A fresh take

A wine lover’s soft green kitchen is the toast of the town.

Marlborough wine tour guide Renee is savvy about sauvignon blanc and also about colour. When it came to picking the perfect pale green for the kitchen for her home in Renwick, she wanted a colour that was fresh and herbaceous, a little like the flavour profile of a glass of sav. She called in the pros to find the green of her dreams, working with designer Jenny Saggers of Collaborate to find the perfect colour and kitchen layout. After testing several A4 drawdown paint swatches, they settled on Resene Half Washed Green for the Shaker-style cabinets.

A soft green kitchen in Resene Half Washed Green

Resene Half Washed Green is a soft calming green which sets the relaxed tone for this entertaining space. Resene Half Black White on the walls and Resene Quarter Black White for the trims and ceiling keeps the look crisp and fresh.

“The original colour in the room was white and grey and it felt very cold and clinical. When people come to visit, they say it’s so warm and inviting now,” says Renee.

The walls of the kitchen are Resene Half Black White with Resene Quarter Black White on the ceiling, the crisp white tones tie in with the blonde wood of the dining table and chairs. A window seat with woodwork painted in Resene Half Washed Green connects the window to the main kitchen area.

A shaker-style window seat in soft green

The Shaker-style window seat in Resene Half Washed Green is not only an additional seating area but features hidden storage. The walls are Resene Half Black White and the trims are Resene Quarter Black White.

The window seat is also a clever design trick for turning the kitchen into an entertaining space. Guests sitting on the window seat can talk to the cook as well as guests at the dining table.

“It’s an incredibly social space and we can sit 15 people in here. It’s our favourite place in the house. We really don’t need the rest of the home, we live in here!” says Renee.

In Renee's words

What’s your favourite part of the kitchen?

Renee: I love all of it but probably the window seat.

What’s your cooking style?

Renee: We’re really busy during the week but in the weekend we like to take our time and be a bit more experimental with recipes from cookbooks and dish.

What recipe are you most looking forward to making from this issue of dish?

Renee: The Milk-braised Pork Shoulder with Green Herb and Caper Sauce sounds delicious. We love doing slowcooked meats and this is probably a crowd-pleaser.