Life at the beach is all about chilling, being able to mooch between indoors and out, and not paying too much attention to what you do when.
The last thing you want is to be spending precious beach time working on a bach makeover. That said, it can be just as much of a disruption to your holiday if you’re distracted by interiors that need some love and attention.
Here are some ideas for quick and inexpensive bach makeovers from Resene that let you find the perfect balance between having a chilled-out family holiday and immersing yourself in interiors that help you relax. And you can even use these in your everyday home to enjoy year-round.
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This colour-blocked mudroom works well in a bach porch or foyer for storage of towels, damp clothes and beach toys. Walls painted in Resene Rice Cake, floor in Resene Mountain Mist, colour block stripes, storage boxes and hooks in, from left, Resene Cello, Resene Enigma and Resene Quarter New Denim Blue. Cubbies from The Warehouse. Project by Annick Larkin, image by Bryce Carleton.
Colour blocking
Resene colour consultant Jackie Nicholls suggests adding blocks of colour to rooms as a quick and effective way to add character. “All you need is some good quality masking tape, a Resene testpot or a small tin of paint - depending on the size of your colour block - and a roller.”
Some of Jackie’s ideas for colour blocking are:
●Add a block of Resene colour behind a piece of art that’s getting lost on a big stretch of wall. Choose your colour based on the colours in the artwork to make it really pop.
●Add a band of colour or large circles on the walls of the kids’ bunk room. Add hooks for towels or pegs and bulldog clips attached to the walls to show off holiday drawings or other artworks. You could also try adding shelves painted in the same shades as the circles or colour blocks.
●Add extra interest to any bedroom with coloured headboard, either painted directly to the wall, or with ply or upcycled wood. Paint it in a bold shade like fresh green Resene Anise, a dusty sunset shade like Resene Tuscany or a soothing sea blue like Resene Boost. For a more textured, relaxed finish simply apply a coat or two of Resene Colorwood Whitewash or Resene Colorwood Shade to your timber.
Other colour blocking ideas could be to frame a particular piece of furniture. This works particularly well around a couch or chair if you repeat the colours of the furniture in your colour block. If you have a fabulous couch in a deep forest green, paint a block on the wall behind it, the same but just slightly larger than the couch, in a shade like Resene Rolling Hills. Alternatively if you have a neutral coloured couch against a neutral wall in, say Resene Tua Tua, paint your framing colour block in a bold contrast like stormy blue Resene Watermark. In both cases, the colour block frame will showcase your couch perfectly.
Another way to try colour blocking in your back is to paint out the corner of a larger room, to create the sense of a space within a space. To get the best effect it’s a good idea to paint the ceiling and floor of the corner in the same shade as well. For a neutral room in Resene Meringue, paint out a corner in soothing Resene Green Acres for a quiet reading zone, or go for bold Resene Red Berry as a kids’ play zone, or around a kids’ activity table.
Painting an eye-catching design, like this mandala, on to a wall or floor, is a simple way to add personalised style to communal bach areas like dining rooms. Wall painted in Resene Wan White with mandala in Resene Thor. Floor finished in Resene Colorwood Light Greywash, dining table in Resene Half Duck Egg Blue with chairs in Resene Dark Slate. side table in Resene Half Inside Back, vase in Resene Quarter Wan White, planter in Resene Inside Back, tray in Resene Thor and pendant in Resene Quarter Wan White. Project by Annick Larkin and Hannah Tapner, image by Bryce Carleton.
Consider the floor
Did you know you can paint over a number of flooring surfaces, not just wood? Concrete, lino, some vinyl flooring and even ceramic tiles can be revived with a coat of paint - and the right preparation. Reviving the floors in your bach with your chosen colour of Resene Walk-on will give it an instant lift without the hassle and expense of replacing your flooring.
If you’re painting over lino, vinyl or ceramic tiles, give the floor a good clean with Resene Interior Paintwork Cleaner, followed by Resene Waterborne Smooth Surface Sealer. Allow it to cure without water contact for at least 48 hours before painting. It’s best to try a test in an inconspicuous area over vinyl and lino to ensure you get the desired finish before painting the whole floor.
