From Habitat magazine - issue 26, autumn/winter 2017
New products and services for your home
The new Mason handcrafted wallpaper collection by Resene celebrates the work of well-known local artist William (Bill) Mason and his handcrafted papers. Bill designed patterns for Wellington-based Ashley Wallpapers in the 1960s before establishing Mason Handprints. He and his wife Maureen developed wallpapers that were glamorous and alluring and featured striking use of colour. They gained international acclaim and were highly sought after.
Bill began to experiment with paint rather than printer dyes and inks for his papers, which led to a successful collaboration with Resene. While wallpaper fell out of fashion for some years, its recent revival led to Resene launching the exciting and innovative new collection. The designs use the original Mason screen positives and can be customised with your own choice of Resene paint colours. See page 30 to meet the man who is bringing the papers to life again.
See the range at your Resene ColorShop (selected stores only) or online.
Made with whitewashed American ash, the Cardrona bedroom suite by Danske Mobler is a timeless design that will suit all styles of interior. Straight lines are softened with curves and negative detail is added in the header and footer of the slat bed to give a subtle element of modernity. Featuring the Pivotech® slat support system in the bed frame for a comfortable night’s sleep, the suite is made in New Zealand. See www.danskemobler.nz.
The wider team at Habitat by Resene online have been busy lately with lots of cool and easy DIY projects showing how just one Resene testpot or two can make all the difference.
We’ve upcycled furniture and accessories, repurposed bits and pieces, added splashes of colour in unexpected places, and more.
One of our busiest contributors is Nikki Astwood, who has worked on a series of ‘mini makeovers’. She has refreshed all sorts of household objects from planters to placemats, fruit bowls to candlesticks. See www.habitatbyresene.com/tips/.
If you’ve ever had the blinds versus curtains debate for your windows, this nifty solution could be the answer. The Mystique collection from Window Treatments NZ is a curtain and blind in one. Great for french or sliding doors, the tilt control can be used to select the angle of view or control the light. It has a light filtering effect when open or room darkening effect when closed. Mystique looks like a curtain but has the functional benefits of a blind, and is available in a range of colours with a maximum width of 3m and drop of 2.8m. See www.window-treatments.co.nz.
You’ve probably tried virtual painting on a computer, but have you tried virtual painting in a virtual reality experience? Now you can with new Resene ColourVision, a VR headset and smartphone.
The Resene ColourVision experience lets you change the colours on a virtual reality house. Move from room to room and redecorate the walls and ceiling, and stain the floor with your favourite colours from the Resene colour range. And once you’ve finished decorating you can relax and watch the paint fly with the ‘fun with paint’ feature. For more see www.resene.com/colourvision.
Make your home ravishingly warm and cosy this winter with the plushest possum fur from Untamed by Basically Bush. Sensuous throws, luxurious bed runners, knee rugs and cushions of various sizes are available in three natural or nine dyed colour options. Possum fur is light, exceptionally warm and incredibly soft – considered the ‘cashmere of furs’. It’s also an ethical fur choice – affordable luxury without the guilt! Visit www.untamed.nz.
When Hemptech fabric makers found that most of their customers had Resene paint on their walls, they started to colour-match their designs to popular Resene shades. The company’s elegant and iconic designs include sea urchins, fantails and flax flowers (Flax Pod seen here is colour matched to Resene Unwind and another to Resene Surrender), as well as beautiful plains.
The textiles are 100% natural linen or hemp, which are sustainable, biodegradable, stable and recyclable. For more see www.hemptech.co.nz.
With a large glass viewing area but minimal depth, the new Escea DS1400 gas fire makes a big impact using a small footprint. Escea has taken away all the bits you don’t need for a sleek and minimalist fire that focuses on the flame. It’s truly frameless – where the wall ends the glass begins – and with its low height and flexible flue technology, you have the freedom to put the fireplace anywhere. Flue up, down, or even sideways. No walls are required and there's no compromise on your design.
Escea’s Smart Heat app allows you to turn the fire on remotely, and there are a range of fuel beds to customise the look. Available single or double sided, for a big impact in one room… or two. See www.escea.com/nz.
Acting as both a USB charger and a shelf, Schneider Electric’s Saturn Zen smart shelf is the perfect accessory for modern homes – put it beside the bed, in the kitchen, the living room or home office. Designed to hold two smartphones or one tablet, the smart shelf keeps your devices out of the way when charging. Schneider Electric has designed the charger using smart technology to deliver a 5-star energy rating for energy efficiency. See www.schneider-electric.co.nz.
The new Purity Pulldown Stainless Steel Sink Mixer (PUR011) from Foreno is a sleek addition to any kitchen. The brushed stainless steel finish is versatile and durable which combines functionality with design. It also resists fading and staining, and is easy to keep clean. For more information visit www.foreno.co.nz.
