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To create a French country-style kitchen Kirsty painted the tongue-and-groove walls in Resene Emerge and the cabinets, ceiling, architraves and scullery in Resene Quarter Rice Cake. The open island table is based off a design Kirsty saw online, and the counter is stained in ReseneColorwood Dark Ebony and protected with ReseneDanska Teak Oil.
The salmon pink hue Resene Brandy Rose was a new colour to Kirsty’s repertoire while Resene Quarter Rice Cake below the dado is a unifying colour throughout the house.
The walls in this guest bedroom replicate an old villa with the tongue-and-groove panelling, painted in Resene Linen and Resene Quarter Rice Cake below.
Kirsty and David both say this guest bedroom is their favourite room of the house as they pushed themselves to try something different. Resene Wallpaper Collection E375052 on the lower half of the walls has a delicate flower design that creates visual texture. The panelling and ceiling are painted in Resene Quarter Rice Cake.
This room is a delicate, restful space, painted in Resene Truffle with Resene Quarter Rice Cake below the dado and on the ceiling.
This replica villa’s weatherboards are painted in Resene Hi-Glo tinted to Resene Kensington Grey with fretwork and decorative scrolls in Resene Friar Greystone and veranda and trims in Resene Half Rice Cake. David loves the durability of this high gloss exterior paint
Kirsty chose Resene Sandwisp for the door and shutter details to give the summerhouse a cheerful look that’s in tune with the blooming garden. The exterior is painted in Resene Hi-Glo tinted to Resene Half Rice Cake.
Kirsty and David’s summerhouse is a place for their guests to relax and has been the location for several weddings. David made the daybed from timber offcuts and the legs are made of old veranda rails painted in Resene Half Rice Cake to match the walls and ceiling beams. ReseneColorwood English Walnut on the ceiling creates a striking contrast and Resene Sandwisp on the shutters and door adds buttery warmth.
The Resene Sandwisp door was a second-hand find. David worked with a local glassmaker to install stained glass offcuts into the frame. It’s a gorgeous contrast to the Resene Half Rice Cake walls.
A new build with old-world charm
When David and Kirsty Wraight built their 1910-style Marlborough villa, they wanted it to exude old-world charm with hints of modern design. Resene Kensington Grey was chosen for the exterior, an elegant and warm shade that adds to the villa’s beauty and blends with existing neighbouring homes.
The main house has been named Willow’s Green, and is a classic-style villa, setting the sophisticated mood of the property. People may assume the house is a restored homestead, however, it is only five years old.
Through their business, David Wraight Cottages, David and Kirsty have been creating classic-style homes for 20 years, presenting vintage charm with the light and year-round comfort of modern homes.
David, a qualified builder, oversees the construction of the houses and transportable homes produced by David Wraight Cottages, while Kirsty is the interior decorator, with skills that won this home a Resene Colour Home Award.
“I’ve always been interested in homes,” Kirsty says. “Even as a kid, I would often rearrange my bedroom. I love playing and persevering. I follow a lot of designers but tend to stay away from the ones that are straight influencers and what’s trending now. I like to learn about the history of design.”
“I wanted a true grey like Resene Kensington Grey for the exterior, not a blue-grey or lavender-grey that would throw another colour. Paints which are made from pigments often look different in different lights,” says Kirsty.
Although opting for some classics, Kirsty appreciates the variety of Resene colours she could choose from for her villa. She notes that historically, there was far less choice in paint colours. Dark colours such as burgundy, dark blue and emerald were more commonly used in bigger homes – the colours required more dyes, which were expensive and usually only affordable by the wealthy.
And, yes, Kirsty suffers designer doubts. When the dining room table is covered in Resene colour samples and fabric swatches for curtains, she changes her mind multiple times.
The veranda, French doors and scrolls on the veranda posts are painted in Resene Half Rice Cake; the upper scrolls are Resene Grey Friars. All of the exterior paint is Resene Hi-Glo waterborne gloss, which David says is very durable, easy to clean, and will last longer in the sunlight.
Kirsty often uses Resene A4 drawdown paint swatches (A4 colour samples) to assess a colour for a space. “Especially when I’m picking off-whites. I’ll take it outside, hold it up against the exterior, and then inside, to see what colours it’s throwing.”
“It’s easy to select complementary colours, but to successfully bring them together, the perfect white or off-white is crucial,” says Kirsty.
She wanted Willow’s Green to be restful, not too bold, with a bit of French inspiration and a bit of Hamptons. For Kirsty, this meant a lot of white, soft greys, panelling, and a cosy feeling even in the large house that it is.
The walls in the main living area and kitchen are painted in Resene Emerge, a modest sea green with hints of grey, with panels in Resene Quarter Rice Cake. The unique Rangehood was designed by Kirsty and made by Nazareth joinery, along with all other kitchen cabinetry. All joinery, architraves, and interior doors are painted with Resene Lustacryl semi-gloss waterborne enamel, great for kitchen’s providing ease of cleaning.
To maintain a cohesive flow through the house, Kirsty used Resene Quarter Rice Cake on all decorative features, such as the bolection-moulded skirting boards and cornices, dado rails, wall panels and ceilings.
David and Kirsty have run their home as a B&B in the past and will again when business and travel restrictions ease. In the guest lounge, a French-style chandelier provides fitting illumination for walls painted in Resene Blanc. David built the hearth with a timber mantle, black tiles and corbels to house the electric fireplace.
