Between the moving pageantry of Queen Elizabeth’s funeral and the rise and rise of TV shows like The Crown and Bridgerton, we’ve all had a good amount of recent exposure to the grandeur of royal life.
Never fear if it’s given you a taste for luxury interiors, without the requisite budget or century’s worth of gilded family heirlooms. With creativity, clever use of colour and smart design, you can satisfy your regal tastes without blowing even a meagre budget.
The trick is to play with patterns, textiles and finishes to create the feeling of richness, without the need for riches.
Shimmer and shine
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Ornate touches and a classic floor design in a simple, layered colour palette create instant luxury. The rear wall is painted in Resene Triple Bison Hide, with the left front wall in Resene Half Bison Hide. The floor is Resene Triple Bison Hide and Resene Eighth Bison Hide, the console table is Resene Bokara Grey, the vases are Resene Bokara Grey and Cream and Resene Tobacco Brown and the coat rack (reflected in mirror) is Resene Dusty Road. Lamps from Freedom, artwork from Junk & Disorderly, small textured vases, tall curvy vase and knobby vase from Slow Store, candleholder from Good Form, throw from Bo Concept, chair from Le Forge. Project by Melle Van Sambeek, image by Bryce Carleton.
What says luxury better than a few shimmery touches of gold?
As Resene colour expert Rebecca Long says: “Resene FX Metallic is a great way to add a touch of luxury to your home. Its delicate, shimmery nature can transform a plain surface to one with depth and energy.”
If you want to create an instant impression with guests, and set the luxury mood for your whole interior, Rebecca suggests painting your front door in glistening Resene Gold Dust over a base coat of Resene Apache.
For subtler touches, try notes of Resene Bullion or Resene Goldmine on decor pieces like light fittings, candlesticks or picture frames. For an aged finish that suggests generations of use and appreciation, try using Resene FX Paint Effects medium to create a natural-looking burnished or tarnished effect.
Start by applying two coats of your chosen base colour and leave to dry. Dab a wet, but not soaking, sponge into Resene FX Paint Effects medium mixed with Resene Gold and apply the paint gently to your painted surface for a deliberately patchy but gilded finish. The effect will work with silver or brass metallics, not just gold.
Of course, not all glimmering finishes need to be metallic. Other light-reflecting surfaces like glass, crystal or high-shine ceramics all help to create those touches of shimmer that catch the eye and give your space some energy. They are particularly effective if you opt for a rich, deep colour palette in regal colours like Resene Pandemonium or Resene Epic. A few subtle shiny finishing touches will prevent the moodier colours from feeling oppressive and instead provide a sense of luxurious retreat.
Top tip: Always use a basecoat when using a metallic finish paint for the most stand-out finish. The Resene Metallics and Special Effects paint chart lists the best basecoat colour for each metallic shade.
Jewel tones
Richness of colour is an effortless, cost-effective way to add opulence with elegance to your rooms. Jewel colours evoke that sense of both abundance and chic wealth that draws you into a room.
As well as luxury noble homes, think about high-end hotel rooms and chic restaurants and how they achieve a sense of enclosed, exclusive luxury, often using texture and colour.
Jewel colours are typically those that represent the colours of precious gems - emeralds like Resene Left Field, ruby reds like Resene Rudolph and sapphires like Resene Resolution Blue. Rich plummy purples like Resene Blackberry are often associated with royalty and pair beautifully with metallic touches to elevate your room. Add trim and highlights of Resene Double Alabaster for a note of freshness that will make the purple pop.
Lighter notes
Dark sumptuous colours and faux wall panels elevate this bedroom to royal status. The walls and floor are painted in Resene Ocean Waves. The headboard is Resene Element and the bench seat is Resene Watermark. The side table top is Resene Half Nocturnal with legs in Resene Element. Lamp by Cane Collective, rug by Bed Bath and Beyond, jewellery holder by H+M Home, shoes by Miss Wilson, bedlinen by Citta. Project by Melle Van Sambeek, image by Bryce Carleton.
