The Resene Beyond the sea palette harnesses the beauty of ultra blues, using a pigment new to the Resene Total Colour System. The palette includes six colours, ranging from a blackened ultramarine blue through to an exuberant lighter blue, and are the first instances that this ultramarine pigment has been used to make paint locally.

As such a unique colourway, it also requires a uniquely toned base — which has been formulated for Resene SpaceCote Low Sheen. Resene SpaceCote Low Sheen is generally the recommended choice for bringing enamel-style toughness to broadwall areas. And given that the blues in this ultramarine palette are such rich and vivid hues, it's ideal that they're available out of the tin in a low sheen finish that doesn't sacrifice durability. The finish greatly reduces reflected glare from interior spotlighting, accent lighting, task lighting or sunlight streaming in from outside, so your clients get to view these extraordinary colours in their full glory. And that also makes these hues options for feature walls in living rooms, bedrooms, offices and theatre-type spaces.

The surface prep is exactly the same as when you use regular Resene SpaceCote Low Sheen. Once the surface is ready, apply the required Resene Acrylic Undercoat and allow it to dry before painting your topcoats — and three topcoats are recommended.

For projects with walls and ceilings where you want or need a higher sheen level, you can overcoat Resene ultramarine blues in Resene Concrete Clear flat, satin or gloss. Paint a wall in Resene Lapis Lazuli or Resene Artiste and then overpaint a geometric design using Resene Concrete Clear gloss. Despite the mural being all in the same colour, the contrast in sheen levels increases the visual texture and interest in the space.

When it comes to the complexities of these new Resene hues, the best word to describe them is 'otherworldly' — dramatic, moody, exotic and striking all at once.