Claire and Dave’s modern beach house brings the ocean indoors

Finding the balance between beach chic and modern design can be a tricky task, but thanks to some clever designers and a carefully selected palette of Resene colours, Claire and Dave have found just that in their oceanside Kakanui home.

The home is one of the oldest timber houses in North Otago, dating back to 1872. With the help of Annabel Berry and Meghan Nockels of Design Federation and architect Ian Perry from iDesign, Claire and Dave made the tough decision to keep the bones of the house to preserve the cottage feel, while updating it with necessary modern touches like double glazing and insulation.

This project transformed the entire house, with an impressive extension to include a new kitchen painted in Resene Parchment, a vaulted ceiling painted in Resene Eighth Parchment and a new master bedroom in Resene Quarter Regent Grey. All walls were stripped back to make way for new ideas, excepts for two that were full of history: one baltic pine wall that was said to have come off a European ship in the Kakanui estuary in the 1800s, and a Rimu tongue and groove wall in the new living area. The baltic pine wall was painted in Resene Smoky Green to complement the scheme, while the rimu wall was sanded back and stained to reveal the wood’s natural beauty, and paired with walls in Resene Duck Egg Blue to create a relaxing living room.

To keep the house updated and allow it to last for years to come, the Robertsons decided to add new wooden joinery for all the windows, painted in Resene Periglacial Blue, and had a brand-new old-style door recreated for the kitchen painted in Resene Eighth Parchment. 

They kept the original window stays and door handles and restored them back to the the original brass, as well as upcycling the original doors. The original claw foot bath was also restored by a local car painter in Oamaru, painted in Resene Duck Egg Blue. 

When it came to choosing the stunning colour palette that now characterises the home, the Design Federation team looked to quite literally bring hues from the outside in. Combining the historical cottage look with a coastal beach feel, specific Resene colours were chosen as a nod to the home’s history and the vistas right outside its windows.

The design team visited Kakanui Beach and Campbells Bay twice to take photos of the property’s breathtaking surrounding landscape. These images were put into the free online Resene Colour Palette Generator, www.resene.com/palettegenerator, which Annabel notes has become a great resource and source of inspiration for the company’s palette recomendations since.

“After reviewing the Resene Colour Palette Generator results, we determined a palette of soft, sea blues and greens combined with the warmth of a colour that directly referenced the water and soft sand beach of Campbells Bay to the south of the property,” she says.

The result is a home that’s in harmony with its surroundings, while honouring its long history and preserving it for Claire and Dave’s family to enjoy for many more years to come.

Published: 20 May 2020

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blue kitchen, kitchen inspiration, decorating with blue, kitchen Reno, Resene

The kitchen is a definite showpiece of the home and looks bright and lively with walls in Resene Parchment, joinery in Resene Periglacial Blue, doors and architraves in Resene Eighth Parchment and ceilings in Resene Eighth Parchment.

blue kitchen, kitchen renovations, decorating with blue, new kitchen, Resene

Despite being part of a new extension, the design team created a kitchen that was sympathetic to the rest of the historical home with Craftsman-style details like v-grooved cabinetry and wide mouldings. Walls in Resene Parchment, joinery in Resene Periglacial Blue, doors and architraves in Resene Eighth Parchment and vaulted ceilings in Resene Eighth Parchment.

living areas, timber walls, cottage decor, renovations, home decorating, Resene

The living spaces of the historical cottage were reconfigured to open them up and allow more light to flood in and increase movement and flow throughout the home. Resene Duck Egg Blue was used on the walls of the lounge while Resene Eighth Parchment was chosen for the trims and ceilings.

living room, cottage living room, home Renos, home Reno inspiration, blue living room, Resene

Resene Duck Egg Blue on the walls of the living room make a smooth visual transition to the blue kitchen beyond the threshold. The kitchen joinery is in Resene Periglacial Blue, the ceilings and trims are in Resene Eighth Parchment, and the kitchen walls are in Resene Parchment.

In the spare bedroom, closet doors and walls in Resene Casper trimmed with Resene Eighth Parchment on the architraves and ceiling pair beautifully with a classic poppy wallpaper design. For a similar look, ask about Masons Handprinted Wallpaper at your local Resene ColorShop, which features classic designs which can be ordered in a Resene colour combination of your choice.

living room, snug, decorating and snug, small living room ideas, tongue and groove walls, green walls, Resene

Resene Smoky Green was used on the shiplap wall of the snug to complement the colours in the historical wallpaper design. For a similar look, ask about Masons Handprinted Wallpaper at your local Resene ColorShop, which features classic designs which can be ordered in a Resene colour combination of your choice.

tongue and groove wall, heritage bathroom, claw foot bath, bathroom inspiration, blue bathroom, Resene

The tongue-and-groove panelling in the bathroom is painted in Resene Half Black White beneath walls in Resene Duck Egg Blue. The ceiling, architraves and door are in Resene Eighth Parchment.

laundry room ideas, laundry inspiration, blue laundry room, floral laundry room, floral wallpaper, Resene

The walls of the laundry room are in Resene Abacus, which plays off the historical wallpaper in the powder room beyond. The architraves and ceilings are in Resene Eighth Parchment. For traditional wallpaper, ask about Masons Handprinted Wallpaper at your local Resene ColorShop, which features classic designs which can be ordered in a Resene colour combination of your choice.

home exterior inspiration, grey home exterior, weatherboard inspo, colourful home inspiration, Resene

Outside, weatherboards in Resene Quarter Regent Grey trimmed with Resene Half Black White honour the home’s heritage while looking fresh and new.

images Rachel Wybrow Photography 

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Resene Eighth Parchment

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Resene Smoky Green

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Resene Duck Egg Blue

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Resene Periglacial Blue

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Resene Half Black White

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