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The main bedroom is adorned in Resene Quarter Thorndon Cream which complements the sage green linen fabric bedhead. The ceiling is painted in Resene Alabaster.
The living room is painted in Resene Quarter Lemon Grass, a gentle, welcoming green, with trims in Resene Alabaster.
The bathroom, including the towel rail, is painted head to toe in the classic, soothing hue of Resene Smoky Green.
A gentle colour scheme envelopes the dining and living spaces. The dining area is painted in Resene Half Periglacial Blue and the living room in Resene Quarter Lemon Grass. The ceiling and trims create a subtle contrast in Resene Alabaster.
The quiet shade of Resene Half Periglacial Blue creates a stunning backdrop for Vanya’s personal belongings. The ceiling and trims are painted in Resene Alabaster.
The subtle warmth in Resene Quarter Lemon Grasspaintedon walls and Resene Double Lemon Grass on the fireplace surround offers a calm and relaxing atmosphere in the living room. The ceiling brightens the space, painted in Resene Alabaster.
Resene Quarter Thorndon Cream brings warmth to this space and creates a neutral canvas for Vanya’s collectables. The trims are painted in Resene Alabaster.
Keeping the original blue benchtop as a splash of colour, Vanya chose a neutral base for the kitchen. The walls are paintedinResene Quarter Thorndon Cream and the ceiling is painted in Resene Alabaster.
Interior designer and textile specialist, Vanya Wilkinson, in her Resene Half Periglacial Blue dining room.
Make your rental your own: Interior designer Vanya Wilkinson shows us how it’s done
When Vanya Wilkinson signed the lease on a small 1800s workingman's cottage in Auckland’s Freemans Bay the tired matte cream paintwork and worn surfaces might have put off most renters. But Vanya saw potential – and a blank canvas.
She’s lived by that philosophy for years, with landlords often welcoming her enthusiasm (be sure to always ask your landlord permission before painting or decorating) – and even chipping in for paint. Before and after photos of her makeovers have even helped her secure new rentals.
“I've only ever lived in rental properties and have always strived to bring out the best in them and make them feel like a home that I will love to live in. Just because it's a rental doesn't mean it isn't your home while you live in it,” says the interior designer and textile specialist.
In this case she wanted to freshen up the house, highlight the character details and give each room its own personality, while still creating a cohesive interior in a small space.
The surfaces were not in great condition, despite Vanya’s prep work; so the paint finishes were carefully chosen for function and feel. Most of the walls are painted in a Resenelower sheen paint to soften imperfections, while on the woodwork Resene Lustracryl in a semi-gloss finish was used.
“Varying sheen levels helps bring a space to life and stops it from feeling flat,” she explains.
The main bedroom is adorned in Resene Quarter Thorndon Cream which complements the sage green linen fabric bedhead. The ceiling is painted in Resene Alabaster.
The living room is painted in Resene Quarter Lemon Grass, a gentle, welcoming green, with trims in Resene Alabaster.
Vanya learned early on that the quickest and most effective way to refresh a space is with paint. A part-time job at Resene when she was a design student in Wellington taught her about colour and the right sort of paint for different surfaces and applications as well as what type of product works best on different substrates and surfaces. It’s knowledge that she continues to use to this day when creating colour schemes for clients, or in this case, making over her latest rental.
Spaces that needed a spruce up included the open plan living room and dining room, kitchen, bathroom and main bedroom.
Done on a shoestring budget, the project took Vanya nine months painting at weekends to complete. Her design inspiration –an English country cottage in the city. The blue and white scheme in the kitchen was sparked by a fragment of china she found while gardening – a perfect match for the existing blue benchtop.
“It’s all been a master class in disguise,” says Vanya, who offset the existing blue kitchen benchtop (an element she couldn’t change) with willow pattern plates on the wall,while an artfully placed picture in the kitchen hides some daggy feature tiles.
Her biggest hacks, however, are painting dated light fittings in the living room as well as old bathroom fittings including the heated towel rail and vanity unit, to blend in.
“It’s all about tricking the eye and disguising things that aren’t so great and enhancing the beautiful elements.”
She’s also used large pieces of fabric on walls to create instant artwork and filled her home with many vintage and antique finds, as well as textiles from her years living in London.
The bathroom, including the towel rail, is painted head to toe in the classic, soothing hue of Resene Smoky Green.
The room she is most happy with is the poky bathroom which she transformed into a “jewel-like space”.Before Vanya got her paintbrushes on the job it wastired cream with holes in the ceiling and rusted fittings in an eighties almond colour; while ugly, they were still functional.
Vanya painted the walls, skirting, back of door, vanity, heated towel rail and toilet roll holder in Resene Smoky Greenall in Resene Lustacryl semi-gloss waterborne enamel. For the ceiling and small window frame she chose Resene Alabaster.
It was such a night and day difference from how bleak it had been before, that she wished she’d painted it first! “This dated cramped room was never going to be spacious, no matter what colour I painted it. By choosing a dark colour it actually does feel slightly larger as the walls seem to recede and the room now feels moody and interesting,” she says.
“It really taught me even a run-down small space can be totally transformed with colour. Sure, I would have loved a new vanity unit, heated towel rail and loo roll holder, but by painting them the same rich colour as the walls, they disappeared and blended in.”
