Blair and Becs go Scandi and stylish

Husband and wife team Blair and Becs McDonald seem to have found the perfect formula for creating beautiful homes, completing several successful building projects over the years through their Palmerston North-based company Blair McDonald Homes.

One of their latest builds is this functional yet stylish new build painted in Resene Alabaster throughout for a contemporary, Scandi-style aesthetic. With a keen eye for design and appreciation of the art of simplicity, the McDonalds have created a truly stunning home.

Becs tells us more.

What Resene colours and products have you used?

For all the interior walls, we chose Resene Alabaster. It is an absolutely firm favourite of ours. It has just the slightest touch of grey in it to give it a cool and clean look. It also looks fantastic against our polished concrete floors and the black oversized exterior joinery.

We used Resene Alabaster right throughout the home to create a totally seamless look, which enlarged the space and made it bright and inviting. As different parts of a room reflect light differently, we used different finishes of the same colour; Resene SpaceCote Flat on the ceilings, low-sheen on the walls, and semi-gloss for the high-use areas, like trims and doors.

We kept it simple for the exterior, painting it in Resene Lumbersider tinted to Resene Black and introducing interest with plywood soffits.

How did you decide on the overall look of the interiors?

When we designed it, we placed a strong emphasis on creating a visually beautiful home that fused functionality with simple, understated design.

The home combines the beauty and practicality of both Scandinavian and industrial design features. The Resene colours we chose reflected those simple design principles.

What part of the house are you happiest with?

The entrance. I love that when you step in through the glass front door, you are immediately introduced to the main design elements inside the home – the concrete floor and the steel and plywood staircase, all framed by those beautiful Resene Alabaster walls.

Did you know… that Resene has Resene Concrete Wax perfect for finishing and refreshing your concrete floors. It’s suitable for concrete benchtops too.

What is your advice for someone trying to achieve a similar look?

Simplicity is key. One of the things I have seen past clients and friends struggle with the most is keeping the hard finishes cohesive and relatively simple.

When you are building, it can be hard not to love everything and want to incorporate many things into the design – I get it.

But too much of anything or too many things going on will pull you away from being able to create this look.

What was the biggest challenge for this project?

I don’t know if we had one! We were that excited to be commencing our design and build dream, and so we were grateful for the whole process.

The foundations were probably the lowlight. We had soft ground, so we had to drive about $10,000 worth of timber poles into the ground to support the floor. It’s never fun seeing money get banged into the mud! But it will be one secure foundation, that’s for sure.

Do you have a favourite colour?

I don’t think you will be surprised if I say Resene Alabaster. I love dark, black exteriors juxtaposed against a bright and light interior. And those Resene Alabaster walls look great alongside almost any other feature colour, hard surface material, or art that you may want to introduce into your home.

Follow the McDonald’s building projects on Instagram and on Facebook

Published: 17 May 2018

Do you have a home full of wonderful Resene paint and colour? Send us some snaps by emailing [email protected].

black exterior, resene black, resene alabaster, white walls, scandi design, lounge, living room

Blair and Becs designed the home around the beauty and practicality of both Scandi and industrial design features. The walls are painted in Resene Alabaster.

black exterior, resene black, resene alabaster, white walls, scandi design, entrance

The Resene Black exterior is a great contrast to the interior, painted in Resene Alabaster.

black exterior, resene black, resene alabaster, white walls, scandi design, kitchen

To cater to the different light levels in the home, they used a different finish of Resene Alabaster in certain areas, including Resene SpaceCote Flat on the ceilings, low sheen on the walls, and semi-gloss for the high-use areas, like trims and doors. The exterior is painted in Resene Black.

resene alabaster, white walls, scandi design, white kitchen, kitchen tiles

The home is a new build and the McDonalds decided to keep the design simple, with functionality in mind – while still creating a beautiful interior. The walls are painted in Resene Alabaster, as a stylish foundation to the home’s interior.

resene alabaster, white walls, scandi design, white bedroom, ensuite

The master bedroom and ensuite is a restful place, painted in Resene Alabaster.

resene alabaster, white walls, scandi design, white entrance, entranceway, hallway, steel staircase

The entrance is Becs’ favourite area in the home. Visitors to the home are immediately introduced to the home’s main design elements, from the concrete floor to the steel and plywood staircase – all framed by Resene Alabaster walls.

black exterior, resene black, resene alabaster, white walls, scandi design, lounge, living room

The home is encased in a striking exterior, painted in Resene Lumbersider tinted to Resene Black.

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