1 fireplace 3 ways

These homeowners had a problem. They had ended up with a fireplace, chimney breast and adjacent wall that they knew had potential... but what could they do to make it more exciting? The walls were painted Resene SpaceCote Low Sheen in a lovely soft grey, Resene Quill Grey, and the ceiling in Resene Quarter White Pointer, but it was all a bit, well, bland. Off they went to see Resene colour expert Nikki Morris, at their local Resene ColorShop. She suggested these three schemes, none of which would incur too much cost or hassle to implement.

If you're looking for a Resene colour expert in your area or want to take advantage of Resene's free colour advice, go to www.resene.com/colourexpert.

Rugged good looks

Go all dark and broody with the lodge-inspired look. Walls in Resene Half Bokara Grey are offset by a rustic-looking chimney breast clad in pine timber boards that are then stained in Resene Colorwood Walnut. A low-slung shelf, or seat, is also made of stained pine. The ceiling is painted in Resene Sea Fog, the soft white tones of which are echoed in the hexagonal wall planters.

Props: White Pentagon Wall Planters from Collected, www.collected.co.nz. Black Velo fire insert by Escea, www.escea.com/nz.

Architectural elements

A crisp look with an unusual sculpted wall panel by My Wall Art beautifully highlights this fireplace setting. The main walls are in Resene Duck Egg Blue while the Cullinans design panels are painted in Resene Alabaster, along with the ceiling and trims. Add a simple contemporary side table and lamp, and an unusual frameless fireplace, for a pared back but striking look.

Accessories: Cullinans design textured tiles from My Wall Art, www.mywallart.co.nz. Spartherm frameless fire from Escea, www.escea.com/nz. Aquarius Side Table in Natural Graphite and Metro Floor Lamp in Copper from Freedom Furniture, www.freedomfurniture.co.nz.

Play on texture

You don't need a solid masonry wall or plaster render to get the sort of timeless look you see here. This textured look is achieved with Resene Sandtex – a textured paint that comes in two grades (Standard and Superfine) which has been tinted to Resene Quarter Evolution, an aged dusky olive. The other walls and ceiling are painted in Resene Black White, while the floating shelves are painted in Resene Quarter Black White and accessorised with books and ornaments.

Accessories: Rory The Rhino ornament and Frost Vase from Freedom Furniture, www.freedomfurniture.co.nz. Fireplace from Rinnai, www.rinnai.co.nz.

Top tip: If you want the timber look without actually using timber, check out the many faux timber wallpapers from Resene ColorShops, particularly the Elements and Exposed collections.

Want to get your own free copy of future issues of habitat magazine?

Printed copies of habitat highlights are available from late March 2024 at Resene ColorShops and resellers, while stocks last. You can view back issues of habitat magazine online.

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