Earthy, natural colours have been everywhere in design trends over the past few years.
They’re an understandable favourite as we increasingly look for simpler lifestyles and a strong connection to nature. That trend is evolving again to embrace more complex natural colours inspired by a touch of minerality.
What that means is earthy shades that offer something a little bit extra, an unexpected tone that gives them a lift; a subtle hint of iridescence or undertone that elevates surroundings.
A good example of how this love of minerality and natural elements is playing out in interiors is to look at the ever-rising popularity of marble-like finishes or engineered stone that features imperfections, veins of mineral and natural colours, and even flecks of shimmer and glitter.
Sun-baked reds evoke iron-rich desert sands in this sitting room. Wall painted in Resene Savour with a faux-tiled floor painted in Resene Meringue and Resene Black. Project by Melle Van Sambeek. Image by Bryce Carleton.
How to use mineral colours
The common mineral – or elemental – colours we know are things like copper and gold, or rose quartz. But there are mineral colours throughout the spectrum from golden toned amber and sulphur, to blue-green malachite, pearlescent moonstone, purple-hued lapis lazuli, deep blue azurite and the organic blacks of jet, obsidian and ebony.
What that means there is a mineral shade to incorporate into almost any colour palette where you want to keep things natural and earthy but with a touch of something special.
For a maximalist mix of mineral tones try the warm sulphur yellow of Resene Galliano with the carbon black of Resene Blackout or the deep lapis lazuli of Resene Lucky Point, or the more subtle rose quartz of Resene Ebb.
If you want to mix your colour palette for a more tonally matched combination think about the spectacular colour graduations inside a cut geode. Different shades of agate blues for example will be layered within the rocks, often broken up with clear crystalline layers. To recreate a similar effect in your interiors try Resene Resolution Blue, Resene Half Resolution Blue and Resene Float. Add a few small decor touches of cut glass or clear crystal to really make your mineral blues pop.
Though all-natural and organic in origin, mineral colours can be surprisingly vivid, as in this room inspired by a cut agate crystal. Right wall painted in Resene Freelance and left wall in Resene Poured Milk. The floor is Resene Wishing Well with painted agate feature in Resene Deep Teal, Resene Maestro, Resene Hullabaloo, Resene Blue Chill, Resene Yes Please and Resene Freelance. Project by Megan Harrison-Turner. Image by Bryce Carleton
Experiment with textures and finishes
Inspired as they are by the natural environment, these mineral tones will also work well in imperfect or textured finishes to celebrate their organic origins. Try them with Resene FX Paint Effects Medium for a limewashed or weathered looking finish.
Mineral colours can often look good in a flatter or low sheen finish, but can also pair well with pearlescent finishes that hint at their hidden value.
Resene colour consultant Jill Marsh says Resene FX Pearl Shimmer is a particularly useful product that adds a natural level of shimmer, without going full gloss. “It’s a good way to add interest to a plain, neutral scheme. It can be used as a finish coat over any shade and comes to life when the light hits it.”
Mineral shades run the spectrum from shimmery golds to sulphuric yellows and deep semi-precious blues that celebrate nature. This wall is painted in Resene Half Escape, with the line drawing painted in Resene Tangaroa and Resene Cello. The gold vine is Resene FX Gold Dust over a base coat of Resene Apache. Project by Megan Harrison Turner. Image by Bryce Carleton.
Find your favourites
A good Google image search is a great help if you’re looking to find mineral-inspired colours. Look for aerial shots of salt flats, volcanoes and geothermal lakes or for close ups of cut open rocks, crystals and geodes. Have your Resene fan decks or colour charts handy and start to refine and curate your unique colour palette, that pays tribute to the unique properties of these natural minerals in a way that will suit your home or project. Or load the photos you have found into the Resene Colour Palette Generator and it will suggest a mineral inspired colour palette to you.
Textured and matte finishes emphasise the organic nature of more muted mineral tones. Wall and bookshelf painted in Resene Duck Egg Blue, floor stained in Resene Colorwood Breathe Easy and the bench seat is Resene Colorwood Rising Tide. Project by Vanessa Nouwens. Image by Bryce Carleton.
Top tip: When experimenting with complex shades inspired by minerals and natural elements, be sure to experiment with light – both natural and artificial – to see how it can bring different shades to life by highlighting different tones that make up the finished colour.
Earthy mineral tones in a range of shades are a natural fit for these balancing rocks and pair well with green-blues in this hallway. This wall is painted in Resene Welcome and the floor is Resene Colorwood Greywash. Project Shani Luckman. Image Bryce Carleton.
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.
