Colour that sings

They’d always wanted to do something interesting, but after months of wading through open home after open home of the same ‘ready to sell’ neutral colours, they were hungry for something bold. The aim was to create stylish, yet family-friendly spaces.

Aside from the paint colours, a favourite change they brought to the house was the removal of the doors between the living room and dining/play area. Having this open space framed in Resene Alabaster allows one to sit in either room and still be able to appreciate the other. It also highlights how complementary Resene Double Black White and Resene Shadowy Blue are.

Emboldened by having a separate living area to the main dining/play area, gave them a sense of permission to push the boundaries. The living room still receives a lot of light so even with such a dark paint colour, the room feels bright and welcoming in the day, but also warm and cocooning in the evening. The Resene Shadowy Blue is an absolute showstopper, made all the more impressive by the crisp Resene Alabaster trims and Resene Quarter Alabaster ceiling.

The family spends a lot of time in the dining/play area as it leads off the kitchen and into the garden, so were keen to carefully combine style and function in this space.

Rebekah chose the bold colours in the home with little need for guidance but found the neutrals more difficult to envision from swatch to wall. Resene Double Black White provides a neutral foundation without being boring. The soft grey interacts beautifully with the blue, green and wood accents.

The Resene Shadowy Blue was obviously meant to be as the table and chairs bought second-hand online match almost perfectly! Rebekah loves sitting at the dining table and looking past the chaos of the play area into the serene Resene Shadowy Blue living room, and having the Girl with the Pearl Earring (a piece of artwork they brought home from London as a souvenir) staring back at me.

For the bedrooms, the aim was to create calm and serene spaces. Rebekah started collecting pictures and toys to put in their son’s room while they were still searching for a house, so when it came time to choose a paint colour she was able to choose a Resene colour that went well with the orange, and soft green and blue items she had already acquired. Resene Breeze fit the brief perfectly.

The vast majority of the stripping, sanding, and painting work was done by Rebekah and her parents. However, Rebekah’s husband (who had been reluctantly absent from the redecorating process due to a big project at work) and Rebekah painted their son’s bedroom walls together, which adds a sentimental touch.

For their master bedroom, Rebekah just wanted the colour to sing. She loves crisp white bed linen, especially when it’s drenched in sunshine. The Resene Whirlwind paint colour is a perfect complement with a simply made bed, and gives the room a romantic and relaxing feel.