For wooden floors, your preparation before painting will depend on what’s already on your floors. Whatever flooring surface you’re working with, talk it through with your Resene colour consultant to get advice on the best products and preparation.
Once your preparation is done, you can either go for a straightforward paint colour - consider going beyond a plain white or cream to try something bold like a dark blue Resene Indian Ink - or simply finish wooden flooring in Resene Colorwood Mid Greywash.
For something more creative, paint the floor in a background colour and use a stencil to create a faux-tile look with a repeating pattern in a different shade. Simple Resene Black and Resene White works well for a classic look, or invoke the colours of the sea with a blue Resene Island Time base colour and overlaid stencil design in Resene Ocean Waves.
Resene Colour Consultant Jackie Nicholls suggests extending your creativity even further, by creating one large stencilled mandala, or other design on the floor. If designing and cutting out a stencil isn’t for you, there are plenty of designs to download or buy online.
The trick with any stencil design, large or small, is to apply your colour with a sponge and use the paint sparingly with no excess water in the sponge so you avoid the paint bleeding or smudging under the stencil.
As with any stencil or freehand design, it’s a good idea to have a practice run on a piece of card or wood first.
Top tip: For any circular Mandala-type design, always start painting in the centre and work outward.
Fresh paint or stain to furniture and fittings can refresh an outdoor area and bring it together as a cohesive space. Weatherboards and large planter painted in Resene Nocturnal with the deck stained in Resene Woodsman Uluru. The tables are Resene Nocturnal and Resene Pale Slate. The wall light is Resene Rust FX. Outdoor chairs/table from Danske Mobler, cushion from Good Thing, plant from Adairs. Project by Melle Van Sambeek, image by Bryce Carleton.
Decorate
A traditional Kiwi bach is often the place where furniture and decor pieces go to ‘retire’. It might be that vase you’re not sure about anymore, the old dining room suite, or the bench seat and bookshelf that have seen better days. All that presents an opportunity for upcycling with paint to add uplifting bursts of colour to your spaces, which will give your whole home a lift.
Go for a relaxed maximalist vibe with a mix of colours from across the spectrum, from the pastel yellow of Resene Shalimar, to the deep purple of Resene Blackberry and dark teal Resene Top Notch. For a more pared back approach try mixing and maxing your fixtures and furnishings in tonal botanic green layers in Resene Wabi Sabi, Resene Contour and Resene Smashed Avocado - add a note of fresh pink Resene Cosmos for unexpected levity.
Upcycle a dining suite by painting each piece a different shade - you could even let the kids pick the colour scheme of their own chair. Dining areas - indoors and out - tend to be areas where people gather in a bach, so they’re a good place to focus your small scale bach improvements.
Outside a coat of Resene Woodsman stain, oil or paint will do wonders for tired chairs and tables. Instead of the traditional natural wood shades, experiment with different tones to go darker with Resene Woodsman Charred Black, grey-toned with Resene Woodsman Iroko or reddish-tone Resene Woodsman Japanese Maple.
Transport your room to an exotic, tropical hideaway with Resene Wallpaper Collection 91111. Pair it with oaty off-white neutrals like Resene Merino, touches of Resene All Black and a fresh note of Resene Springtime.
Wallpaper
Transport your bach to the tropics or an exotic jungle immediately with a bold drop of wallpaper. Use it sparingly to frame certain spaces within bigger rooms, as headboards in a bedroom, or even to cover furniture. Go bolder with a mural feature wall with the Impressionist waves of Resene Wallpaper Collection 1905-123-01 or decorate a whole room in the leafy green palms of Resene Wallpaper Collection M37801.
Wallpapering a small space like a toilet or reading area can be a simple way to theme a space and make it stand out from the rest of your home in a way that’s stylish, creative and fun. How about an ensuite bathroom decorated with the tropical forest of Resene Wallpaper Collection 1906-133-01 or the exotic fauna of Resene Wallpaper Collection 2109-157-04.
Bach renovation or makeover projects, no matter how small, can be fun ways to experiment with new design ideas, while still giving your family holiday home a pick-me-up. Remember, bach ideas can also be used in your main home too so you can enjoy the holiday vibes every day.
