What’s black and white and red all over? This Dunedin home’s marvellous monochrome interior with pops of Resene Red Berry

Joanne and Christopher had their work cut out for them transforming a 1970s state house for power plant workers into a monochrome family haven. With good bones, plenty of land and a stellar view of the ocean, the couple fell in love with the possibilities this Dunedin home had to offer. Welcoming their new son Oliver soon after renovations began didn’t stop the pair from creating elegant spaces in contrasting Resene Eighth Rice Cake and Resene Blackjack with striking features in Resene Red Berry.   

Their home, situated in the Dunedin suburb of Halfway Bush, is filled with life and soul not only thanks to the bright Resene colours, but also the busy family within. Christopher, a supermarket manager, and Joanne, a sales assistant at Resene, share their home with three-year-old son Oliver and their cat Lilly. “We decided to renovate because I have always wanted my own place to make our own,” says Joanne. “I wanted to turn it into a family home that suits us.

“I couldn’t handle all the walls, doors and carpet being different colours from room to room, so wanted to make it more cohesive and flow better.”

After discovering she was pregnant with Oliver soon after beginning home renovations, Joanne says it was a challenge trying to renovate with a baby. The first lockdown gave her a brief reprieve, allowing her the chance to finalise her colour palette and get fully stuck into painting. “I have always loved the contrast of black and white,” says Joanne. “We wanted to brighten up the interior with white Resene Eighth Rice Cake with Resene Blackjack as a secondary colour and splashes of Resene Red Berry as an accent colour.

“These colours also happened to be the colour scheme for our wedding, so have always been our main go-to colour scheme.”

Visitors to the home are greeted by the vibrant front door in Joanne’s favourite colour, Resene Red Berry, that opens up to a sophisticated hallway in Resene Eighth Rice Cake with feature wall in Resene Blackjack. The ceilings and trim throughout the house are painted in Resene White with the back door also painted in Resene Red Berry. “Resene Red Berry is such a stunning, bold red which I fell in love with for our front door,” says Joanne. 

Joanne, who is also studying towards a diploma in interior design, wanted her home to be all about the flow, with rooms feeling connected but still retaining individual interest. She painted a vibrant feature wall in Resene Red Berry in the family’s office and created a spectacular mural wall in Oliver’s room in Resene Liberty, a sophisticated slate blue. “The whole home just flows so nicely now,” says Joanne.

“All the walls and fittings match from room to room but still have personality added to them, depending on whose space it is.”

The living area and kitchen has been the site of the most change, with the couple removing the wall between the kitchen and living space and completely renovating the kitchen to create a fabulous open plan space. Joanne paired the Resene Eighth Rice Cake walls with a feature wall in Resene Blackjack and also used Resene Blackjack to create an intricate stencilled design on the back of the kitchen island. “With opening the space up and using Resene Eighth Rice Cake on the walls it has made the space a bright and inviting family area,” says Joanne, who has incorporated her own interior style that mixes modern pieces with Scandinavian design.

“I love the clean lines and minimalist look that are classic features of these two styles, as well as the idea of Hygge, which comes from the Scandinavian lifestyle of living in calm contentment with loved ones.” 

Joanne also took the chance to embrace her passion for upcycling furniture, painting the wardrobe doors and brick mantel in Resene Blackjack and updating her dressing table, coffee table and wall unit in Resene White. “I first went to Resene – before working for them – to get some paint for a table I wanted to upcycle,” says Joanne.

“The staff were very friendly and helpful and I fell in love with their colours.” 

Joanne has shared her renovating experience on her Instagram page, @our_wee_burrow_11, and has some good advice for those looking to get creative with colour. “Take you time to live in the space, see what functions and what doesn’t for you,” she says. “At the end of the day it is your home and should function and create a sense of feeling that inspires fun and calm all in one, but also tells a story of the people who live there.

“Have fun with it! If you don’t like it you can repaint it. What’s the worst that can happen?”

See more of Joanne and Christopher’s home and follow their renovating journey here.

Top tip: If you’re after a product that is perfect for white interiors and won’t yellow with age, look no further than Resene SpaceCote Low Sheen. Tinted to your chosen colour, Resene SpaceCote Low Sheen is perfect for use in kitchens, bathrooms, laundries and throughout your home.  Team it with trim and joinery in Resene Lustacryl semi-gloss waterborne enamel.  Both are fast drying and may be used in all areas traditionally reserved for solventborne enamels.


Joanne created a striking entrance to her Dunedin home by painting the front door in her favourite colour, Resene Red Berry. The ceiling and trim are in Resene White and the walls are in Resene Eighth Rice Cake.


The family’s colourful kitchen pops with Resene Red Berry on the back door and an intricate stencil on the kitchen island in Resene Blackjack. The walls are in Resene Eighth Rice Cake and the ceiling and trim are in Resene White.


Magical in monochrome, the family’s kitchen is full of clean cut lines and bold black décor. The walls are in Resene Eighth Rice Cake and the ceiling and trim are in Resene White. 


Joanne created a cheerful and creative space in Oliver’s room with a bold mural in Resene Liberty on the Resene Eighth Rice Cake walls. The ceiling and trim are in Resene White.


The office received a pop of personality with Resene Red Berry on the Resene Eighth Rice Cake walls.


The sophisticated dining room is brought into focus with a feature wall in Resene Blackjack that provides contrast against surrounding walls in Resene Eighth Rice Cake and ceiling and trim in Resene White.


The lounge’s neutral colour palette of Resene Eighth Rice Cake on the walls and Resene White on the ceiling and trim provides a space where Joanne and Christopher’s Scandi-inspired furniture can shine. The brick mantel is painted in Resene Blackjack. The vibrant painting was created by Joanne and Oliver during the last lockdown with leftover paint from the house.  


The hallway continues the homes colour scheme with Resene Eighth Rice Cake walls, ceiling and trim in Resene White and a feature wall in Resene Blackjack.


Joanne and Christopher’s master bedroom features upcycled furniture in Resene White that complements the surrounding walls in Resene Eighth Rice Cake.

Published: 30 Sep 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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