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Resene Bismark does double duty, accentuating the home’s 1970s architecture and marking four new interconnected living spaces. “The warm colour of the original timber was such a strong element in the space,” says Jason. “We balanced this by going to the opposite side of the colour wheel to get the ideal complementary colour. We explored many options, but this balance led Resene Bismark to win everyone over.” The walls are painted in Resene Triple Rice Cake; the pendants are powder-coated in the closest colour Cloud Dwellers could find to Resene Bismark.
Resene Bismark frames the kitchen and dining, with walls painted in Resene Triple Rice Cake.
While paint wasn’t the only tool used in the makeover, it was undoubtedly the most transformational, with Resene Bismark the standout favourite of 24 colour options suggested by Cloud Dwellers.
The couple’s son plays in front of original cladding painted in Resene Log Cabin. The door is painted in a Resene colour custom-matched to a laminate surface used in the kitchen. The door jambs are in Resene Foundry.
A kind of blue: See how Resene Bismark transformed this Queensland home
Queensland couple Michael and Amanda bought a home in Brisbane’s Bridgeman Downs, ripped out the carpets, stripped the wallpaper and gave the walls a lick of paint.
18 months later, they upped and moved to Sydney for a decade.
They returned with plans to sweep the home of an unfortunate 1970s legacy – mainly, a pokey kitchen (“it wasn’t a joy to be in”) and a dark and dysfunctional layout that put a massive walk-in pantry in the middle of the house.
But like many homes of that era, it had good bones; the architecture was interesting, the craftsmanship excellent and the materials top quality.
“The existing house had a real mix of things that were fantastic and terrible,” says Jason Haigh, co-director of Queensland architectural practice Cloud Dwellers. The kitchen was a letdown, and the house flowed awkwardly. But lots of expressed timber gave the two-storey suburban home a “dominant characteristic of warmth, detailed scale and linear geometries”.
Enter a kind of blue: Resene Bismark, to be exact. While paint wasn’t the only tool used in the building’s makeover, it was undoubtedly the most transformational. More than just a colour, Resene Bismark defines the home.
Resene Bismark does double duty, accentuating the home’s 1970s architecture and marking four new interconnected living spaces. “The warm colour of the original timber was such a strong element in the space,” says Jason. “We balanced this by going to the opposite side of the colour wheel to get the ideal complementary colour. We explored many options, but this balance led Resene Bismark to win everyone over.” The walls are painted in Resene Triple Rice Cake; the pendants are powder-coated in the closest colour Cloud Dwellers could find to Resene Bismark.
“It’s common to hear people talk about ‘restrained’ colour palettes,” Jason says. “But we believe a neutral material palette will generate a neutral reaction; how can you fall in love with a space if it makes you feel nothing?”
Resene Bismark frames the kitchen and dining, with walls painted in Resene Triple Rice Cake.
The renovation took about a year from concept to creation and included sorting out a wonky 1970s floorplan that had a pantry smack bang in the middle of the home. Michael, Amanda and their five-year-old son now have a home they call cohesive and happy.
The brief was to renovate the house’s ground floor, which contained all the common areas. Builders demolished the kitchen and surrounding internal walls, leaving the perimeter walls painted in Resene Triple Rice Cake to ‘frame’ the four new interconnected living spaces (dining, lounge, kitchen and play area). Cork floors were removed, and the slab polished. The project also unmasked a previously concealed staircase.
“The house is much more liveable now. The kitchen is the hub, so having it opened up, with the island facing the living areas, has transformed the house,” says Michael. “Before, everyone felt isolated in different rooms. Now, the areas are combined.”
To interconnect the areas, Cloud Dwellers helped steer Amanda and Michael towards colour: the most impactful being Resene Bismark. The steely blue snakes through the living spaces, used on an L-shaped cabinet to the side of the house’s entry, on a timber room divider and throughout the kitchen. Custom pendants extend the concept beyond the main renovation area.
While paint wasn’t the only tool used in the makeover, it was undoubtedly the most transformational, with Resene Bismark the standout favourite of 24 colour options suggested by Cloud Dwellers.
“Resene Bismark makes the space,” says Michael. “Although renovated, the house has stayed true to its 1970s roots and has unlocked its potential. While the areas are new and modern, they could have been done 30 years ago. We didn’t want a typical spec home; we wanted something with interesting features.”
He says the new areas are brighter, better connected, and have renewed the family’s love of living there.
“The colour running through the frame and into the kitchen ties the areas together while allowing them to be separate. With so much wood in the house – with the beams and exposed wooden floorboards of the floor above – the blue helps to balance the colours of the wood.
The choice of Resene Bismark was a collaboration. Recognising the importance of colour to help delineate spaces, Cloud Dwellers suggested an impressive 24 different options. Resene Bismark was the standout.
“It is an unusual colour for the house’s interior,” says Michael. “Jason convinced us it would sit well with the pre-existing exposed beams and flooring. Cloud Dwellers did some 3D design mock-ups to help with the decision-making process. Throughout the process, Resene Bismark was our favourite.”
Although Resene Bismark is the focal colour, other Resene hues also play their part. Resene Triple Rice Cake has an essential role. Restricted to the communal area’s perimeter, it also helps to define the new spaces.
The couple’s son plays in front of original cladding painted in Resene Log Cabin. The door is painted in a Resene colour custom-matched to a laminate surface used in the kitchen. The door jambs are in Resene Foundry.
To enhance the strong geometries of the original timber structure, existing and new trims were painted with Resene Foundry, helping to “create a sense of juxtaposition at material junctions”, says Jason. Resene paint wizards were also called upon to custom match a Resene colour to a laminate surface used in the kitchen, with a slate green used on doors and a pantry alcove, and a minty blue – matched to some Japanese tiles – elsewhere. The original wall cladding was painted in Resene Log Cabin.
And the advantages of living with such an energetic hue? The colour dominates the space – in a good way – making it feel cohesive and happy, says Michael.
design Cloud Dwellers www.cloud-dwellers.com.au
images Cathy Schusler www.cathyschusler.com
Top tip: Choosing blue for your home? Think about the effect you wish to create – blue is coolest with greens, warmest with peach, terracotta, primrose or buttery yellows, crispest with white, boldest with reds, heavenly with metallics and softly placid with baby-cheek pink – and use this as the basis of your colour scheme. Check out Resene’s most popular blues for some inspiration.
Published: 17 Jan 2024
Do you have a home full of wonderful Resene paint and colour? Send us some snaps by emailing [email protected].
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