Dion and Rebecca reimagine their Cambridge beauty

It’s colour and more colour for Dion and Rebecca’s Cambridge home, which has seen itself transform into the beauty it is today after 10 years of renovations – with the couple saying yes to stunning Resene colour choices in every room.

Along with daughters Anna and Madeleine (and their two cats), Dion and Rebecca moved into the Stonewood home a decade ago. Over that time, they’ve gradually made changes to the house to better meet their needs – from adding beams and trusses to the ceiling, to painting the entranceway and parts of the lounge in deep greyed blue Resene Cello, Rebecca’s favourite colour.

The home is now a true reflection of them, with lovely touches of detail in the decor everywhere you turn. Rebecca tells us more.

How did you decide on the overall look of the interior?

There are a few key things that were important. The design elements had to work with our blue couch, artwork and photos, as well as our bold splashback.

What Resene colours have you used in which rooms and what inspired your choices?

Most of the house is painted in Resene Ash. It was originally painted in Resene Half Ash but as we have renovated we have changed it to the colour that was used in the master bedroom originally. I like Resene Ash because it has a warmth to it and is great for displaying art and photos.

In the entranceway and lounge we have added some more colour using Resene Cello. We really wanted to use a blue (inspired by a blue couch purchased from Leven in Cambridge) and found that Resene Cello worked well with the wallpaper (Resene Wallpaper Collection design E377215) we chose for the office nook.

We were looking for something to define the office space and as a family we all agreed that the wallpaper we chose was perfect.  I like the way the colours reflect what is happening outside with the landscaping and pool.

In the dining area we found we had a lot of rimu furniture so to break this up I painted the dining room chairs with Resene Balderdash.

Anna’s bedroom is painted in Resene Coast. Madeleine’s bedroom is painted in Resene ShiloResene Yes Please and Resene Quarter Baltic Sea.

We used Resene Quarter Black White for trims and ceilings.

What part of the house are you most happy with?

Our new kitchen works just as we hoped, with great flow out onto the deck and out to the pool. There is now room for all of us to be in the kitchen area and the girls often sit at the breakfast bar to do homework or arts and crafts.

What is your advice for someone trying to achieve a similar look?

If you have one or two items that you love, use those as inspiration for the rest of your look.  In our movie/music lounge we have lots of items collected on our travels and these helped inspire design and colour choices.

Also, we saved money by doing as much as possible ourselves, spent money on a few key items and saved on other bargain finds or upcycling.

What was the biggest decorating challenge for this project?

Personally, painting the ceiling was hard work. For the builders and architects, the biggest challenge was making the new space work with the existing building, which had a few flaws.  They had to lift the roof line and add many new beams and trusses. A lot of the renovation cost is hidden in the roof space.

Do you have a favourite colour, and if so why is it your favourite?

I love Resene Cello, which we used in the entranceway. It has a warmth to it and makes our TV lounge feel cosy.

How did you find working with Resene paint and colours?

I find Resene paints easy to use and the advice we got from the staff at the Resene ColorShop was very helpful. This was especially important when we had to paint a very large area of ceiling in warm weather.

Who else helped you with the renovation?

We were very lucky to have a great team from Jay Cowley Builders do all our renovation work.

We designed the kitchen alongside Sam from Elite Kitchens in New Plymouth.  It arrived as a large pile of pieces which we put together and installed ourselves.

My wonderful splashback is photographic art by Wallflower.  

The couch and our hanging egg chair were purchased through Leven in Cambridge, as were many of the soft furnishings.

images Jessica Judge

Published: 31 Jan 2019

Do you have a home full of wonderful Resene paint and colour? Send us some snaps by emailing [email protected].

kitchen, black and white kitchen, neutral kitchen, black benchtop, floral splashback, resene ash

As part of the reno, Dion and Rebecca opened up the kitchen, creating space for the whole family to enjoy the area together. It flows into the dining and lounge area, painted in Resene Ash.  The ceiling is painted in Resene Quarter Black White.

lounge, living room, blue lounge, blue feature wall, blue living room, resene cello

In the TV lounge, Resene Cello creates a striking frame for the doorway, with other walls painted in Resene Ash. The ceiling and trims are painted in Resene Quarter Black White.

lounge, blue couch, living room, grey lounge, grey living room, neutral lounge, feature couch

This dark blue couch inspired Rebecca to choose Resene Cello for the home, which is now her favourite colour. It fits perfectly with the walls behind painted in Resene Ash. The ceiling and trims are painted in Resene Quarter Black White.

indoor outdoor flow, kitchen, living area, neutral dining room, deck, indoor hanging chair

The view from the kitchen, which flows seamlessly out onto the deck. The walls are painted in Resene Ash, and the ceiling is painted in Resene Quarter Black White.

office nook, study, stripe wallpaper, feature wall, feature wallpaper, colourful study

The office nook has been given a fun, contemporary twist, with this wallpaper design E377215 from the Resene Wallpaper Collection, from Resene ColorShops.

bedroom, master bedroom, grey bedroom, resene ash, neutral bedroom, grey wall

The master bedroom also painted in Resene Ash is a joyful set up, with bright bedding and artwork.

bedroom, kids bedroom, childrens bedroom, blue bedroom, blue feature wall, deep blue

It’s blues for Anna’s bedroom, painted in Resene Coast and Resene Quarter Black White.

bedroom, kids bedroom, childrens bedroom, blue bedroom, blue feature wall, deep blue

The two-tone effect continues throughout Anna’s bedroom, painted in Resene Coast and Resene Quarter Black White.

bedroom, kids bedroom, childrens bedroom, girls bedroom, pink bedroom, geometric bedroom

Madeleine’s bedroom is bursting with colour, painted in Resene Shilo, Resene Yes Please and Resene Quarter Baltic Sea. The ceiling is painted in Resene Quarter Black White.

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Resene Quarter Black White

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