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Alt text: Beige and brown themed living room with stone coffee table, lounge and decorative items.

How to bring colour into your home

Whether you’re exploring a traditional, timeless look in whites and neutrals, or a contemporary style in playful hues; the colour scheme you select plays a significant part in the way your home feels. Discover ways to create mood with colour, explore popular interior colours, and get inspiration from real homes to help you choose the right colours for your space with our guide. Credit: @weavehomeau. Colour featured: Dulux Carrick Range.

Create a mood with colour

Understanding how different colours work together can help you set the mood for your entire home. When it comes to looking at the vast range of paint colour selections available to you, it can be difficult to narrow down your options. Thinking about how you want your space to feel is a great place to start.

Tone

Walls

Lake Brunner

Lake Brunner is a deep ocean blue with a greyish undertone that is perfect for accent walls in bedrooms and formal rooms as well as exterior accents such as on a front door. It pairs beautifully with Ōkārito and Mt Aspiring.

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Walls
Lake Brunner
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Lake Brunner is a deep ocean blue with a greyish undertone that is perfect for accent walls in bedrooms and formal rooms as well as exterior accents such as on a front door. It pairs beautifully with Ōkārito and Mt Aspiring.
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Tone

One way to look at colour is to consider its tone. Tone refers to lightness or darkness of a colour. Lighter tones create a fresh and soothing feeling, while darker colour palettes provide a more dramatic effect and are usually suited to bedrooms or studios to achieve a certain ambiance.
Temperature
Interior lounge

Wall

Mt Aspiring Half

Mt Aspiring Half is a popular soft white with a hint of grey. It can be used internally and externally as either a main wall or a trim colour. Team it with Mt Aspiring Double, Pūkaki Half and soft greys and charcoals such as Tīrau and Lyttelton Half.

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Wall
Mt Aspiring Half
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Mt Aspiring Half is a popular soft white with a hint of grey. It can be used internally and externally as either a main wall or a trim colour. Team it with Mt Aspiring Double, Pūkaki Half and soft greys and charcoals such as Tīrau and Lyttelton Half.
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Temperature

Colours can also be divided into warm and cool. Warm colours, like red, yellow, and orange draw your attention to create a strong focal point. Cooler colours like blues and greens are softer on the eye, and tend to recede into the background, giving a sense of more space. Learn more about creating a colour scheme for your home.

White & Neutrals

Fresh, natural, and timeless; whites and neutrals are classic, versatile colour choices that form the basis for many interior styles. These shades are often used in shared spaces of a home such as kitchens and living rooms as they are timeless and a simple backdrop to our daily lives. With so many shades to choose from, it can be tricky to find the perfect white for your home. Rooms flooded with plenty of natural light suit cooler tones, while warmer whites and neutrals can help to brighten up a darker space. Always trial colours in your own home using a Dulux sample pot to confirm your colour choice.

Explore popular whites and neutrals

White & Neutrals

Wall

Ōkārito

Ōkārito is a crisp, fresh white that goes with almost anything. It is perfect as a main wall colour for exteriors as well as windows and trims. Ōkārito is a versatile white that suits almost any style of home. It is also the most popular white in the Dulux Colours of New Zealand range.

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Wall
Ōkārito
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Ōkārito is a crisp, fresh white that goes with almost anything. It is perfect as a main wall colour for exteriors as well as windows and trims. Ōkārito is a versatile white that suits almost any style of home. It is also the most popular white in the Dulux Colours of New Zealand range.
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Greys

From welcoming warm tones through to cooler swatches, a grey colour palette creates a flexible backdrop that suits both natural materials and man-made additions. A popular colour choice for both interior and exterior surfaces, greys can help to open up a space, or create a soft, cocooning environment.Use deeper tones in spaces such as bedrooms or bathrooms where you're looking to add depth. Lighter tones are great for living spaces to bring together other colour accents.

Explore popular greys

 Greys

Wall

Rāwene

Rāwene is a popular dark charcoal with a subtle bluish undertone. Its versatility lends to use to outside projects and interiors such as formal rooms, theatre rooms and studios. It pairs perfectly with whites such as Mt Aspiring as well as soft browns and grieges such as Ōpononi.

