Refresh your outdoors for spring

Is that a few rays of sunlight peeking through the clouds? With the first signs of spring our thoughts immediately jump ahead to spending more time outdoors but getting your house and section might seem overwhelming if it’s been left to its own devices over winter.

Here are some quick and simple ways to set your outdoor areas up for spring and summer.

Freshen up the furniture

If you have outdoor seating, tables or even a BBQ bench, planters or a shed, give them all a once over. Check for areas that might need repairs to make them safe to use.

Give them a wash down, to remove flaking paint and treat any moss, mould or mildew with Resene Moss & Mould Killer.

If some of your furniture is looking a bit tired, a fresh coat of Resene paint, or, for wooden furniture, Resene wood stain is a cost-effective and quick way to bring it back to life - and maybe get an extra season or two more from it before it needs replacing.

If you’re staining wooden furniture and planters, experiment with different shades instead of just the natural wood colour. Darker stains like Resene Woodsman Treehouse or Resene Woodsman Banjul look dramatic and modern with bright coloured cushions and throws. Using a darker shade on planters and fences also makes them recede so the focus is on your beautiful flowers, vegetables and shrubs.

Create outdoor rooms

Think about how you might be using the space over the warmer months. Will you need different types of seating? Do you need flexible options that can easily be stored until you have larger groups to entertain? Do you have enough tables? Where should you position your furniture to get the most sun or shelter from the breeze?

What mood do you want to create? Maybe it’s a tropical retreat or a coastal escape. Having a theme or mood in mind helps keep your space cohesive.

Fresh foliage, inexpensive furniture and a lick of paint can do wonders for an outdoor area. This simple setting even includes a car tyre recycled as an ottoman and painted in Resene Double Pravda. The walls are Resene Half Villa White, the desk is Resene Woodsman Mid Greywash, the side table is Resene Double Pravda, the tray is Resene Peace. The vase and small pot are Resene Bi Hoki while the larger plant pot is Resene Kandinsky. Project by Laura Lynn Johnston, image by Bryce Carleton.

Once you have a plan, you can start to create use areas within your garden just as you might inside. Painted recycled doors, or wooden screens, even concrete blocks can be repurposed as dividers, or shelters to give you a secluded relaxation or eating area, that’s separated from the kids’ play area or the tool shed. Create a feature faux rust screen using Resene FX Faux Rust Effect. For a less solid option, train climbing plants such as sweet peas or even beans to grow up wires to create a living screen.

Add layers of colour and texture, just as you would in an indoor sitting area - as well as lots of plants and flowers. Refresh old plant pots and planters with Resene Terracotta Sealer and then finish with Resene testpots.

Using a similar or the same colour palettes as you’ve used inside helps create that indoor-outdoor flow everybody’s aiming for.

Repaint your front door

One way to give your home an instant update and improve your curb appeal is to paint your front door. Embrace the trend for vivid statement doors by choosing a bold colour like bold Resene Galliano or Resene Red Berry.

A bright splash of colour on this exterior door gives the whole house a lift. Here the door is painted in Resene Turbo with trim in Resene Black White and weatherboards in Resene Triple Concrete. The deck is Resene Woodsman and the bench is Resene Tuna. The pots are Resene Nocturnal and Resene Silver Chalice. The house number is also Resene Nocturnal. Project by Vanessa Nouwens. Image by Bryce Carleton.

If that doesn’t appeal, think about painting your door a bolder or lighter shade of your exterior colour. For example, if your exterior is a neutral beige such as Resene Quarter Napa, try Resene Double Napa on your front door. Paint your door frame and any surrounding porch trim in the grey-white Resene Sea Fog for a fresh, light touch.

To make your door stand out - and cope with wear and tear - use a high gloss finish, such as Resene Enamacryl. And for added drama to your entrance, add two painted pots with large trees on either side of the door.

To extend your makeover you could also paint porch steps and surrounding pathways. To keep family and visitors safe, try Resene Non-Skid Deck & Path which has a light grit texture to help reduce the risk of slipping.

Add lighting

Outdoor, solar power fairy lights are a fast way to make everything look more glamorous when the sun goes down! Wrap them around your trees, or through your grapevine before the spring growth takes off. Hang them from your fence or pergola, or simply tangle them up inside a glass vase for a pretty outdoor table lamp.

Hurricane lanterns or tea lights floating in a large platter or birdbath, are other simple, fast and effective ideas for outdoor lighting.

Wash up

Give your house exterior its annual wash to remove moss, mould or mildew as well as any salt residue if you’re anywhere near the sea. If you wash the exterior regularly you should be able to get away without blasting, which can damage weatherboards, and go for a garden hose with a broom for scrubbing with Resene Paint Prep & Housewash.

Treat any areas of mould with Resene Moss & Mould Killer.

A wash and scrub, or a waterblast can also do wonders to remove winter’s mouldy residue on brick walls, or concrete driveways and paths.

For a longer acting clear, spray on Resene Deep Clean and leave it. This will slowly work over time to clean exterior surfaces – no scrubbing needed.

A fresh approach to decorating and seating have made this a unique and appealing outdoor retreat area. The upper wall is in Resene Eagle, while the lower wall is Resene Waiouru. The planters are Resene Cut Glass, and the round rattan tops of the cushion seats are Resene Eagle. The bottoms of the paper lanterns have been painted in Resene Sweet Corn. Project by Kate Alexander. Image by Bryce Carleton.

Add art

Decorating the walls and surfaces of your outdoor space is an effective way to give it a new lease of life and add some of your personality to your garden. Find cheap ceramic or concrete tiles and have a go at painting your own designs with Resene testpots to dot around the garden. It can be a fun activity to do with your kids too.

If you have a long stretch of wooden fence, consider painting part of it in a mural. Go for something geometric you can mask up if you don’t trust your freehand skills or try something abstract with different colours that showcases the shades of your garden.

Or simply hang a beautiful piece of art on the fence or exterior wall of your home. A search around local markets, garden centres and art studios should yield something you love that is weatherproofed and suited to outside.

Mirrors can be another fun way to add life to your garden. They’ll throw light around nicely and can make smaller gardens seem larger. Put some thought into where you place them, so they don’t bounce the glare right at where you’re planning to sit and relax.

For hundreds of home project ideas from kiwi decorators, visit habitatbyresene.co.nz, or visit your local Resene ColorShop for advice and inspiration for your next decorating projects.