The hallway, also in Resene Blanc, leads to three guest bedrooms. The south-east room is in Resene Linen, with panels below the dado rail in Resene Quarter Rice Cake, paired with plain bedlinen, floral cushions and curtains.
The lower third of the walls in the middle guest room also feature Resene Quarter Rice Cake and, above the dado rail, Resene Brandy Rose, a smoky pink that may have intimidated less experienced designers, but for Kirsty, she took the risk with this interesting colour, and it paid off.
Kirsty wanted to try wallpaper panels for something different in the third guest room. The blue and white embossed design, Resene Wallpaper Collection E375052, is teamed with matching artwork, décor and blue butterfly curtains.
In the northern wing, the main bedroom is painted in a smoky soft beige, Resene Truffle, creating a delightfully restful and pleasant space, with two layers of voile curtains at the windows and French doors.
This wonderful home overlooks the roses, hydrangeas and azaleas, as well as an artificial lake. With steep slopes on the property, the pair felt there needed to be some pathways to get around, which is where their idea for a summerhouse came about.
With its jaunty, shingled peak roof, different-coloured glass panes salvaged from a glazier’s workshop and a balcony among the poplars’ upper branches, the summerhouse is like an illustration from a children’s book.
It’s a perfect place for guests to relax or watch the wildlife on the nearby lake.
Resene Sandwisp, a pale corn-husk yellow, adorns the door and shutters. The summer house exterior is Resene Hi-Glo gloss tinted to Resene Half Rice Cake, creating a subtle cohesion to the main house.
Inside, upcycled furniture and walls painted in Resene Quarter Rice Cake provide a light, peaceful space. The steeply pitched ceiling is chapel-like and stained in Resene Colorwood English Walnut, a bold nut brown.
“The pine timber had quite a lot of colouration, and the treatment of the timber had made it quite pink,” says Kirsty. “I think if we’d gone with something paler, we wouldn’t have the effect we wanted.”
Kirsty’s choice of Resene colours perfectly complements the classic charm of Willow’s Green, creating a smooth flow throughout the house. “I don’t follow trends for the sake of following trends,” Kirsty says. “In interior decorating, it’s so important to be yourself.”
design David Wraight Cottages www.davidwraightcottages.co.nz
images Juliet Nicholas
Top tip: Resene Hi-Glo is a waterborne gloss for exteriors, which creates a sheen ideal for highlighting architectural features. This versatile paint is also ideal for primed timber, cementitious and galvanised steel surfaces and is available in a Resene CoolColour formula. For a lower sheen alternative for exteriors, try Resene Sonyx semi-gloss or Resene Lumbersider Low Sheen.
To create a French country-style kitchen Kirsty painted the tongue-and-groove walls in Resene Emerge and the cabinets, ceiling, architraves and scullery in Resene Quarter Rice Cake. The open island table is based off a design Kirsty saw online, and the counter is stained in ReseneColorwood Dark Ebony and protected with ReseneDanska Teak Oil.
The salmon pink hue Resene Brandy Rose was a new colour to Kirsty’s repertoire while Resene Quarter Rice Cake below the dado is a unifying colour throughout the house.
The walls in this guest bedroom replicate an old villa with the tongue-and-groove panelling, painted in Resene Linen and Resene Quarter Rice Cake below.
Kirsty and David both say this guest bedroom is their favourite room of the house as they pushed themselves to try something different. Resene Wallpaper Collection E375052 on the lower half of the walls has a delicate flower design that creates visual texture. The panelling and ceiling are painted in Resene Quarter Rice Cake.
This room is a delicate, restful space, painted in Resene Truffle with Resene Quarter Rice Cake below the dado and on the ceiling.
This replica villa’s weatherboards are painted in Resene Hi-Glo tinted to Resene Kensington Grey with fretwork and decorative scrolls in Resene Friar Greystone and veranda and trims in Resene Half Rice Cake. David loves the durability of this high gloss exterior paint.
Kirsty chose Resene Sandwisp for the door and shutter details to give the summerhouse a cheerful look that’s in tune with the blooming garden. The exterior is painted in Resene Hi-Glo tinted to Resene Half Rice Cake.
Kirsty and David’s summerhouse is a place for their guests to relax and has been the location for several weddings. David made the daybed from timber offcuts and the legs are made of old veranda rails painted in Resene Half Rice Cake to match the walls and ceiling beams. ReseneColorwood English Walnut on the ceiling creates a striking contrast and Resene Sandwisp on the shutters and door adds buttery warmth.
The Resene Sandwisp door was a second-hand find. David worked with a local glassmaker to install stained glass offcuts into the frame. It’s a gorgeous contrast to the Resene Half Rice Cake walls.
Published: 02 Mar 2023
Do you have a home full of wonderful Resene paint and colour? Send us some snaps by emailing [email protected].
Resene Kensington Grey
Resene Kensington Grey
Resene Half Rice Cake
Resene Half Rice Cake
Resene Quarter Rice Cake
Resene Quarter Rice Cake
the look
If you're stuck on what
colour to use or need colour
advice, try out the Resene
Ask a Colour Expert service.
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Resene Kensington Grey
Resene Kensington Grey
Resene Half Rice Cake
Resene Half Rice Cake
Resene Quarter Rice Cake
Resene Quarter Rice Cake
the look
If you're stuck on what
colour to use or need colour
advice, try out the Resene
Ask a Colour Expert service.