Rāwene is a popular dark charcoal with a subtle bluish undertone. It works well as a contemporary feature colour on exteriors such as a front door. It can also be used as a dramatic interior colour such as in a bedroom, theatre room or studio space. It pairs perfectly with whites such as Mt Aspiring and Ōkārito as well as soft browns and grieges such as Ōpononi.

Explore colour-->
Wall
Rāwene
Ceiling
St Clair Half
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Rāwene is a popular dark charcoal with a subtle bluish undertone. Its versatility lends to use to outside projects and interiors such as formal rooms, theatre rooms and studios. It pairs perfectly with whites such as Mt Aspiring as well as soft browns and grieges such as Ōpononi.
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Browns

Wall

Diggers Valley

Diggers Valley is a rich warm brown with a slight pink undertone that works well as an accent colour both inside and out. Pair it with warm whites and neutrals such as Cardrona and Kauri Cliffs.

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Wall
Diggers Valley
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Diggers Valley is a rich warm brown with a slight pink undertone that works well as an accent colour both inside and out. Pair it with warm whites and neutrals such as Cardrona and Kauri Cliffs.
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Browns

Create a peaceful, serene sanctuary in shades of brown. From rich chocolatey tones, through to tan, toffee and taupe — browns evoke a sense of decadence that suit both classic and contemporary styles. The natural, earthy hues add a grounding element to your home, ripe for relaxation. Browns work well in communal areas of the home such as kitchens and dining spaces as they are neutral enough to pair well with timber and metallic elements, yet still give your space an edge.
Explore popular browns-->

Blues

Blue hues are perfect for a tranquil and calming zone. Available in a rich spectrum from moody sophistication through to light, airy blue-grey tones, blue is a versatile and easily-complemented colour choice for interior and exterior spaces alike. They work magically in master bedrooms and as feature walls in larger spaces without clashing with textured interiors.

Explore popular blues

Blues

Wall

Waikanae

Waikanae is a soft grey with a blue undertone. It works well on a weatherboard exterior or an interior where you want a cool and elegant grey. Pair it with a crisp white such as Ōkārito or blue-grey Caroline Bay.

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Wall
Waikanae
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Waikanae is a soft grey with a blue undertone. It works well on a weatherboard exterior or an interior where you want a cool and elegant grey. Pair it with a crisp white such as Ōkārito or blue-grey Caroline Bay.
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Greens

Bring a sense of the outdoors in by introducing green hues into your home. A calming addition that creates a fresh ambience, green tones make a dramatic statement that breathes life into any room. Greens tend to work very well in utility spaces such as bathrooms and laundry spaces as they can brighten up smaller spaces and make them feel more inviting.

Explore popular greens

Greens

Door

Southern Alps

The popular soft ultra-pure white of Southern Alps is the ultimate choice for interiors and exteriors. It is ideal for walls, ceilings, trims and features such as fretwork and window frames. The freshness of Southern Alps will brighten any space and give it a luxe modern vibe.

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Door
Southern Alps
Cabinetry
Whitemans Valley Half
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The popular soft ultra-pure white of Southern Alps is the ultimate choice for interiors and exteriors. It is ideal for walls, ceilings, trims and features such as fretwork and window frames. The freshness of Southern Alps will brighten any space and give it a luxe modern vibe.
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Pinks & Purples

Elegant jewel tones like pink and purple introduce a feeling of luxury. Create a timeless style with a contemporary edge in warm, rich hues; or instill soft relaxation to bedrooms and playrooms in muted tones. A deep purple can also bring a touch of sophistication to special zones in your home like a dining space for special occasions.

Explore popular pinks and purples

Pinks & Purples
Deep Exquisite
Ceiling
Hakataramea
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The right colour

Once you’ve chosen your colour — don’t risk the result. The only way to bring your favourite hues to life at home is to mix Dulux colours with Dulux paint products. With Dulux Wash&Wear®, you’ll get exact colour accuracy as well as a finish that will look freshly painted for longer.

Get the look

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Colour Design Service

Visualising colour in a space can be hard. Take the guesswork out of colour selection for your bathroom project with help from our Dulux Colour Desig Service. Available in your home or online, the choice is yours.

Book now
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