Fifth finalist

From the Resene/Your Home and Garden Colour Home Awards Competition - 2013/2014 finalist

Colour story: stairway to heaven

It’s hard not to smile when you spot the rainbow stairs in Pippa Jinks’ Birkenhead, Auckland home. “People are always positive about them,” says Pippa. “The funniest comment was from a six-year-old friend of my children (Luka, 10, and Pearl, 7), whose face was a picture of happiness when he saw the stairs, but then he looked serious and told me earnestly that I had done it wrong, because rainbows don’t have pink in them.”

The self-appointed “paint pot queen” is always tackling new painting projects, and when it came time to decorate the stairs with either carpet or paint, her love of over-the-top colour won out. “I’m allergic to beige. Colours make me happy and energised, and how often do you get the chance to paint rainbow stairs?” she says.

The rainbow effect was achieved with Resene testpots, some leftover from previous projects, and others selected from a Resene KidzColour chart. “I cut up the chart and stuck all the colours in a line, ticking off the ones I had and heading off to Resene for testpots of the others.” The colours graduate from pink at the bottom, to blue at the top. “I like the idea of walking up into the sky,” says Pippa.

Resene tips & tricks

Painting a floor or stairs is a budget friendly way to transform them without having to invest in new flooring.
Rejuvenate existing timber floors with Resene Colorwood wood stain then finish in Resene Qristal ClearFloor. Or do as Pippa has and let loose with your favourite colours using Resene waterborne paint.