Habitat plus - shape shifter

From habitat plus - exteriors

The strong lines, sculptural layering and heightened sense of drama seen in contemporary residential architecture often doesn’t need the help of a complex colour scheme.

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As with this design by Hill + Miles Architecture there are other materials to consider – the richness of timber, the grunty honesty of concrete, the raw beauty of steel, all offset by discrete yet effective lighting. Often, the restful yet contrasting pairing of black and white is enough, perhaps with just a blush of colour on one surface or a pop on the door.

Top tip: If you are planning to use a dark colour on your exterior, consider using a Resene CoolColour™. It is specially formulated paint that reflects more of the sun’s heat than standard paint, to reduce the stress on the coating and surface. It’s ideal for darker colours used outside and is available in a wide range of exterior products including paints and stains.

1.Here, the monolithic forms of this home are wrapped in some of the many warm greys that Resene has. The louvres are framed in the soft warm winter foliage tones of Resene Truffle while the weatherboards are in the ancient stone grey of Resene Stonehenge. As a crisp finish, Resene Nero is used for the door and Resene All Black as a horizontal element on the lower fascia board.

2.The strong central frame here is painted in Resene Villa White, offset by weatherboards either side painted in Resene Black Russian. Other materials like the concrete blocks and front door are finished in natural-look coatings to protect the surface without changing the look. The pairing of white and black has become an iconic one with modern homes and in this case, the contrast adds to the presence of the architecture.

3.This scheme takes the strong vertical core of this home and piles on even more drama by finishing the louvres and blocks in the strong mountain range grey of Resene Grey Friars. The weatherboards stay with the craggy theme, finished in the schist stone grey of Resene Montoya. Other colours introduce fresh green hints of mountain tussock, with a plaster frame in the clean, slightly acidic Resene Half Joanna and a front door in Resene Gingko.

Greys and whites with a bold front door.

4.Breaking gently away from natural and neutral colour palettes, the plaster frame is washed in the muted and smoky Resene Blue Bayoux. The weatherboards recede in the deep and mysterious Resene Cod Grey while the louvres are in the hint-of-grey Resene Sea Fog. As a bright note to end, the door is in sunny Resene Cream Can.

› Return to Habitat plus 02 - exterior colour schemes

Updated 2/17

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