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This transitional villa in Prices Valley on the Banks Peninsula in Canterbury is decorated entirely with Resene paints. Resene Kabul was used on the walls, with Resene Black White on the windows and doors. The couple also chose Resene Karaka, a bold rainforest green, and Resene Swirl, a soft pale beige, as accent shades.
Resene Tusk, a fresh and pretty pastel shade, is an excellent choice for a bedroom in a home surrounded by hectares of native bush. The room’s ceilings, trims and fireplace surround are in Resene Rice Cake, a yellow-based white that’s the perfect complement for the yellow-green Resene Tusk.
The master bedroom is painted in Resene Smalt Blue to coordinate with pre-existing wallpaper which is a few years old. The ceiling and trims are in Resene Rice Cake.
The optimistic and uplifting shade, Resene Siren, takes centre stage in one of the two bathrooms. The ceiling is in Resene Rice Cake.
Petra and Jonathon can’t quite remember the colour of the Resene paint they used for their elegant lounge but you could use a yellow-beige shade such as Resene Thistle to similar effect. The window surround is in Resene Siren, with Resene Rice Cake on the ceiling and trims.
The heart of the home – the kitchen – is painted in Resene Tomorrow, a playful blue that makes people feel cheerful. The ceiling and trims are in Resene Rice Cake.
The owners of this Banks Peninsula villa were inspired by nature with their Resene makeover
The owners of this Banks Peninsula villa took inspiration from their natural environment when giving their home a floor-to-ceiling Resene makeover
Tucked in the Prices Valley on Canterbury’s Banks Peninsula is a handsome transitional villa. Built in 1904, it sits in hectares of bush, its traditional exterior spic and span. Most of the timber for the house was milled from the valley, including the mātai ceilings and panelling; and the garden sounds with waxeyes, bellbirds, grey warblers, kingfishers, brown creepers and wood pigeons. The villa’s elegant rooms, freshly decorated in Resene paints, are inspired by the colours of the surrounding flora and fauna – blues, greens and neutrals. All except for one, that is. One of the two bathrooms is decorated in Resene Siren, a luscious pink the colour of ripe raspberries.
Homeowners Petra and Jonathan are rightly proud of the home they have owned for 27 years. But with retirement directly ahead, the past months have been spent refreshing the inside and out with a wide range of Resene paints. “We decided to downsize and put the property on the market,” she says. “And I have rediscovered how much I love painting and the excitement of seeing a new colour appear on the walls. There’s nothing like that thrill.”
It’s not the first time the home has had a makeover. When Petra and Jonathan bought it – and about 10 hectares of surrounding land – in 1993, they needed help to remedy several “small, messy additions” that had been made to the main part of the property.
“We employed an architect to come up with a renovation that was sympathetic to the original design,” says Petra. We undertook the renovations in 1999 and balanced the house with the second bay window.
“We have redecorated since that time and we have always used Resene paints – because of their low toxicity, the huge range of colours, and the fact they are so easy to use and flow on beautifully.”
Petra’s favourite room is the master bedroom. “With its broody Resene Smalt Blue (from the Karen Walker Paints collection) on the walls, it is a comfortable cocoon at bedtime, and the bay window and window seats provide a cosy nook to read a book.”
Petra says the couple aren’t minimalist in their decoration choices. “We have travelled widely, worked in exotic places and lived in other countries, and our surroundings reflect that, with many collected reminders of our travels,” she says.
“But at the same time we try to minimalise clutter. So although we are not maximalist, we are also not minimalist. We are whatever is called the healthy mid-point.
“We love good artworks and have a large collection of eclectic paintings that hang on our walls. And we admire good quality furniture; antiques of the past and of the future, furniture that lasts.”
The house has been home to the Petra and Jonathan and their daughter Connie, now a schoolteacher living in South Canterbury, for nearly three decades. But as much as a wrench it might be to leave, Petra and Jonathan are justifiably proud of the improvements they’ve made to ensure the villa’s “new” family enjoys living in it equally as much.
They will also take the knowledge they’ve gained in sprucing it up with them to their new home. “I particularly love the darker colours we have used, especially Resene Smalt Blue from the Karen Walker Paints Collection,” Petra says.
This transitional villa in Prices Valley on the Banks Peninsula in Canterbury is decorated entirely with Resene paints. Resene Kabul was used on the walls, with Resene Black White on the windows and doors. The couple also chose Resene Karaka, a bold rainforest green, and Resene Swirl, a soft pale beige, as accent shades.
Resene Tusk, a fresh and pretty pastel shade, is an excellent choice for a bedroom in a home surrounded by hectares of native bush. The room’s ceilings, trims and fireplace surround are in Resene Rice Cake, a yellow-based white that’s the perfect complement for the yellow-green Resene Tusk.
The master bedroom is painted in Resene Smalt Blue to coordinate with pre-existing wallpaper which is a few years old. The ceiling and trims are in Resene Rice Cake.
The optimistic and uplifting shade, Resene Siren, takes centre stage in one of the two bathrooms. The ceiling is in Resene Rice Cake.
Petra and Jonathon can’t quite remember the colour of the Resene paint they used for their elegant lounge but you could use a yellow-beige shade such as Resene Thistle to similar effect. The window surround is in Resene Siren, with Resene Rice Cake on the ceiling and trims.
The heart of the home – the kitchen – is painted in Resene Tomorrow, a playful blue that makes people feel cheerful. The ceiling and trims are in Resene Rice Cake.
Published: 13 Jan 2021
Do you have a home full of wonderful Resene paint and colour? Send us some snaps by emailing [email protected].
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the look
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colour to use or need colour
advice, try out the Resene
Ask a Colour Expert service.