A gentle colour scheme envelopes the dining and living spaces. The dining area is painted in Resene Half Periglacial Blue and the living room in Resene Quarter Lemon Grass. The ceiling and trims create a subtle contrast in Resene Alabaster.
The quiet shade of Resene Half Periglacial Blue creates a stunning backdrop for Vanya’s personal belongings. The ceiling and trims are painted in Resene Alabaster.
“If in doubt paint it out!” is Vanya’s motto which she also applied to the living and dining room’s‘horrible’ eighties downlights that were dated and yellowed with age, which Vanya painted Resene Alabaster, the same colour as the ceiling.
Before painting the light fittings, she cleaned them to remove grease and then made sure they were dry before using an oil-based primer before the final coat of paint.“You could use a waterborne enamel if you want to make them easier to clean in the future, but I used the same paint as the ceiling,” Vanya says. “You can do a lot with what you already have. Never underestimate the power of paint!”
Vanya differentiated the open plan dining and living space, with walls in Resene Half Periglacial Blue in the dining area, and Resene Quarter Lemon Grass in the living room.
She chose the same paint colour, Resene Alabaster across the whole dining and living room ceiling, including the light fittings.
In both spaces Resene Alabaster was used for the window frames. In the living area, she chose Resene Double Lemon Grass for the fire surround.
The subtle warmth in Resene Quarter Lemon Grass painted on walls and Resene Double Lemon Grass on the fireplace surround offers a calm and relaxing atmosphere in the living room. The ceiling brightens the space, painted in Resene Alabaster.
Resene Quarter Thorndon Cream brings warmth to this space and creates a neutral canvas for Vanya’s collectables. The trims are painted in Resene Alabaster.
As a bedhead alternative, Vanya bought a curtain rod and had a fabric panel made from a piece of sage green linen, upon which she hung a vintage floral print with matching tones.
Collector’s edition plates and floral fabrics from her time working at Colefax & Fowler in the UK, add personal history and charm. The simplicity of Resene Quarter Thorndon Cream highlights her treasures perfectly. The result is a beautiful calming space.
For the kitchen Vanya once again chose Resene Alabaster for the ceiling and Resene Quarter Thorndon Cream for the walls, doors and surrounds to the laundry, linen cupboard and bathroom.
“I chose Resene Alabaster for the ceilings and windows throughout the house, as although it reads as white, it is slightly softer and warmer, avoiding the fridge like look of untinted white.”
Keeping the original blue benchtop as a splash of colour, Vanya chose a neutral base for the kitchen. The walls are painted in Resene Quarter Thorndon Cream and the ceiling is painted in Resene Alabaster.
Interior designer and textile specialist, Vanya Wilkinson, in her Resene Half Periglacial Blue dining room.
“I am drawn to muted complex colours, which change in different lights,” says Vanya. “I chose Resene Quarter Thorndon Cream as the continuity colour through the house, using it on walls in the bedrooms and kitchen; elsewhere as the trim colour. I wanted colours that worked harmoniously together but still gave each space its own character. Using Resene Quarter Lemon Grass in the living room and Resene Half Periglacial Blue in the dining room was a nod to their former separation, but they still sit well together.
“I choose colours which would be noticeable but not dominate (apart from the bathroom where I went bold), so I could then layer my furniture, antiques and accessories, creating calm yet interesting, personalised spaces.”
Her favourite Resene paint colour, however, is Resene Lemon Grass – “full strength and all its iterations, it’s has been a favourite of mine for decades. It is the perfect greyed down green, so easy and calm to live with, whilst it complements almost every colour you pair with it. I used Resene Quarter Lemon Grass in the living room and it is so restful, I love it.”
Vanya encourages anyone planning to renovate to be brave and personalise their homes.
“Listen to the architecture of the house and remember 'wherever you change colour or texture this is where your eye will be drawn', so think about what you what to stand out and what needs to recede,” she says. “This was key to my process in this project, highlighting the wonderful character features and disguising the dated elements.”
design Vanya Wilkinson, Wilkinson Interiors
words and images Carolyn Enting
Top tip:When working with a budget or rental restrictions, painting can be a game-changer. Consider painting your existing furniture, fixtures or accessories like Vanya to breathe new life into them without breaking the bank or the need for costly replacements. Depending on the size of the item you’re painting, Resene testpots might even do the job. Head to your local Resene ColorShop or shop online (shop.resene.com) to pick out your favourite Resenetestpot colours and make your rental a space that feels like your own!
Published: 22 May 2025
Do you have a home full of wonderful Resene paint and colour? Send us some snaps by emailing [email protected].
Resene Quarter Thorndon Cream
Resene Quarter Thorndon Cream
Resene Quarter Lemon Grass
Resene Quarter Lemon Grass
Resene Half Periglacial Blue
Resene Half Periglacial Blue
Resene Double Lemon Grass
Resene Double Lemon Grass
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 Thorndon Cream
Resene Quarter Thorndon Cream
Resene Quarter Lemon Grass
Resene Quarter Lemon Grass
Resene Half Periglacial Blue
Resene Half Periglacial Blue
Resene Double Lemon Grass
Resene Double Lemon Grass
the look
If you're stuck on what
colour to use or need colour
advice, try out the Resene
Ask a Colour Expert service.
