"I really couldn't ask for much more in a first home," says Jodie of her Brooklyn townhouse. Built in the 70s, in a great location and with plenty of potential, it was just what Jodie and Ginger Meggs the cat were looking for. But the dated interior? Not so much.

"There was pink carpet throughout, pink velvet curtains in the lounge and dining room, vinyl pink floral wallpaper in the bedrooms, a pink bath and pink sink in the bathroom, a tiny kitchen and tiny bathroom with a tiny separate toilet where you had to walk out, around the corner and down the hall into the bathroom to wash your hands!"

Jodie has changed all of these things - and more - about the house. She has completely renovated the bathroom and kitchen, added internal access to the garage, removed archways and replaced old light fittings, and added storage areas where previously there were none. It has been a big task, but she's had some much-needed help from a Resene colour consultant, a bathroom designer, a kitchen cabinet maker and a builder.

How would you describe your interior design “style”? I don’t really know, I just choose what I like. As far as I’m concerned, if I like something, it matches my house. I like a bit of imperfection - things that don’t necessarily ‘match’, or pictures hanging on the same wall not necessarily lined up exactly. And I like the idea of keeping things like bathroom and kitchen fittings plain, as it’s much easier to change the colour of the walls one day, than to rip out and replace all the fittings.

What did you want to achieve with the renovation? I wanted to make it more modern, create a bigger kitchen and bathroom, insulate to make the house warmer and have some storage space. And I wanted a simple feature in both the bathroom and kitchen. In the bathroom, the feature is the chequered floor (I have always wanted one) and in the kitchen it's the world map splashback. I love them both.

Where did your inspiration come from for your home interior look? From reading magazines like Habitat, talking to people that had renovated and going to see what they’d done, and just from living in the house and considering what would work and what wouldn’t.

What was the biggest challenge with creating your home interior? Living here during the renovations!

Which space in the house do you get your greatest satisfaction from, and why? The kitchen. It’s so much bigger, with more bench space and storage. I love to cook, and I love it so much more now that I have a nicer and more spacious kitchen to cook in.

What is your advice for someone trying to achieve a similar look with their home interior? Talk to people who have renovated and find out what they like and don’t like about their renovations - what they’d change, etc. I got some great ideas that way, like having a drawer for my cans! Read magazines and file away things that interest you. If you have a smallish space, consider things like cavity sliders and attic stairs to make use of the ceiling space for storage. Most of all, go with what you like rather than what is fashionable at the time.

What colours did you use? I knew that I didn’t want one colour throughout the entire house, but I struggled a bit with choosing the colours, as I lean towards darker shades. Having the help of Kim was fantastic. I did wonder if the bedrooms (Resene Quarter Hillary) were too ‘boring’ but I love how the colour changes in the different light and becomes quite green at night. And I would never have thought of having one wall in the hallway darker (Resene Half Masala) and then the rest lighter (Resene Half Thorndon Cream) to balance out the differing amount of natural light that the walls get. The kitchen is Resene Foggy Grey, and the blackboard wall is Resene Blackboard Paint. The wall with postcards on it has Resene Magnetic Magic paint underneath and Resene Half Masala on top. The living room and dining room are painted in Resene Half Pravda, the bathroom is Resene Black White and all the rest is Resene Half Thorndon Cream. For the red chairs outside, I used Resene Red Berry. I bought the chairs in plain wood and knew as soon as I saw them that I wanted them to be bright, glossy, fire engine red. I painted them myself and I love them. Pretty much everyone who has ever seen them asks me where I got them from and wants them for their own! The fence is painted in Resene Midnight Moss.

What are you planning to change/update in your home interior next? Aside from eventually wanting to double glaze the windows, I’m done!

Jodie's red Cape Cod deck chairs are painted in high gloss Resene Red Berry paint. The fence is Resene Midnight Moss.

Jodie has painted one wall of her kitchen with Resene Blackboard paint, which comes in handy for writing shopping lists and reminders. The other walls shown are Resene Foggy Grey.

The sunny dining room is painted in Resene Half Pravda.

In the bathroom, Jodie loves her chequered floor and Buffalo Bill the coat hook on the back of the bathroom door - "I love that you don’t see him until you close the door."

Jodie says that her new, bigger kitchen is her favourite space in the house. It is painted in Resene Foggy Grey, except for the wall with postcards on it, which is Resene Half Masala with Resene Magnetic Magic paint underneath.