7 home projects to do in winter

Resene Little Love Wallpaper Collection 38121-1.

The kids are all right

Create the bedroom you wish you’d had when you were a kid with one of the adorable patterns from the Resene Little Love Wallpaper Collection. This collection includes many classic designs, from simple and elegant stripes that are perfect for parents who want a clean and minimalist look for their child’s bedroom, through to playful and rainbow-whimsy watercolour dots.

Resene Little Love Wallpaper Collection 38147-1.

Resene Little Love Wallpaper Collection 38122-3.

Resene Little Love Wallpaper Collection 38118-1.

Beautify your bedroom

Set aside a moody winter weekend to brighten your bedroom with a vibrant feature wall. Showcase your personality by going as bold as you like. Showstopping reds, in particular, are going to be a dominant hero hue throughout the year to come – including tones like Resene Aroha, Resene Thunderbird, Resene Rudolph and Resene Incarnadine.

Be shelf-ish

Make a bespoke book or magazine holder to add some fun yet practical storage in your lounge or child’s bedroom. This bookshelf is made from an old wooden record holder, known as a Canterbury, which was sourced from an op shop, however you could use an old wooden crate or box if you can’t find one of these. Depending on your space you can go as bright or as pared back as you like when it comes to colour and you can choose to decorate it how you wish. For varnished wood seal it with Resene Waterborne Sureseal before you paint it. Then apply two coats of Resene Lustacryl semi-gloss waterborne enamel – it’s a great choice for furniture and the semi-gloss finish will help the piece stand out in your home. If you like high gloss finishes, use Resene Enamacryl gloss waterborne enamel for your topcoat. This will make your bold colour look even brighter.

Wall painted in Resene Aroha, headboard in Resene Inspire and floor in Resene Colorwood Breathe Easy. Bedlinen from Foxtrot Home, cushion and rug from Baya, chair from Danske Møbler, artwork and books from Father Rabbit, and sconce from Kmart.

This old record holder was given new life as a bookshelf thanks to a bright coat of Resene Hot Toddy – it's a stylish storage solution as well as a statement furniture piece.

Cleaning house

For many of us, summer is a time for entertaining at home – but more people around the house means more scuffs and marks on the walls, which can leave your paintwork looking worse for wear. Now that the guests have gone, it’s time to give your home a quick once-over with Resene Interior Paintwork Cleaner ready-to-use formula. This product won’t dull the colour of your paint and won’t form a film once the surface has been cleaned, meaning you don’t need to rinse the surface afterwards. Simply spray and wipe with a damp cloth.

Slip and slide

Concrete paths and pavers can get slippery thanks to the slimy mould that grows in winter. Get ahead of it by treating your surfaces with Resene Deep Clean. This slow acting solution is designed for patios, paths and decks, and it simply needs to be sprayed on and left, letting nature do the rest. Make the job even easier by using the trigger application container that can connect to your garden hose .It’s ideal for large areas so you can get the job done fast.

It’s best to use Resene Interior Paintwork Cleaner instead of strong household cleaners, which can damage your paint finish.

Give concrete paths a spray with Resene Deep Clean then simply walk away and let nature do the cleaning for you.

You’ve got mail

If you’re an enthusiastic DIYer, building your own letterbox is just the project for you – you could even make it using timber offcuts leftover from projects such as decking or fencing. A good design is also the ideal way to keep your mail dry during the rainy weather. With Resene’s wide range of paint finishes, you can match it to your home perfectly, or do something more creative using Resene testpots. Build the structure then paint with Resene Lumbersider Low Sheen, or if your letterbox will be near lots of greenery or a busy road, opt for an easy clean paint such as Resene Lustacryl or Resene Enamacryl. For a natural look, you may want to consider Resene Woodsman wood stains – the semi-transparent finish will allow the wood grain to show through, showcasing the natural beauty of the timber.

On the pull

Once you’ve gone through and cleared out all your summer clothes to make way for your winter ones, go one step further and reimagine the old chest of drawers itself. Give all surfaces a good sand, then apply Resene Waterborne Sureseal to the old varnished surface. Once that’s dry, apply Resene Lustacryl in your colour of choice. To take it to the next level, line the drawers with a fun Resene wallpaper print. Cut the pieces to size and use Shurstik Wallpaper Stick Down Adhesive to paste the wallpaper insert into your drawers.

For more practical and creative ideas for your home, check out our DIY projects section or head to the Resene Weekend Projects page.

The kids can give you a hand making this DIY letterbox over a weekend. Letterbox roof painted in Resene Awash and sides in Resene Quarter Stack.

Instead of spending money on new furniture, reinvent the pieces you already have. Drawers painted in Resene Turtle Green with top stained in Resene Colorwood natural wood stain. The inside of the drawers have been painted in Resene Nirvana and papered with Resene Tropic Exotic Wallpaper Collection TP81204.