The heat is on

Getting to know her client was much simpler when Jane Fergusson designed her own kitchen with a fiery colour scheme.

A fiery kitchen colour scheme

The Resene FX Metallic Copper Fire splashback is the hero of Jane Ferguson’s warm-toned kitchen. The walls, cabinetry and island are in Resene Bianca, an off-white which works well with warm colours.

When a kitchen designer tackles a renovation of her own kitchen, does it change how they work? Not for Jane Fergusson – it just made choosing the right Resene colours for the client even easier.

“I still had to think about how I wanted to use [the kitchen], how it would interact with other spaces, and what feeling I wanted to create,” says Jane, who is a designer with Kitchens by Design in Auckland. “As with all of my designs, function over form still takes precedence.”

That meant when it came to choosing a colour scheme for the new kitchen, it was a matter of considering not just what would work in the kitchen, but how the open plan space would work with the connecting living and dining areas.

With that in mind, when Jane chose the deep tones of Resene Digeridoo for the main fireplace wall of the living room, she also used it as a bold highlight above the stovetop in the kitchen. It works beautifully with the deep red-brown tones of her Dekton Keranium benchtop and a splashback in the Resene FX Metallic paint in Resene Copper Fire. Light neutral walls and cabinetry in off-white Resene Bianca bring the whole space together.

“I was really happy with the final result,” Jane says. “The Resene Digeridoo is framed nicely against the Resene Bianca cabinetry, and the Resene Copper Fire, when illuminated from above, adds a softness and warmth to the space. The overall look and feel are simple, but with beautiful, accented colours that reflect a bit of personality.”

Jane’s expert advice for others planning kitchen makeovers is to think ahead when choosing a colour scheme.

The feature wall ties in with the kitchen

The feature wall, in Resene Digeridoo, a red-tinged brown, ties in with the Resene FX Metallic Copper Fire in the kitchen and the Resene Bianca walls.

“Think about loving this colour tomorrow rather than just today, and you will have a winner. Colours evoke feelings that encourage cooks and entertainers into the kitchen, creating a space to love and enjoy.

“If you don’t want an entire kitchen in a bold colour, adding accented areas of colour can still incorporate your personality, while being quite subtle,” she says.

“Contrasting colours can also achieve a change that brings a point of interest, which can break up the feeling of having just another white kitchen.”

Top tip: For an authentic Resene colour on your cabinetry, ask for Resene AquaLAQ, a waterborne Environmental Choice approved paint, available in a wide range of Resene colours, gloss levels and clear finishes. Choose the SoftTouch clear finish to reduce finger marking and a nice feel.

In Jane's words

What’s your favourite part of your kitchen?

I love its openness and the way it flows and links to adjacent spaces, along with the simplicity of the design. Connecting directly through the kitchen to the scullery to the garage makes transporting groceries so easy.

What’s your cooking style?

It’s a bit of everything – Italian, simple salads and barbecue meals seem to be mostly my go-to.

What recipe are you most eager to cook from this issue of dish?

I’d love to try the Braised Chicken with Bacon, Mushrooms and Fennel. I cook a lot of chicken, so I’m always on the hunt for something new, and I do love fennel!