A luxurious finish to your interior design projects has very little to do with the size of your budget and everything to do with how you spend it.
Some of the best, most long-lasting transformations can come from home decorators who know what to prioritise, and what colours, patterns, design features and finishing decisions to get the best, most high-end finish for their budget.
Step one – decide where your dollars will work hardest
Before you spend a cent, be clear about your goal. Are you renovating to sell, or to enjoy your home for years to come? If you are settling in for the long haul, how much resale value a project adds matters far less than how much joy it brings you day to day. If a sale is on the horizon, keep a close eye on the gap between what you spend and what it adds in value, and lean towards mid-range fixtures and fittings rather than top of the line.
Start your property search
Resene colour consultant Amy Watkins recommends prioritising areas that will deliver the most visible impact, rather than spreading your budget out thinly across an entire house renovation. “Refreshing walls, trims or key feature zones with paint can instantly elevate a space, while prioritising living areas and entry points ensures the transformation is felt from the moment you, your guests or your potential buyers walk in.”
If you’re wanting to elevate your house before a sale, kitchens, bathrooms and entryways are the showpieces buyers notice first, so they are usually worth the lion's share of your attention. If you focus on refreshing paint work or wallpaper, you can find it easier to avoid the budget blowouts that come with replacing cabinetry or moving plumbing.
The addition of simple textures and design features add visual interest and elevate a simple, neutral space. Walls and frames in Resene Kangaroo, skirting in Half Spanish White, floors stained in Resene Colorwood Bleached Riverstone, coffee table in Contented, side table in Moon Mist, light pendant in Blanc, side table book in Rivergum and Cut Glass, coffee table books in Travertine, and Half Rivergum, tray objects in Blanc and Soothe. Sofa from Danske Møbler, throw from Foxtrot Home. Project Annick Larkin. Image Bryce Carleton.
The ‘no-demo’ kitchen or bathroom makeover
Kitchens and bathrooms have a reputation as the priciest rooms in the house to make over but a full renovation is rarely necessary to get a high-end look. Tired laminate or melamine cabinets can be transformed by prepping the surface with Resene Laminate and Melamine Primer then top coated with your chosen colour of semi-gloss Resene Lustacryl or gloss Resene Enamacryl for easy ongoing maintenance.
Painting your cabinetry is a great opportunity for an immediate makeover simply by changing the colour. Add fresh zing to a bathroom with a combination of classic Resene White, paired with a playful yellow tone such as Quarter Turbo or the appropriately aquatic Resene Riptide.
For a moodier, sophisticated bathroom try an off-white, gentle beige like Resene Half Sisal, either accented with tonal layers in Triple Sisal and Half Pavlova, or add a note of contrast in burnt green Saratoga.
Don’t overlook your floors and ceiling while you’re planning kitchen colours. A tough, non-slip option like Resene Walk-On suits high traffic kitchen floors, while a flat or low sheen finish on the ceiling hides the discolouration and minor imperfections that build up from cooking and humidity far better than a glossy finish would.
Top tip: Add a classic, stylish finish to your kitchen and bathroom floors, without the cost of tiling by painting on a faux tile pattern. Keep it simple with a classic black and white checkerboard floor in Resene Black White and All Black or work with stencils over a base colour to create a tile design.
The Resene SpaceCote Kitchen and Bathroom range can also keep your finishes looking their best for longer. The products, which come in flat, low sheen and semi-gloss options, include anti-bacterial protection and Mouldefender.
Addressing all of those potential challenges in your kitchens and bathrooms at the start of your makeover helps avoid having to undertake costly re-dos sooner than expected.
Storage is another area that’s worth spending some of your budget on, whether it is more bathroom cabinetry or a tidier pantry, it adds great amenity for your family or potential buyers. Better storage can mean simply refreshing a bookcase or adding colourfully painted storage boxes to kids’ bedrooms.
Top tip: A beautifully decorated freestanding cupboard or wardrobe can make a useful mud-room for the coats, school bags, umbrellas and shoes that often clutter entranceways. It can sit just inside or outside your entry point. Paint it the same colour as the background walls so it doesn’t dominate or paint it in a bolder contrast and make it a feature.
Rich colours and added texture give walls a luxurious and cosy suede-like look, particularly when finished in a low sheen paint like Resene SpaceCote Low Sheen. Floor washed in Resene Colorwood Breathe Easy, wall in Resene Undercover and Resene FX Paint Effects Medium mixed with Deep Teal and Nepal, headboard in Resene Colorwood Whitewash, pendant light shade in Quarter New Denim Blue, bedside table in Cut Glass, bench in Double Stonehenge, book in Undercurrent, vase in Horizon, candle holder on tray in Soothe, teacup in New Denim Blue. Bed linen from Foxtrot Home, Euro pillowcases from Resene Living Collection. Project Annick Larkin. Textured wall Hannah Tapner. Image Bryce Carleton.
