Meet the team: Meryl Southey

12 Dec 2023

What is your role at Resene and what does that involve?

My main role at Resene is being a Resene Colour Expert Online which involves working with people online for the New Zealand and Australian market. I even have people contacting me from further afield who have homes located here.

The main purpose of my role is to help people navigate their way through options, to give a great starting point, and quite often working with them repeatedly to get the final result, whether it is for colour, product or finishes, new builds to repaints, and everything in between. This can be via email with photos attached or a virtual meeting.

I work closely with the Resene specifier and trade teams to help connect our clients to them so they can get assistance with products also, as well as creating colour schemes and mood boards for associated companies with the Resene Marketing Team and assist with expert advice for decorating articles.

Tell us about some of your favourite projects using Resene products.

I am lucky in this role to be involved in many types of residential and commercial projects - and I especially love those that have heritage details and backgrounds to consider. However, there are two smaller projects that I have been involved in recently that really make me appreciative of my position, where I have been able to utilise my passion for colour psychology and relativity.

The first is Shower Pods for Gentle Annie Seaside Accommodation in the West Coast, in conjunction with Hole-in-the-Rock Architects - where I was asked to create a colour palette which reflected the natural surrounding flora and fauna. Apparently the result brought much joy to the locals and visitors alike!

The second is a 12-year-old boy’s bedroom in Wooloongabba, Queensland who has ADD and anxiety. With guidance from his mother we chose calming mid blues and he thanked me for listening to him and making him happy to spend time in his room.

What is your biggest design or product tip?

My biggest design tip is to clarify your brief - this is essential for accurate online advice. You need to give more details about a project, as we are not physically there, and please don’t disregard a colour that you check out online - in reality it can look different on your project as colour is a chameleon and will change if it can. This depends on natural light, the substrate it is being applied to, adjacent colours and how much there is of the colour.

Resene testpots are still the best way to view colour in its natural environment.

What are your favourite Resene colours?

My favourite Resene colours at present are Resene Greige, and other beige and olive browns – Resene Hollyford Track, Resene Outlaw, Resene Stepping Stone and Resene Awaroa Bay - they are all warm and inviting, plus they sit well with many current soft furnishings and accessories.

Can you recommend a couple of great Resene products for our readers?

Resene SpaceCote Flat is in line with the matt finishes on point at present - it gives a beautiful flat finish to walls without compromising durability and is great for hiding imperfections! For a soft silky finish and a slightly higher sheen level, my go-to is Resene SpaceCote Low Sheen.

These products look particularly great in bedrooms and for feature walls where coloured walls are requested.

Need helping choosing colours?  Use the Ask a Resene Colour Expert free online, www.resene.com/colourexpert, or book a Resene Colour Consultation, virtually, instore or on site, www.resene.com/colourconsult.

Published: 12 Dec 2023