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Liesbeth’s dining room is sitting pretty with the upper walls in Resene Grey Seal and wood paneling in the calming Resene Lazy River, perhaps a nod to the house’s location near Heathcote River. Ceilings, architraves and skirting boards are in Resene Eighth Black White.
Resene Grey Seal also features in the hallway above the couple’s restored rimu panels. Ceilings, architraves and skirting boards in Resene Eighth Black White. Protect native timber panelling with Resene Colorwood and Resene Aquaclear and timber flooring with Resene Colorwood and Resene Qristal ClearFloor.
Resene Quarter Gargoyle is the star in the master bedroom. Ceilings, architraves and skirting boards complement the tone in Resene Eighth Black White.
The master bedroom features a trendy painted arch feature wall in Resene Breathless, a soft blue. Back wall, ceiling, architraves and skirting boards in Resene Eighth Black White.
In the ensuite, the couple’s Japandi-style palette continues with Resene Half Tea above their ceramic tiling. Ceilings, architraves and skirting boards in Resene Eighth Black White.
The soft toffee tone of Resene Quarter Gargoyle was also used in the living room. The ceiling, architraves and skirting boards are in Resene Eighth Black White.
A second bedroom was kept subtle and minimal with Resene Quarter Gargoyle on the walls. Ceiling, architraves and skirting boards in Resene Eighth Black White.
Liesbeth saved a few pieces of lath from the renovations, and with leftover Resene testpot paints (including Resene Eighth Black White. and Resene Breathless) painted them to make a colourful linear art piece in the hallway.
Experts at the couple’s local Resene ColorShop matched their existing exterior colour from a fleck of paint. For a similar tone to the subtle neutral they used, try Resene Lumbersider low sheen waterborne paint tinted to Resene Sand, Resene Blank Canvas,Resene Anglaise or Resene Half Popcorn.
A California bungalow damaged in the Christchurch earthquakes, is now sitting pretty in Japandi-style soft neutrals
Liesbeth and Ewout’s Californian bungalow built in 1934 once sat four kilometres down the road from its current location. The couple, originally from the Netherlands, bought the home when they arrived in Christchurch 24 years ago. When the earthquakes struck, the house was badly damaged and had to be hoisted onto a truck and relocated. The driver carefully dodging parked cars and power lines to place the house in its new destination. Despite being shaken, rattled and relocated the house is as good as new, and Resene neutrals and soft blues have transformed both its interior and exterior.
“The foundation was badly damaged after the earthquakes and all the lath and plaster walls had cracks. The house completely shifted down in one corner and up in another,” says Liesbeth.
The home currently looks over the Heathcote River in Woolston and the design reflects its natural setting. “My style is probably Japandi, a mix of Japanese minimalism and Scandinavian simplicity. When we renovated the house, we lived in a one-bedroom cottage with four of us (our two sons Boris and Abel), so we knew we actually didn’t need a lot and could make do with what we had.” Liesbeth says a favourite mantra of hers is: “If you use what you have, you have what you need.”
The renovation project started with stripping the plaster walls and replacing them with plasterboard – Boris knocked all the walls down in one day. “All the rooms got a fresh coat of paint and the wood panelling in the hallway was stripped of three layers of paint, plus a layer of sticky black varnish, to restore it back to the original rimu. That took a lot of patience and elbow grease!”
When choosing colours for their home, Liesbeth wanted to update the cream they originally had on the walls and ceilings. Her local Resene ColorShop consultant recommended Resene Eighth Black White to freshen the home up. “We used it on all the ceilings, architraves and skirting boards. For the other feature colours I just got a whole lot of testpots and tried them all.”
Resene Grey Seal emerged as the top colour pick to feature in the hallway, dining room and kitchen. The soft grey complements the dining room’s lower wood panelling, which Liesbeth painted in Resene Lazy River a muted blue-grey tone.
“My favourite room of the house is the dining room, I just love the colour of Resene Lazy River, it goes so well with the Rimu floorboards. The French doors open up to a deck and the garden, and it’s such a nice warm room,” she says.
