot, create a second mix of Resene FX Paint Effects Medium mixed with Resene Half Emerge as a highlight colour. Layer the highlight colours using ‘up and down’ brushstrokes and then finish with a dry rag working vertically to create the smudge effect. 

Top tip:Relaxed living works best with lowsheen, flat and natural lookfinishes. Turn down the sheen withfinishes such as ReseneSpaceCoteor overcoat with Resene ConcreteClear Flat to diffuse the reflection.Lightly colourwashed timberflooring is perfect for this look.Use ReseneColorwood Whitewashor the weathered tones of theReseneColorwood We Speak Beachcollection to subtly colour your interior timber to soften the look. And if you have timber walls, finish them ReseneAquaclear Natural for a protective finish without changing the look. 

Industrial meets country 

Following the ‘return to the country’ trend, barn doors are seeing a resurgence, with the trend extending to include fresh geometric elements. While the city still holds dear for many, the essence of the country can be imbued in very simple ways. Take the modern barn door (pictured) and give it a fresh contemporary feel by finishing it with wood-stained battens. Continuing a modern touch but using colours that are comfortable in a country setting, the walls are split by painting the lower area in Resene Atmosphere with the upperpainted in Resene Kensington Grey. 


Design your own batten-style barn door by painting Resene Half Gravel onto the door as your base colour, then stain the battens in Resene Colorwood Iroko. Lower walls painted in Resene Atmosphere, upper wall, wall behind door and grinder in Resene Kensington Grey, floor in Resene Sidecar, tabletop, bowl and round vase in Resene Pearl Bush, base in Resene Quarter Concrete, chair in Resene Half Masala, sideboard and coat stand in Resene Black, small dish in Resene Atmosphere, bowl and tall vase in ReseneColorwood Iroko and small pot in Resene Half Gravel. 

Painting the floor in Resene Walk-on flooring paint in the shade of Resene Sidecar lifts the mood of this room with its light and warm tone.  Finish the painted floor with Resene Concrete Wax for an easier to clean surface. 

This country-blended-with-industrial style has been working its way into city homes for a number of years, says Resene Colour Expert Jackie Nicholls. The stylish trend has been cemented in both high-ceilinged apartments adorned with modern amenities and barn-style homes furnished with a butler’s pantry. You can find these design gems nestled amongst the city’s more familiar villas and bungalows. 

Create a home that combines both industrial and country trends by choosing elements of each style and blending them together, Jackie says. Another simple way to harmonise these two different themes is with colour. Use a deep industrial shade on your doors like Resene Bokara Grey, then paint walls with a softer, earthy tone like Resene Quarter Biscotti to bring in that country-meets-city expression. 

Bring the sea home 

While we’re not all able to move to the country or be lucky enough to live by the ocean, bringing the sensations of the sea to your home is a simple task with Resene’s bountiful selection of blues. Blues are known to be restorative and calming, especially in these softer tones, reminiscent of late summer days spent on the sand. 

Team calming blues with bright whites like Resene Alabaster to give a classic Hamptons feel to your home, or if you prefer a more diffused off-white choose the ever-popular Resene Sea Fog to work in with your beachy blues. 


Bring the best of the beach indoors to calm your home’s interior. These floorboards finished in ReseneColorwood Breathe Easy ground the room with their weathered beachy vibe. Lower wall painted in Resene Dusted Blue, dado rail in Resene Atomic and upper wall in Resene Linen. Shelf in Resene Diesel, items on shelf left to right, vase in Resene Flax, bottle in Resene Sea Fog, ribbed vase in Resene Seaweed, lipped vase in Resene Double Pavlova, dish in Resene Juniper, candleholder in Resene Atomic, fluted vase in Resene Norwester, handled vase in Resene Linen, tall bottle in Resene Flax, tall vase with greenery in ReseneRivergum, side table in Resene Diesel, mug in Resene Tiara, planter and stool in Resene Atomic and coral in Resene Quarter Linen. Sofa and rug from Nest-direct.com. 

Tranquil truffle

Continuing the theme of country style, luxurious Resene Truffle is an elegant way to inject a country manor elegance into your home, Jackie says. “While embodying the rich, earthy tones of its namesake treat, Resene Truffle is a colour that commands a room, bathing it in subtle sophistication.” 

Reflecting the modern trend toward warmer neutrals, this family of elegant tones is the perfect palette to take your space from cool to chic, she says. Bathe your entire room in Resene Truffle, selecting Resene Triple Truffle for the walls with trims in Resene Eighth Truffle. 

Choose a Resene Enamacryl gloss finish to make your trims stand out against the wall colour. “Pair furniture in crisp creams like Resene Eighth Spanish White, or deep navy blues like Resene Blue Night, to create a rich and embracing room.” 


This pared back luxe look features neutral on-trend tones that evoke an enduring elegance. Walls and trims painted in Resene Truffle with floorboards finished in the soft shade of ReseneColorwood Breathe Easy. The coffee table and side table are painted in Resene Triple Truffle, bowl on table in Resene Quarter Truffle and round vase in Resene Half Truffle. These planters have been given a fresco finish with Resene Stonewash (front pot) and ReseneClaywash (back pot) from the ReseneInThe Wash collection applied using a criss-cross brush technique. Sofa from Interior Warehouse, rug from Briscoes, table lamp from Lighting Direct. 

Whether you're dreaming of the countryside, longing for the coast, or blending the best of both worlds with an industrial twist, the right colours and textures can transform your space into a true retreat. So, why not escape the hustle and bustle and create your own peaceful haven? Embrace a relaxed way of living, wherever you are, by introducing a touch of country charm to your home. 

If you need a little help finding the right laidback look for your place, ask your local Resene ColorShop team to show you some options or use the free Ask a Resene Colour Expert online, www.resene.com/colourexpert 

projects Kate Alexander, Megan Harrison-Turner, Moneuan Ryan 
images Bryce Carleton 

Published: 23 Oct 2024

Do you have a home full of wonderful Resene paint and colour? Send us some snaps by emailing [email protected].

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Resene Dusted Blue

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Resene New Denim Blue

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Resene Half Emerge

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Resene Kensington Grey

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Resene Half Gravel

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Resene Quarter Concrete

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Resene Half Masala

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Resene Bokara Grey

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Resene Quarter Biscotti

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Resene Double Pavlova

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Resene Quarter Linen

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Resene Triple Truffle

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Resene Eighth Truffle

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Resene Eighth Spanish White

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Resene Half Truffle

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Resene Quarter Truffle

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