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The Resene French Pass exterior matches the sky on a cloudless day and makes Sand Dollar Cottage look fresh and eye-catching.
Rod and Heather opted for half and quarter tones of Resene White Pointer on the interior walls and ceilings for a light, bright open living area.
The Resene White Pointer variants carry through to the bedroom which is linked to the living space with a large doorway, creating the sense of a studio apartment.
The large elm block kitchen island benchtop is a key feature of the living space with walls and ceiling in variations of Resene White Pointer.
Board and batten paneling painted in Resene Half White Pointer is used to create a feature around a striking schist fireplace.
The bathroom’s open shower with Italian faux-brick tile is luxurious teamed with walls painted in Resene Half White Pointer.
A generous portico provides plenty of outdoor living space – a key ingredient for a bach. The weatherboards are Resene French Pass.
Rod and Heather’s captivating Cape Cod cottage
With its cape-cod style architecture and fresh blue Resene French Pass exterior, Heather and Rod Claycomb’s Sand Dollar Cottage in Matarangi is a real head-turner.
The couple built the new building on the site of their existing bach to give them more room to accommodate the steady flow of friends and family visiting each summer. The original bach remains on site, connected to the new house by an expansive deck to give those guests their own private living and sleeping space.
The new structure mirrors the old bach’s craftsman cottage style but with a studio apartment style, thanks to wide doors linking the one bedroom with the open-plan living area.
Two striking features draw your eye in the living space - a board and batten feature wall around a striking schist fireplace, and the large elm slab kitchen island benchtop.
Sand Dollar Cottage recently won a regional Gold Award in the Registered Master Builders House of the Year competition for Whitianga-based builders Cove Construction.
Rod tells us more.
What Resene colours and products have you used and what inspired those choices?
Heather grew up in a blue, cape-cod style home in Pennsylvania in the States. That was the inspiration for the colour of the home, which is Resene French Pass trimmed in Resene paint matched to the Arctic White window joinery.
Inside we used a mixture of quarter and half tones of Resene White Pointer, with different shades on the ceiling versus the walls.
Top tip: Check the Resene Whites & Neutrals collection for a range of versatile whites and off-whites, arranged in palette cards with variants of the same colour – perfect for creating a soothing tonal scheme.
How did you decide on the overall look of the interiors?
Heather spent a lot of time on Pinterest! Plus, we were inspired by our family and friends’ homes from our time growing up in Pennsylvania in the US. Our home has some blatant American characteristics – so much so, we have had a few people walk up to our front porch to ask: “Are you American?”
What part of the house are you most happy with?
The open-plan living and incredible indoor-outdoor flow are our favourite design features, which we particularly enjoy in summer. Since it’s just the two of us most of the time, we basically live in an open plan, one-bedroom home which really suits us.
And we have to say the Resene French Pass colour makes us happy every time we drive around the corner. It is a perfect match to the sky on a brilliantly sunny day.
What is your advice for someone trying to achieve a similar look?
Keep it simple. When you are planning a new build or renovation, you’ll find lots of looks that you like. But, at the end of the day, just pick a few striking elements and let them stand alone rather than having them compete with other design features. The sheer simplicity of a few architectural design elements is magnificent itself.
What was the biggest decorating, renovating or building challenge for this project?
We didn’t have budget to renovate the inside of the old bach and build the new at the same time. However, it was important to us that externally, both homes looked like they belonged together.
Painting the back bach Resene French Pass as well, while replacing the front doors and all the windows on the old building allowed us to minimise expense on the old bach while getting a seamless integration of the two buildings.
Do you have a favourite colour, and if so why is it your favourite?
Heather does seem to be going through a blue period – in a happy way! The same year we built our beach house, we also built in Hamilton, and both new homes have blue touches inside and out. We are fans of any beautiful colour. Don’t give us browns, blacks and beiges. Life is better with colour.
Kitchen by Dimax Kitchen Design
Images by Eve Razey, Open2view New Zealand
Published: 29 Nov 2018
Do you have a home full of wonderful Resene paint and colour? Send us some snaps by emailing [email protected].
The Resene French Pass exterior matches the sky on a cloudless day and makes Sand Dollar Cottage look fresh and eye-catching.
Rod and Heather opted for half and quarter tones of Resene White Pointer on the interior walls and ceilings for a light, bright open living area.
The Resene White Pointer variants carry through to the bedroom which is linked to the living space with a large doorway, creating the sense of a studio apartment.
The large elm block kitchen island benchtop is a key feature of the living space with walls and ceiling in variations of Resene White Pointer.
Board and batten paneling painted in Resene Half White Pointer is used to create a feature around a striking schist fireplace.
The bathroom’s open shower with Italian faux-brick tile is luxurious teamed with walls painted in Resene Half White Pointer.
A generous portico provides plenty of outdoor living space – a key ingredient for a bach. The weatherboards are Resene French Pass.
Resene White Pointer
Resene White Pointer
Resene Half White Pointer
Resene Half White Pointer
the look
If you're stuck on what
colour to use or need colour
advice, try out the Resene
Ask a Colour Expert service.
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Resene White Pointer
Resene White Pointer
Resene Half White Pointer
Resene Half White Pointer
the look
If you're stuck on what
colour to use or need colour
advice, try out the Resene
Ask a Colour Expert service.