Toffee-beige toned Resene Quarter Gargoyle shines in the living room and master bedroom. The bedroom features an arch feature wall in Resene Breathless, a cool and calming grey-blue lilac (Liesbeth followed one of Resene’s arch painting tutorials to learn how to do it. In the ensuite, the couple’s calming neutrals theme continues with Resene Half Tea above their ceramic tiling.
A koru painting made by a friend hangs on their living room wall and ties together the home’s Resene colour palette, Liesbeth says. “I just love the warm neutral colours that just go with anything, and because I love blue and grey, there’s a bit of that in every room.”
Liesbeth saved a few pieces of lath from the renovations, and with leftover Resene paints, painted them to make a colourful linear art piece in the hallway.
With the interior of the home polished and painted up, the exterior called. “We couldn’t actually remember the name of it anymore, so Resene matched it from a fleck of paint (we think this is so awesome you can do that!).” It also means they can easily reorder more when they need it in future. For a similar tone to the subtle neutral they used, try Resene Lumbersider low sheen waterborne paint tinted to Resene Sand, Resene Blank Canvas,Resene Anglaise or Resene Half Popcorn.
“Recently, Ewout finished replacing some old weatherboards and painted the exterior of the house. He built a shed for tools and bikes and painted it in the same colour.”
Liesbeth says they are grateful they saved their home, as so many ended up in landfill following Christchurch’s earthquakes. “We are proud of ourselves that we did this, even though it took a long time and lots of blood, sweat and tears. “Because both our sons are adults now and have moved out, we are looking at downsizing and selling, or renting to another family. We hope someone else will look after it as much as we have done in the past 24 years, because this house still has a lot of life left in it!”
Top tip: Preparing old weatherboards for painting? Often it will reveal an old rotten board. Any decayed timber will have to be removed, along with 45cm of sound timber on either side. It’s also a good idea to treat all the areas around and behind the cut away and rotten section with a 20% solution of Resene Moss & Mould Killer and water. Repaircare, available from Resene ColorShops. can be used to fix rotten timber.
Liesbeth’s dining room is sitting pretty with the upper walls in Resene Grey Seal and wood paneling in the calming Resene Lazy River, perhaps a nod to the house’s location near Heathcote River. Ceilings, architraves and skirting boards are in Resene Eighth Black White.
Resene Grey Seal also features in the hallway above the couple’s restored rimu panels. Ceilings, architraves and skirting boards in Resene Eighth Black White. Protect native timber panelling with Resene Colorwood and Resene Aquaclear and timber flooring with Resene Colorwood and Resene Qristal ClearFloor.
Resene Quarter Gargoyle is the star in the master bedroom. Ceilings, architraves and skirting boards complement the tone in Resene Eighth Black White.
The master bedroom features a trendy painted arch feature wall in Resene Breathless, a soft blue. Back wall, ceiling, architraves and skirting boards in Resene Eighth Black White.
In the ensuite, the couple’s Japandi-style palette continues with Resene Half Tea above their ceramic tiling. Ceilings, architraves and skirting boards in Resene Eighth Black White.
The soft toffee tone of Resene Quarter Gargoyle was also used in the living room. The ceiling, architraves and skirting boards are in Resene Eighth Black White.
A second bedroom was kept subtle and minimal with Resene Quarter Gargoyle on the walls.Ceiling, architraves and skirting boards in Resene Eighth Black White.
Liesbeth saved a few pieces of lath from the renovations, and with leftover Resene testpot paints (including Resene Eighth Black White. and Resene Breathless) painted them to make a colourful linear art piece in the hallway.
Experts at the couple’s local Resene ColorShop matched their existing exterior colour from a fleck of paint. For a similar tone to the subtle neutral they used, try Resene Lumbersider low sheen waterborne paint tinted to Resene Sand, Resene Blank Canvas,Resene Anglaise or Resene Half Popcorn.
Published: 05 May 2022
Do you have a home full of wonderful Resene paint and colour? Send us some snaps by emailing [email protected].
Resene Quarter Gargoyle
Resene Quarter Gargoyle
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 Quarter Gargoyle
Resene Quarter Gargoyle
the look
If you're stuck on what
colour to use or need colour
advice, try out the Resene
Ask a Colour Expert service.
