two becomes one

The house is simple and sequestered. Generally Resene SpaceCote Low Sheen White was chosen as a background colour to lighten the spaces, with strong colours – Resene Glamour Puss and Resene Cosmos, used as confined splashes to liven, accent and link the various spaces. Resene Half Nullarbor was chosen as a neutral toned display wall for the unique and very interesting art collection.

The exterior is simple roughcast plaster and has been painted Resene White to accent the shadow play of the concrete texture with, for fun, a smoky amethyst tiled entry wall, a continuation of Resene Cosmos to the entry soffit and Resene Havoc red to the underside of the distinctive canopies over the front windows. This pink is not directly seen but provides a reflected tone to the areas below. The entry door is Resene Black Rock, a colour repeated on the interior as a bathroom wall feature.

These houses are interesting historically. They were built as social housing in the 20s and remain valued today. The object of this project was to retain the essence of the original building but lighten and modernise them architecturally. Simple but bold use of colour has been an integral part of this exercise.

Architectural specifier: Malcolm Walker Architects
Building contractor: Faulkner Construction
Photographer: Gabrielle Luong, Malcolm Walker, Malcolm Walker Architects
Project: Resene Total Colour Awards 2019