Dressing a cottage in neutral shades

Situated between Hastings and Havelock North, the property sits on 2.2 hectares of land. Most of the land is growing apples for export but there is also a cottage garden which is most fitting for the dwelling. The house was built before 1914 and very little information is held at the council office.

When the property was purchased the inside was very dated and needed a complete overhaul. Every room was repainted, the carpets were pulled up in some areas and floors polished. Every door was taken off and a new moulding attached then painted.

Both the bathroom and kitchen have been remodelled without changing the plumbing as that would have been an expensive exercise due to some of the floor being concrete.

The recently plastered fireplace was painted with Resene Stonehenge. The walls are Resene Quarter Tea with Resene Black White trim on the mantel to coordinate with the window trim.

In the bathroom/laundry, Resene Parchment was painted on the walls teamed with Resene Black White for windows and trims throughout. This same colour scheme has been used in the bedroom. It has made the whole house lighter with the continuation of the same wall colour throughout.

The choice of colours came from looking at house and garden magazines and by researching what the most popular colours were and ensuring they would complement the cottage while adding a light and clean look.