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To enhance textural interest in the open-plan living area, Alison and Callum used a soft grey, Resene Eighth Friar Grey, for the brickwork on the fireplace. The walls are Resene Sea Fog.
The couple created a feature of the under stair space in the shared girls' room by picking it out in Resene Nocturnal. The door is painted in Resene Dali.
Resene Sea Fog is the perfect main white to work with the American oak flooring and cabinetry, grey marble bench-top and grey aluminium joinery plus the best base for artworks and furniture to pop.
Alison was set on having the entrance door in a colour that made a big statement, choosing Resene Bingo to go with the Moroccan-inspired black and white floor tiles.
The exterior weatherboards are painted in Resene White Pointer with Resene CoolColour Bokara Grey for the fence. Using these neutral colours enhances the newly landscaped garden.
Alison and Callum get cute with colour
How do you add colour to a home without overwhelming the spaces? Paint the doors in cheerful, happy colours, of course. It’s one device employed by colour-loving homeowners Alison and Callum Dixon when they undertook a complete renovation of their 1950s home. Their efforts and colour talents caught the eye of the judges in this year’s Your Home & Garden/Resene Colour Home competition when they were announced as the overall winner.
The family’s treasured possessions form an eclectic mix of new and vintage, store bought and handmade, designer and op shop, local and overseas, so they opted for Resene Sea Fog as the perfect white as a main neutral to help keep a sense of calm and avoid it all becoming too chaotic. Now everyone is happy including kids Violet (6), Rita (4) and Fred (2).
Do you have a favourite colour and if so, why ls your favourite?
Oh, this is such a tricky question for me because there are so many colours I love! Right now, my favourites would be a soft pink and a deep teal green. I enjoy having those colours in our home. Previously I’ve had a crush on bright yellow, hence the bright yellow Tolix cabinet in our living area, and I still love its happy vibe. Then other colours come along and peak my interest. They all seem to work in together though!
I've always been drawn to colour. We have a bit of colour coming through in artworks, furnishings and the kids’ rooms so we chose a nice white backdrop to balance it all out and I'm a big fan of Resene Sea Fog for that purpose. Although I’m drawn to colour I also real appreciate the feeling of calm, neutral tones so I try and strike a balance. Painting our doors was an easy way to inject colour and personality into the house and each bedroom without dictating too much.
Which part of the house are you most happy with?
Everything! We put so much into creating exactly what we wanted and designing each space was a labour of love for me. In particular the open-plan kitchen and living is awesome. Previously the kitchen was in a pokey little room cut off from the living area, so opening that up has been a game changer. I love how the kitchen is a real focal point of the upstairs space.
Completing the landscaping and transforming the garden from unusable and overgrown to flourishing and child-friendly has also made a massive difference to how we enjoy our home and its outside spaces.
Would you have done anything differently?
No. we love it all! The original concept for the 2015 renovation included a fourth bedroom and second living area downstairs, which we hope to complete down the track. That final piece of work really would give us our forever home.
Photography by Jackie Meiring for Your Home & Garden, and Alison Dixon
Published: 07 Sep 2017
Do you have a home full of wonderful Resene paint and colour? Send us some snaps by emailing [email protected].
To enhance textural interest in the open-plan living area, Alison and Callum used a soft grey, Resene Eighth Friar Grey, for the brickwork on the fireplace. The walls are Resene Sea Fog.
The couple created a feature of the under stair space in the shared girls' room by picking it out in Resene Nocturnal. The door is painted in Resene Dali.
Violet and Rita play in their shared room. Every door in the house is painted a different colour. This one is Resene Dali.
Resene Sea Fog is the perfect main white to work with the American oak flooring and cabinetry, grey marble bench-top and grey aluminium joinery plus the best base for artworks and furniture to pop.
Alison chose pretty Resene Cornflower for the door to the master bedroom. The wall colour is Resene Sea Fog.
Alison was set on having the entrance door in a colour that made a big statement, choosing Resene Bingo to go with the Moroccan-inspired black and white floor tiles.
The exterior weatherboards are painted in Resene White Pointer with Resene CoolColour Bokara Grey for the fence. Using these neutral colours enhances the newly landscaped garden.
Resene Eighth Friar Grey
Resene Eighth Friar Grey
Resene White Pointer
Resene White Pointer
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 Eighth Friar Grey
Resene Eighth Friar Grey
Resene White Pointer
Resene White Pointer
the look
If you're stuck on what
colour to use or need colour
advice, try out the Resene
Ask a Colour Expert service.
