larger than life

This ten year old unit was serving its owners well as a holiday home but the interior had never received the attention to detail that some of their other homes had. They would soon be spending more time on the coast and were keen to establish at Unitfive the same contemporary warmth and sophistication experienced elsewhere.

The kitchen needed a complete re-design in order to cook and entertain guests and look out to the incredible water views. Also needed was a very well thought out office space where both adults could work. More storage was also on the wishlist. The laundry was a tiny disorganised space and that needed a rejig too. The carpets were worn, the tiles were difficult to clean. The apartment needed modernising and it desperately needed ambience and persona.

This project was inspired by the story ‘Alice in Wonderland’, as if one had fallen down a dark rabbit hole, as did Alice, and arrived at the ‘Mad Hatter’s Tea Party’ entering a whimsical fantasia with breathtaking views. Hence, colours pop, the walls talk, light cables swing and life is overscaled and large.

Resene Foundry (shadowy charcoal) creates the apartment’s very sophisticated canvas, upon which every other fun colour magically leaps forward. All of the open plan living areas and kitchen and living cabinetry have been finished in Resene Foundry. The apartment’s stunning ocean views are not only framed but enlarged by the intensity and extreme depth of this stand out colour.

Choosing this substantial colour also helped to overcome the major design challenge of too much light in the apartment. Much of the extreme pinching glare caused by too much sunlight entering the apartment has now been absorbed by the Resene Foundry. It is possible to still enjoy the view while watching television, reading, snoozing and relaxing without having to struggle with the light or close the blinds, which meant one had to previously forgo the wonderful views just to be comfortable. As night falls the apartment’s layers of lighting shadow and dance upon the Resene Foundry.

High gloss Resene Double Canterbury Clay (brown ochre) is used for trims and doors right throughout the apartment. This has proven to be a very successful contrast to the Resene Foundry, outlining it boldly to enhance its very ‘crisp’ and almost ‘clean’ nature, creating yet more impact.

Resene Blackboard Paint is used for the industrial door leading to the master bedroom. The front of this door is seen from the main open plan living area and is now used regularly by adults and children alike. It has added a very fun entertaining aspect to the apartment for all. Doodles, squiggles, Tic Tac Toe and Hangman for hours with friends and a bottle of wine.

The reverse of the door, also painted in Resene Blackboard Paint is not seen by anyone except the inhabitants of the master bedroom, adding a secret location for private messages.

Installing an additional layer of Resene Magnetic Magic under the second smaller kitchen chalkboard has meant this location can practically be used for posting photos, notes, reminders, cut outs and more, ideal for a kitchen zone.

Interior designer: Heidi Meyer
Painting contractor: Helen Kapp
Photographer: Jaimi Kenny
Project: Resene Total Colour Awards 2014
From the Resene News – issue 3/2015