The recently launched Geonature wallpaper collection from Resene ColorShops gives a nod to the Art Deco look with stylised motifs, graphic lines and muted tones. Symmetry from nature is caught in both bold and refined geometric designs. Walls take on colours like sea green, sand yellow, cloudy white, soft lavender and misty blue or black with a glimmer of sun gold. It’s a collection that will bring a natural metamorphosis to your home. This design is 366013. See your local Resene ColorShop for this and other wallpaper options.
Nine exciting new designs join the Resene Curtain Collection range, with patterns ranging from handcrafted organic styles through to botanical looks and geometric motifs.
The new designs join a growing collection of patterns, with most also coming in two to three colourways. Each design and colourway is accompanied by a suggested Resene paint scheme so that you can easily co-ordinate an entire room… or an entire house. See page 32 for more styles and fabric trends for 2017. See www.resene.com/curtains.
Painting in winter can be challenging with the cold temperatures and humidity from wet weather slowing drying time and potentially affecting the finish. The tech experts at Resene have a solution – Resene Wintergrade waterborne paints that come in a range of exterior finishes and which will dry in temperatures down to 2°C.
These paints can be formulated without humectants (typically added to slow the dry in hot weather), which makes them faster to dry in winter. The technology that makes these paints possible also has a positive spin-off – it makes them more eco-friendly with very low VOCs (volatile organic compounds). Resene Wintergrade products are the same price as the standard Resene products and are available from April to August from Resene ColorShops.
handmade If you're looking for a bit of unique art or signage for your home, Pallet Retail are skilled at repurposing old timbers and decorating them with Resene testpots to create quirky pieces, like this retro kitchen wall art. They decorate retro suitcases, hand-painted saws and more using old-school sign-writing techniques. See www.facebook.com/PalletKiwiLiving.
Design aesthetic meets affordability with the new Astivita York Wall Hung Vanity from Plumbing World. The vanity is beautifully proportioned with a 20mm slimline vitreous china top and a soft close drawer, full extension runners, a solid chrome bar handle, and construction from E1 moisture resistant board. With a full range of sizes (this is the 900mm width) and three colour options, it’s a great choice for bathroom renovators. See www.plumbingworld.co.nz.
These dreamy planters are the latest offering from stylist Amber Armitage. Known for her beautiful prints and paintings, and range of ceramics, the pots are a continuation of a series of paintings Amber created that explored the idea of the horizon lines when on a road trip. The pots are hand-painted in Resene colours and are made to order through Mood Store. See www.moodstore.co.nz.
Now’s the time to plant flower bulbs for spring. Palmers have selected two stunning daffodils and mixed them into one exclusive pack named ‘Milk & Honey’. This pack contains two distinctive daffodil varieties that flower well together. The white and gold blooms create a stunning show, and will liven up any pot or planter on your patio, or plant them straight into your garden bed. Plant the bulbs close together (one bulb width apart) and in good quality potting mix at a depth of 10cm, for a stunning spring display. See www.palmers.co.nz.
Inspired by the layering of strata rock formations, the new Stratum collection from Laminex Solid Surfaces answers the desire for organic looking and natural feeling products in our homes.
With five new colours, the Stratum collection covers all bases of the neutral palette. There’s the softly veined Clara, the wavy grey Sedimentary (shown), the deep grey Slate Grey, warm brown Moreno and the deep brown with copper accents of Ebony Timber.
Laminex Solid Surface can be moulded to create inventive designs with seamless joins, and has superior stain and bacteria resistance. See www.laminex.co.nz.
It’s often hard to imagine how products like spouting or guttering will look on your new home or renovation, but they are an important element of an exterior look. To help, Marley has a number of house tours on its website so you can see how the popular Marley Stratus Design Series® spouting and downpipes can complement various styles of home. The spouting and downpipes are available in a range of colours and designed to withstand coastal conditions. To hear what homeowners have to say about Marley and be inspired by the house gallery, go to www.marley.co.nz.
Raw nature comes inside with the latest trend for texture, botanic motifs, moody browns, rattan, leather and faux fur. Fabric house Maurice Kain’s latest releases, Orlando and Windermere, fit perfectly into the look. Natural look materials such as linen and cotton, and subtle hues are the backbone to this trend. Nature inspired motifs, such as leaves, are seen with an eroded, worn effect. See www.mauricekain.co.nz.
For those who struggle with creating colour schemes and deciding on interior materials, help is at hand from Bodo Boards.
Using Australian suppliers and Resene paints, the online service helps you create a scheme by compiling a mood board of colour and materials.
The concepts are presented in the same way as a private consultation, with a designer layout of materials and colour choices, as well as designer advice and finishing touches. Bodo Boards are based on a mid-range budget, with budget-friendly alternatives included on each board.
See www.houzz.co.nz/pro/bodoboards.
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Printed copies of habitat highlights are available from late March 2024 at Resene ColorShops and resellers, while stocks last. You can view back issues of habitat magazine online.
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