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Using Resene Green Meets Blue on the walls, architraves and skirting – a design technique known as wrapping or colour-drenching – allows the view to take centre stage and the room to feel harmonious.
Using Resene Green Meets Blue on the walls, architraves and skirting – a design technique known as wrapping or colour-drenching – allows the view to take centre stage and the room to feel harmonious.
The guest bedroom is painted in Resene Rivergum, complementing the earthy tones on décor and trims.
Living and dining room walls in Resene SpaceCote Black Haze, and Resene Lustacryl Black Haze for the architrave skirting boards. Use Resene Aquaclear on timber ceilings to protect the wood and show off the beauty of the grain.
Resene Black Haze on the surrounding walls allows the dramatic black kitchen counter and cabinetry as well as the Resene Bling Bling splashback to shine.
Step into a home in harmony with nature
Discover Waraki House on the Waimea Estuary - a serene, sustainable home by architect Jo Monaghan where Resene paint colours and natural materials blend beautifully with nature.
Nature and wellbeing provided the inspiration for this stylish mid-century home on the Waimea Estuary near Nelson, designed by architect-owner and yoga teacher Jo Monaghan. The subtly changing hues of the surrounding land, water, sky, trees and hills inspired the Resene colour palette inside, which were selected to connect with and complement the picturesque landscape.
Waraki House takes its name from the morning chorus of native birds that are abundant here. It is designed to harmonise with nature, creating a haven of wellbeing and sustainability. The energy and quality of the internal spaces as well as a visual and physical connection to the natural environment were key focuses for the design.
All interior elements and finishes were chosen to ensure the spaces are healthy, with Resene Eco Choice paints used throughout. Natural materials such as polished concrete floors with local stone aggregates, Southland Cherry Beech ceilings and macrocarpa window reveals create a seamless connection to the exterior.
“The colour palette is simple,” says Jo of the home she shares with Maurice Mills. “It was inspired by the site itself, which is an ever-changing palette of greens, blues and neutrals and our desire for the home to be fully connected to nature.”
Using Resene Green Meets Blue on the walls, architraves and skirting – a design technique known as wrapping or colour-drenching – allows the view to take centre stage and the room to feel harmonious.
In the bedrooms Jo envisioned Resene paint hues ‘wrapping’ from wall to ceiling, framing the views. “The painters were surprised that we wanted to wrap the same colour from the walls onto the ceilings and trim in the bedrooms,” recalls Jo, “but they loved it when they finished!” Resene Zylone Sheen paint was used on the walls with Resene Lustacryl semi gloss waterborne enamel on the architraves and skirting. For ceilings in colour-drenched rooms try a matte paint like Resene SpaceCote Flat for a durable, sophisticated low sheen finish that works well in bedrooms and living rooms.
The guest bedroom is painted in Resene Rivergum, complementing the earthy tones on décor and trims.
For the master bedroom Jo chose Resene Green Meets Blue – a tone that echoes the ever-changing colour of the Richmond Hills on the other side of the estuary. The ceiling and walls are all the same colour, framing the multiple views of the trees, water and hills.
The guest room is Resene Rivergum – a soft green reflecting its position in the “forest,” looking out to mature trees including a beautiful rimu.
Using darker, natural tones in both bedrooms was intended “to reflect the home’s location in the landscape, and to create a sense of peace, enclosure and safety in these spaces.” Doors are finished in Resene Cinder – a dark grey-blue that “creates a sense that the doors are there but not there” and ties in with the exterior cladding.
Living and dining room walls in Resene SpaceCote Black Haze, and Resene Lustacryl Black Haze for the architrave skirting boards. Use Resene Aquaclear on timber ceilings to protect the wood and show off the beauty of the grain.
The main living spaces have a neutral palette with walls in Resene Black Haze, rather like a gallery doesn’t compete with the artworks, these spaces don’t compete with the views, which change throughout the days and seasons.
Resene Black Haze on the surrounding walls allows the dramatic black kitchen counter and cabinetry as well as the Resene Bling Bling splashback to shine.
Resene Black Haze acts as a contrasting tone alongside a dramatic black monolithic kitchen and the polished concrete floors. To add a touch of glamour and surprise to the kitchen splashback, an antique gold hue of Resene Bling Bling was painted on the wall behind the glass to complement the brass kitchen tap and the macrocarpa window reveals.
Jo and Maurice’s love for mid-century design is clear in their home’s form and finishes, which are fused with advanced sustainable building technologies to minimise environmental impact. It has been designed following the Living Building Challenge Core Certification framework, which “puts the connection to nature, beauty and a healthy environment on an even footing with the typical water, energy and materials concerns.”
“We introduced the Living Building Challenge to our team at a meeting at the start of the project,” explains Jo. “We set out what we were trying to achieve and why. I think this went a long way towards getting people on board and they went the extra mile.”
The flow of the spaces and their connection to the outdoors, along with sustainability features such as a timber LVL structure, solar power, on-site wastewater treatment and eco-labelled materials all contribute to the home’s reduced environmental impact. “Biophilic design has been a key focus, with all of the senses activated as you experience the building, creating a home harmonious with its surroundings”.
design Jo Monaghan of Wellbeing by Design
build Space Craft NZ Ltd
painter Smith’s Painting Contractors Ltd
photography Tim Williams of Lumiere
Top tip: If you’re planning on using Resene hues in your home, make sure you test the colours in the spaces you plan to use them in using Resene testpots. Paint two coats on to large A2 card leaving an unpainted border around the edge, then move the sample around the room to see how it looks at different times of the day. Alternatively, you can order Resene Drawdowns online.
Entrant in the Resene Total Colour Awards 2024.
Published: 10 Dec 2025
Do you have a home full of wonderful Resene paint and colour? Send us some snaps by emailing [email protected].
Resene Green Meets Blue
the look
If you're stuck on what
colour to use or need colour
advice, try out the Resene
Ask a Colour Expert service.
Resene Green Meets Blue
the look
If you're stuck on what
colour to use or need colour
advice, try out the Resene
Ask a Colour Expert service.
