feature garden Resene Revolution Resene Neutral Bay Resene Half Alabaster Resene Foundry M ost people who buy a house with a well- established garden would be tempted to let it be. Not so with Louise Dunning. After all, she is a landscape designer. Louise and Blake Noble bought this Auckland home four years ago. The garden had been developed in the mid-1990s in a traditional planting style. The house had been more recently rented however, and the garden was past its best. So out came all the plants and in came lots of creativity and hard work. With a large puriri tree in the front garden and pohutukawa on a neighbouring property, Louise decided on a low-maintenance garden with subtropical and native plants. The garden refurbishment was part of a wider renovation, in which the house was reconfigured and a new bedroom added on to the back. New, wide sliding doors were added to access the back garden, and the exterior repainted in Resene Revolution with Resene Half Alabaster trims. Says Louise: “I wanted the house to be darker, but didn’t want a flat grey. Resene Revolution has a lovely blue edge, which looks great with the subtropical foliage colours. It’s come up better Above: The exterior of the house is painted in Resene Revolution, chosen to be offset by the subtropical plants. The trims are Resene Half Alabaster and the roof is Resene Foundry. Resene Revolution is from an older collection; try Resene Neutral Bay as another option. Opposite: A new deck and planter boxes provide an easier transition from the house to the garden. Louise designed a new deck, planters and steps to lead from the raised back door to the garden. The deck is finished with Resene Furniture and Decking Oil, and the furniture is stained with Resene Pitch Black wood stain. top tip Use Resene Walk-on paint for a tough finish for surfaces like the boards on this veranda. Resene Pitch Black Resene Escape 75