Auckland
This tired 1990s townhouse was home to a purple kitchen and bathrooms, a sea of vanilla, doors and a laminate kitchen floor, all screaming out for a makeover.
The new look was to be fresh and sophisticated melded with a hint of dark and moody.
The photographic art piece “Astrae” by B. Nunes, a 1500 x 1200 c-type archival print of a small 10cm segment of rock, which hung in a previous home, became the seed for inspiration for the colour palette. The original piece of rock was collected and photographed by the artist from the nearby Grafton Gully. The artist describes her work depicting “a transitional landscape that has registered our varying preoccupations with nature, death and the movement of people and things. As I have walked through this site, objects have offered themselves up. Here tapu and noa coexist in a state of flux.” The sombre grey tones and distinct white veining in the piece inspired the use of dark neutral colours and creation of texture throughout the house.
Many of the oceans of monotonous walls were transformed into beautiful statements with painted panelled detail. The timber panelling painted Resene Double Cod Grey wraps the inner walls of the entire staircase, a beautiful textural element which connects the colour story from one level to the next.
The four levels of the house have very individual functions which influenced how they were designed and finished. The first floor features a bespoke hand painted grasscloth wall, and an abstract jungle image that along with the pale oak flooring unites the space shared by the kitchen, dining and living areas. The kitchen with panelled fronts in Resene Eighth Friar Grey and Resene Milk White, is highlighted with Resene Double Cod Grey handles and a milky textural tiled splashback all adding to the home’s layers of neutral colour and texture.
The feature bespoke wall was created with Grasscloth wallpaper from Resene upon which a custom mixed Resene FX Metallic finish was painted and sponged on as a base layer, followed by a diluted mix of Resene Double Cod Grey randomly rolled on top. This creates a tonal link to the feature wall at the top of the house which is pure metallic.
Resene Double Cod Grey is a go to black which was perfect for the floor to ceiling painted panelling used on the staircase and fireplace. Finished in Resene Lustacryl semi-gloss it reflects light beautifully, creating a sense of vitality that can often be missing in a ‘black’ surface. This was teamed with Resene Zylone Sheen Zero in Resene Milk White, as a subtle backdrop to the other features. Shutters and metal shower frames are also finished in Resene Double Cod Grey to entwine that colour into every room.
A delicate basket weave pattern features in the painted paper wallpaper which lines the outside walls of the entire staircase. It leads beautifully up through the different levels of the home culminating in a light. The staircase handrails were stained Resene Colorwood Dark Ebony enabling them to blend subtly into the walls behind them. catching brassy gold wall, especially blended by the Resene ColorShop in Newmarket.
The kids’ zone can be found on the second floor where a base of Resene Milk White was used to balance the diverse looks required by an older teenage girl and a younger brother. A Resene Imaginarium wallpaper displays the cheekiness of a 10 year old boy and teamed with Resene Quarter Taupe Grey creates an immediate point of difference to an older sister’s serene room. Birds, lizards and leaves have been cut from leftover wallpaper and stuck onto the hung paper to add extra fun.
The accompanying bathroom continues the interior scheme of neutral tone and texture. Large format granite tiles were chosen almost as an homage to ‘the rock’ art piece. Resene Double Cod Grey is taken through into the bathroom shutters and the metal frame for the shower with touches of oak to add warmth. The bathroom ceilings were finished with Resene Ceiling Velvet for its soft matt velvety surface.
This same bathroom theme is tweaked slightly and repeated in the ensuite on the third floor, part of the parents’ retreat. Sophisticated and relaxed were essential elements for the master bedroom, achieved with timber panelling painted in Resene Milk paired with Resene Quarter Friar Grey and elegant furnishings.
A bespoke bathroom vanity in the ensuite was finished with Resene Colorwood Rock Salt and Resene Qristal ClearFloor 2K, echoing the same products used on the American Oak timber flooring that so beautifully spans the entire first floor.
The warm hues extend to the exterior finished in Resene Woodsman Nutmeg for the decking and Resene Woodsman Crowshead and Resene Nutmeg for the fencing for a matt natural finish.
Interior designer: Kelly Gammie
Photographer: Becky Nunes
Project: Resene Total Colour Awards 2018
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