8 easy ways to refresh your interior spaces

During the winter months, exterior projects usually have to take a back seat due to inclement weather – but that doesn’t mean you have to wait for spring to get your painting and decorating fix. Since we’re spending more time inside our homes, it’s the perfect excuse for an interior refresh. Check out these ideas for making high-impact changes that may not have occurred to you previously and will keep your home looking fresh all year round.

Top tip: Visit your local Resene ColorShop for advice on prepping, painting and staining to help you get the best finish on your project. Or use the free Ask a Resene Paint Expert service online.

1. Repaint your ceiling

It’s easy to neglect your ceilings, simply because you don’t look at them as much as the walls in your home, and unfortunately they can get really messy with fly marks and general dirt. You may be concerned about the difficulty level of painting them, but you’ll be amazed at how much a newly painted ceiling can refresh your house. A roller extension pole is your secret weapon and makes the job far easier.

Top tip: To make the room appear larger, opt for a ceiling colour one or two shades lighter than the walls, like a half or quarter strength. For example, if your walls are painted in Resene Black White, go for Resene Half Black White or Resene Quarter Black White on your ceiling. The Range Whites & Neutrals collection has up to six strength variations of the most popular Resene whites and neutrals so you can easily choose lighter and darker options.

Check out our expert guide on how to paint ceilings.

Resene Paint Expert Murdo Shaw is using Resene Ceiling Paint in Resene Alabaster.

Skirting boards painted in Resene Lustacryl in Resene Black White.

2. Touch up your skirting boards

While perhaps not immediately visible, well-painted skirting boards can significantly improve the look of a room and enhance its overall feel. They’re generally subjected to lots of daily wear and tear, so can look scruffy and get marked quickly. Use Resene Lustacryl or Resene Enamacryl waterborne enamel on skirting boards, as they have a hard-wearing, durable finish or for a plant-based paint option use Resene Waterborne Lusta-Glo or Resene Waterborne Super Gloss.

Top tip: To protect your carpet, use the widest masking tape you can find and put it across the bottom of your skirting board and the edge of the floor – if you have carpeted floors, push and pinch to get the tape firmly down the gap between the carpet and the skirting board. Then lay another piece of tape over the whole edge

Take a look at our article about how to paint skirting boards.

3. Clean your paintwork

Your interior surfaces might just need a good clean to completely transform them. Simply spray Resene Interior Paintwork Cleaner directly onto the surface and wipe gently with a wet cloth. Don’t be tempted to use harsh household cleaning products as they can damage your paintwork and leave obvious marks behind them.

Resene Interior Paintwork Cleaner is available in a handy ready-to-use spray bottle.

Make sure you wear a mask and safety goggles when working with Resene Moss & Mould Killer, and open windows and doors for ventilation.

4. Blitz moss and mould

Homes without proper ventilation that have been closed up over winter can end up with black mould on ceilings, walls and windowsills. This is very common thanks to our climate and high moisture levels, but can be easily removed with Resene Moss & Mould Killer, which will bleach and kill most common mould and fungi.

Top tip: If you’re repainting and your home is prone to mould, topcoat with the Resene Kitchen & Bathroom range, including Resene SpaceCote Low Sheen Kitchen & Bathroom or Resene Lustacryl Kitchen & Bathroom, which have anti-bacterial silver protection and MoulDefender added. Always make sure you treat mould first though.

5. Customise your decor

Hanging art is one of the easiest ways to instantly transform a room. If you don’t have the budget to buy any new pieces, you could either move what you do have around your home, or, even better, make your own. Simply buy some blank canvases – these can be purchased cheaply at many places – and head into your local Resene ColorShop to pick up some Resene testpots in your favourite colours. Even if you’re the furthest thing from Picasso, flex your creative muscles and create some bold and basic artwork by letting the colour do the talking.

Top tip: If you’re intimidated by the thought of a blank canvas, revive some decor accessories instead by switching up their colours with Resene testpots.

Background painted in Resene Contented, square plate in Resene Yogi, round plate in Resene Transition, bowl in Resene Rice Cake, small vase in Resene Valentine and vase with flowers in Resene Arriba. Project by Annick Larkin.

Balustrades primed with Resene Quick Dry and painted in Resene Lustacryl in Resene Dark Slate.

6. Paint your balustrades

Keeping the paintwork on your balustrades maintained will give your stairwell a new lease of life – they’re one of the most touched surfaces of your home, after all. Give them a refresh with a couple of coats of Resene paint to make them shine – make sure you clean the surfaces first with Resene Interior Paintwork Cleaner, as the oils and sweat from hands need to be thoroughly removed.

Top tip: If you’re planning to paint all parts of your stairs and stairwell, start from the top and work your way down – ceiling first, then walls and balustrade and then the stairs themselves. This helps to prevent paint drips landing on already finished areas.

Check out Resene Paint Expert Murdo Shaw’s step-by-step process to learn how to paint balustrades.

7. Play with texture

Bringing texture into your home is another great way to create subtle visual and sensory interest and bring energy into a previously unexciting space. Resene Sandtex Mediterranean effect is an incredibly innovative, unique product that provides a rustic, textured finish. You can use it to reimagine your old vases, pots or bowls or create a feature wall out of it.

8. Add a touch of nature

When in doubt, bring the outside in by displaying organic elements in your home that speak to each season’s unique beauty. Plants are always a great way to add a touch of vibrant greenery all year round.

In your dining room, change out your centrepiece for a quick and easy visual refresh. This could be as simple as filling a bowl with seasonal fruits and plants (pumpkin is perfect for autumn while grapes are super summery). Swapping beach finds or bouquets in the spring with a bowl of pinecones during winter is another smart way to communicate seasonal change.

Top tip: Painting vases, bowls and baskets is another inexpensive way to move through the seasons. Use Resene testpots to match your seasonal palette when the weather warms or cools.

Console table painted with Resene Sandtex Mediterranean effect in Resene Truffle, wall in Resene Alabaster, Resene Sea Fog mixed with Resene FX Paint Effects Medium and Resene Double Sea Fog mixed with Resene FX Paint Effects Medium and panelling in Resene Eighth Canterbury Clay.

Walls painted in Resene Eighth Bison Hide, floor border design in Resene Top Notch, chairs in Resene Vantage Point, table in Resene Half Bison Hide, pendant lightshade in Resene See The Light, sideboard in Resene Vantage Point with cork tiles in Resene Quarter Bison Hide and Resene Top Notch, bowl in Resene Scoria and planters and vases in (from left) Resene Fluffy Duck, Resene Top Notch and Resene Scoria. Project by Annick Larkin and Moneuan Ryan, image by Bryce Carleton.