A layer of luxury
Put some careful thought and planning into colour, pattern and design choices that whisper luxury. One confidently coloured wall will outperform four timid, half-hearted ones every time.
This is the approach Amy is referring to when she says you don't need to repaint an entire space to achieve a luxurious feel, because targeted colour application can often deliver far greater impact for less cost. “A feature wall in a deep, enveloping tone, such as the rich blue of Resene Madison or green of Bush, or a warm neutral like Double Bison Hide, adds immediate depth and sophistication to a room.”
Going simple and classic will immediately add a sense of carefree luxury, just pay attention to your colour combos and the natural light in your space so the finished room feels clean and uplifting rather than austere.
A good place to start is a classic black and white palette. Try a slightly blackened or off white such as Resene Alabaster or Thorndon Cream for sophistication without chilliness. Pair them with a timeless black like Resene Nero, or veer into charcoal with Bokara Grey for a subtly softer finish. A colour-saturation bold contrast note on a single furniture piece or even a colour block will add eye-catching drama and elegance. Try rich crimson Resene Pompadour or golden Galliano.
For open-plan kitchen and dining spaces, try a tonal approach, choosing one colour family from the Resene range and use a slightly different strength or shade in each connecting area, which Resene's Multi-finish swatch cards make easy to plan. For example, walls in Half Spanish White could be trimmed in Eighth Spanish White, with tonal layers on a feature colour block, design features and decor in Double Spanish White and Spanish White.
If you want to work with patterns, keep them considered and purposeful. Let one striking wallpaper design such as the geometric design of Resene Anna d’Andrea Wallpaper Collection 782061 read as styled if you let the teal and blue colours direct your approach to the rest of the room. Pair it with trim in Resene Umber White and add one or two notes in muted blues like Tarawera and Wavelength.
As an alternative, look to a classic pattern like wide stripes in navy True Blue with a creamy neutral like Dutch White.
Confident and considered use of pattern adds drama and luxurious elegance to a pared-back, classic black-and-white palette. The rear wall is wallpapered in Resene The Icons Edit Black and White Collection 64501. Try it with a muted neutral floor stained in Resene Colorwood Mid Greywash, and decor pieces in classic Resene Black and White.
Hacks that add the X factor
The small details are where a budget makeover earns its high-end reputation.
● Swap out or repaint dated cabinet handles. These are touched constantly and shape how premium a space feels.
● Layer your lighting rather than relying on a single overhead fitting. A floor lamp or pendant adds warmth and dimension instantly. Upcycle older items with paint to reduce your costs. You can often even paint metallic, wooden or fabric light shades.
● Go larger than feels comfortable with rugs and artwork. Undersized pieces are the clearest sign of a budget room.
● Use a contrasting sheen for painted trims and ceilings against a flatter wall finish, it adds subtle depth without extra colour. For example if you use Resene SpaceCote Low Sheen on walls, try semi-gloss Resene Lustacryl or even gloss Enamacryl on skirting and trims.
● While we’re talking sheen, a Resene SpaceCote Low Sheen finish, in a rich deep colour like Resene Waiouru, will give you a luxurious suede-like appearance, whereas for high-use, functional areas like door frames and kitchen cabinets you might want a higher sheen so it stands up to regular cleaning.
● Style shelves and benches with a handful of well-chosen pieces at varying heights rather than lots of small clutter.
● Don’t skip proper preparation steps in the interests of protecting your budget. It’s a false economy because your top coat won’t look as good or last as long. It’s a case of doing it once and doing it right!
● Add texture as well as colour. V-groove panelling, wall battens, ribbed bowls, woven baskets and knitted textiles add richness without clutter.
Layered tonal neutrals with soft textiles and curated, colour-co-ordinated decor creates an airy, elegant space that feels subtly luxurious. Floor is washed in Resene Colorwood Breathe Easy, rear and front walls in Resene Triple Merino, bookshelf in Half Parchment, table and pedestal bowl in Parchment, top planter and large basket in Double Merino, house ornament in Triple Merino, small baskets, tealight holder and textured vase in Double Parchment, ribbed bowl in Merino, books in Merino, Double Parchment and Double Merino. Sofa from Danske Møbler, fringe and striped cushions, mug, throw from Kmart, round cushion from Mocka, white cushion from Adairs, paper light from Ikea. Project Vanessa Nouwens. Image Bryce Carleton.
Cost-saving hacks worth stealing
1. Test your colour first. Pick up a Resene testpot and try it on a large piece of card (leaving a 2cm white border) before committing to full paint cans. Try your test colours in different areas of your room at different times of the day.
2. Choose mid-range fixtures and fittings if resale is on your mind, the value-to-cost ratio is usually far better than top of the line.
3. Refresh your outdoor areas with Resene paint, oils or Woodsman exterior stain instead of rebuilding.
4. Use Resene's Multi-finish cards to plan tonal colour schemes across connecting rooms without expensive trial and error.
5. If you want to hire a painter, consider doing your own cleaning, sanding and masking to save your budget for the skilled work.
