bright spot

After big smoke agency life, it was time to go home to Invercargill, at the bottom of the world, right in the middle of winter. Louise Evans of Lemon Creative freelanced remotely from the botanical gardens just to keep warm. A year later, with no sign of business waning, she decided she needed to find an office space.

She found so much grey.

Louise couldn’t find anything like the Sydney and Wellington agencies she worked in, so decided to create her own space. One to share.

The space was to be a shared working area in Invercargill (a first) that encouraged creativity and curiosity in the people who worked there, with a community of people who would come to work to enjoy it and make epic things. There’d be no grey.

A forgotten loft full of beautiful radiators and old world charm was just the right location. It was derelict, but had so much potential. Full of ideas, Louise decided to get stuck in and do the work herself while documenting the journey.

Most conversations with tradies were met with raised eyebrows. Most used the word ambitious, but not in a flattering way. Volunteers were cajoled into helping and Louise worked on and on determined not to give up.

When it came to colour, the palette had to be unboring – creative, fresh, light.

Using a base colour of Resene Half Black White (cool white), accents of colour were added from floor to wall, with plenty of variation.

Resene Bowie (cyan blue) makes a statement in the main room. Resene Vanilla Ice (sorbet pink) and Resene Buttercup (bold yellow orange) in the middle front office create a two toned diagonal wall feature. The stairwell walls are in Resene Freelance (summer green). One room has Resene Half Kumutoto (soft coastal blue) running from floor to halfway up the wall, changing from Resene Walk-on for the floor to Resene SpaceCote Low Sheen for the wall.

A wall painted in Resene SpaceCote Low Sheen in Resene All Black (deep black) was the perfect base for an artist to create a chalk painting. This finish is replicated on Louise’s work table so she can scribble notes in chalk as she works.

There are also highlights of Resene FX Fluoro about the space. And Resene Gold metallic paint on door handles, radiators and light switches. A smidgeon of grey found its way into the palette too, with Resene Quarter Silver Chalice (silvery grey) in the stairwell.

The mural on the floor was done entirely in Resene testpots of a multitude of colours using Resene Ballerina (pastel violet pink), Resene Half Resolution Blue (clear bright blue), Resene Turbo (energetic yellow), Resene Perfume (sensuous violet), Resene Sonique (pastel mauve), Resene Del Toro (spirited red), Resene True Blue (violet blue), Resene Rapture (hot orange pink), Resene Touche (persimmon orange), Resene Foam (pastel blue), Resene Aqua (blue green) and Resene Sail (clear blue).

The project is a colourful testament to what you can achieve with hard work, perseverance and a willingness to learn.

This project won the Resene Total Colour Commercial Interior Award. The judges said “Youthful exuberance spills out of this project, with a delightful and colourful sense of optimism and energy. Behind the colours, is a journey of learnings and a tenacity to never give up. A playful overlay on an old neglected space, this project is a talking point that exemplifies what you can do when you make your own colour rules.”

Creator: Louise Evans, Lemon Creative
Winner: Resene Total Colour Commercial Interior Award
Project: Resene Total Colour Awards 2018
From the Resene News – issue 3/19