Reader roundup: From public murals to brighter hallways

21 May 2026

From giving a piano a new life, to murals that brighten people’s day, these habitat readers have been busy with their creative projects. If you’ve been thinking about refreshing your home or bringing some colour into your life, let this be your inspiration!

Remember, we love to see your finished projects, so please email us some photos and the Resene colours and/or Resene wallpapers you’ve used to [email protected].

The team at Wainui Seaside Glamping have added a special item into one of their stays, Barnie – a handcrafted American barn on Ōhiwa Harbour. What was once an old worn down, forgotten piano, has now been transformed with Resene Ottoman. But it’s not just the paint colour, it’s the right prep, products and care that resulted in a beautiful finish on this project. Read all about the process in bringing this piano back to life here.

Trystan Cutts painted this mural, named Someone Left The Window Open, on a cabinet for Enable Networks Ltd. Painted in colours including Resene Hyperactive, I Dare You, Candy Floss and Lavender, you can check this one out for yourself at 325 Montreal Street, Christchurch. To see more of Trystan’s work, visit @trystan.cutts on Instagram.

What was a very dark and gloomy entrance and hallway in this home has now been lifted and refreshed. This before and after shows just how much of a difference a new coat of paint can make. With the help of Bridget Foley Design, the perfect creamy neutral – Resene Bianca – was chosen for the walls, replacing the orange timber and faded paint. If you’ve been thinking about a refresh at home, let this be your inspiration.

Artist Melinda Butt recently transformed a wall on the Alexandra District Wall Memorial Centre as part of the Play Innovation Hui by Central Otago District Council. “The imagery draws from the mountain daisy (tīmuku), a remarkable species endemic to New Zealand that thrives in the rugged heights of its mountain home,” Melinda says. “In summer, it bursts into flowers, bright, joyful and full of quiet resilience and life. There’s also a conversation with the building, its theatre heart, its role in gathering people, and architecturally, the way light and shadow move across the corner, shifting throughout the day.”

For this mural, Melinda used the shades Resene Japanese Laurel, Conifer, Sunflower, Belladonna, Tory Blue, Pearl Lusta and Grey Friars.

Published: 21 May 2026