For a royal finish that feels light and fresh, opt for layers of paler colours, mixed with patterns and different textiles so you get a sense of lush comfort.
Rebecca suggests also playing with the sheen levels in your paints to play with light and build layers of opulence. “Wrap your bedroom walls in Resene SpaceCote Flat tinted to Resene Valentine for a velvety smooth finish. Introduce Resene Enamacryl gloss onto your joinery tinted to Resene Night Magic for a luxe, glam approach.”
Cornflower blues are a nice colour to try for an uplifting room that also evokes elegant royal opulence, more akin to modern royals than earlier, more gilded ages. Try Resene Dream Big and Resene Sail Away, anchored by notes of regal burgundy Resene Jalapeno or dark Resene Nero. Finish with greyed neutrals like Resene Half Black White or creamy Resene Half Pearl Lusta.
Tonal layers of dusky beige and pastel pinks can also create a surprisingly sophisticated space. Try Resene Soul Searcher with the terracotta pink of Resene Awaken and delicate Resene Solitaire. These wispier shades can be given extra heft with a darker note in Resene Soiree or simplified with layers of luxury textiles in soft pink velvet throws or silk tasselled cushions and plush woollen rugs.
Micro-luxury
Soft blue and white are a classically elegant combination, at home in any regal room. These bedrooms walls and the painting background are painted in Resene Comfortably Numb. The painted image and drawers are Resene Alabaster and the vases are Resene Four Winds. David head from Interior Warehouse, bedding from Bed Bath and Table. Project by Megan Harrison Turner, image by Bryce Carleton.
There’s a new trend in luxury decorating that is perfect if you’re on a budget. And that is micro-luxury. It’s all about adding small touches of luxury to your spaces to elevate everything in them. It might be a touch of gold in an ornate picture frame, against another otherwise classic monochrome space in Resene Black and Resene White.
It might be stretching to gold tapware in your on-trend sage green Resene Envy bathroom or a lush, DIY velvet bed head in luxurious dark blue against walls in classic Resene Half Tea.
Wallpaper can be a very useful tool in a space you want to feel regal, but is particularly useful for this micro-approach. Cover just one wall in an ornate, heritage-style pattern like the golden florals of Resene Wallpaper Collection 200455 or the classic blue and white rustic scenes of Resene Wallpaper Collection 2109-153-02, reminiscent of classic willow pattern styles.
Upcycled spectacle
Textured Resene Anaglypta Wallpaper Collection RD80029 is an excellent starting point for creating a stylishly aged royal room. Once you’ve wallpapered, paint with two coats of your chosen colour, such as a beautiful aqua like Resene Java, then sponge on Resene FX Paint Effects medium mixed with Resene Gold. Keep flooring neutral stained in Resene Colorwood Natural to let the rest of the room sing.
Upcycling second-hand furniture, or pieces you already own, is a particularly handy skill to employ when it comes to recreating a royal-influenced space, without a royal budget.
Scour your local second-hand shops for picture and mirror frames that you can paint in a Resene FX Metallic paint. Look for anything slightly ornate that appeals to your aesthetic and will be useful in your space.
Even old artworks, ornaments and dinner sets can add just the right level of royal richness.
As one repurposed luxe idea, Rebecca suggests painting an old set of drawers with Resene Enamacryl gloss tinted to Resene Indian Ink then lining the inside of the drawers with Resene Wallpaper Collection 538069.
The secret to a beautifully styled, royalty-influenced space is to find the balance between what you want and what you can afford. It can be about creating a few simple things that feel luxurious and make you happy, rather than about a palatial and maximalist makeover of your whole home.
For help choosing colours to suit your projects, visit your local Resene ColorShop, ask a Resene Colour Expert online, www.resene.co.nz/colourexpert or book a Resene Colour Consultation, www.resene.co.nz/colourconsult.
