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The kitchen ceiling is accentuated in creamy coffee colour Resene Cafe Royale. The walls are painted in Resene Quarter Craigieburn and the trims, skirting, ceiling rose and cornices are Resene Quarter Thorndon Cream.
Amber used warm neutral Resene Double Canterbury Clay on the walls of the living room which contrast with the ceiling in Resene Bokara Grey and architraves and trim details in Resene Quarter Thorndon Cream. This neutral palette is accentuated with lots of texture, including cushions from House of Hackney and Andrew Martin and the orange ottoman from David Shaw.
The walls of the master bedroom in Amber and John Hamilton’s home are Resene Double Parchment and the ceiling is Resene Baltic Sea – these colours accentuate the ornate cornices and ceiling rose which is painted in Resene Quarter Parchment. Amber also used a chandelier and headboard from French Country Collections, bedlinen from Bianca Lorenne and black and white velvet cushions from St Barts in Australia to create a comfortable, yet glam space.
Amber and John’s son Marcus has a bedroom decorated with the same colours as the master bedroom except “in reverse” with walls painted in Resene Baltic Sea, ceiling in Resene Double Parchment and ceiling rose and cornices in Resene Quarter Parchment. The cornices in this room have a thistle design and were recreated from moulds in the hallway. The deer antler chandelier is from Halo and the wool plaid drapes are from Unique Textiles.
The ceiling of the hallway is painted in regal Resene Pohutukawa with walls in Resene Double Parchment and trims and cornices in Resene Quarter Thorndon Cream. The original hardwood flooring was polished by a flooring contractor, but when she’s doing it herself Amber uses Resene Qristal Clear Poly-Gloss for a glossy finish.
Amber says the key to creating comfort is through texture and layers of colour. The walls of the kitchen are painted in Resene Quarter Craigieburn and the skirting is Resene Quarter Thorndon Cream, the perfect neutral backdrop for the drapery from Warwick and artwork. The chairs, cushion and sheepskin are from French Country Collections.
The weatherboards of Amber and John’s double-bay villa are painted in Resene Tapa with Resene Black Haze trims and Resene Fuscous Grey on the foundation and veranda decking. The roof is COLORSTEEL® Ironsand. The roses at the front of the house are classic ‘Iceberg’ and the luscious lavender is ‘Hidcote’, an English variety.
The pool cabana house is painted in matching colours to the main house with Resene Black Haze on the interior and beams. Amber picked up the decorative apple from Terra Viva Home & Garden, the outdoor sofa is from CC Interiors and the stools are from French Country Collections.
An enchanting 114-year-old villa transformation: From tired to timeless
Amber and John’s Christchurch home has a youthful glow. The 114-year-old double-bay villa is resplendent with thistle-detailed cornices and blooming ceiling roses, a timeless quality not lost on the couple, and after a brilliant transformation, this glamorous villa is now decorated with love – and Resene paints – from floor to ceiling.
The home has had only four owners since its original build in 1907, including Amber and John, who bought it in 2000. There’s something about the building that makes its owners kick up their feet for a decade or three, whether inside by the fire or outside in the poolside cabana.
Not that this renovation power couple does a lot of resting – John is a Registered Master Builder and Amber is an interior designer and won a Resene Total Colour Residential Interior Colour Maestro Award for their home. Between them, they have built, renovated and styled more than 100 homes in the past 20 years. But from the moment they saw the handmade ‘For Sale’ sign on its lawn, they knew there was something special about this villa, which they have gone on to lovingly restore with Resene paint.
“We just fell in love with the house; it had a really happy vibe. The previous owners had lived there for 30 years and had raised four boys in the home, and funnily, after buying this house, I went on to have three boys myself,” says Amber.
“There’s something about this house that’s very special, and we love coming home to our character house.”
When Amber and John moved in, the home had been well cared for. Its original plasterwork was still intact, but it was tired, featuring 1970s wallpaper and carpet. Yet, with colour enthusiasts and proud maximalists Amber and John as the bandmasters, this grand old villa quickly had its dancing shoes on again.
They replaced the 70s vibe with a sumptuous Resene colour scheme, including Resene Double Canterbury Clay, Resene Baltic Sea, Resene Double Parchment, Resene Quarter Thorndon Cream, Resene Pohutukawa and Resene Quarter Craigieburn. Amber gave the 3.5-metre ceilings in the kitchen the royal treatment – with Resene Cafe Royale, her favourite colour in the home.
“My colour choices were all chosen because they have a lovely, rich depth of pigment to them. Even the lighter Resene Double Parchment on the master bedroom walls has that depth of base without being too dark. It’s like having soft natural linen on the walls.”
Amber, who says she has a “more is always more” philosophy, says she wanted to create a restful home that was classic but not boring. John’s building company specialises in restoring and renovating heritage and character homes. He fell in love with the craftsmanship of heritage buildings when he did his training in the United States, working on California bungalows and Hamptons-style homes with their shutters, shingles and character elements. Amber, a former graphic artist with a background in fashion, works on character and contemporary homes. She loves the flourishes and detail in period homes.
“I love villas. I enjoy a bit of glamour and the grandness of higher ceilings and detailed features like wainscotting,” says Amber.
“A lot of people choose to do white-on-white-on-white in heritage homes. I do love that look, but it doesn’t quite bring out some of the craftsmanship details in these old homes. We went for darker ceilings in many rooms as we wanted to accentuate the beautiful cornices, ceiling roses and plasterwork. It’s an easy mistake to think a dark ceiling will close a room in, but in an older home like this with high ceilings, it does the opposite; it draws the eye up,” she adds.
When John built an extension on the house in 2006, creating a new kitchen and living room and extra bedrooms for their three sons, he took great care to ensure the new build was still era appropriate. Dry rot and borer on the southern side of the house were repaired or banished, and building piles and bearers were reinforced and strengthened. Thankfully, these repairs meant that when the Christchurch earthquakes rattled the Garden City, the villa was damaged but not irreparable.
The family moved out for six months while John stripped and relined the walls with plywood and plasterboard. Plaster specialists Plastercraft took mouldings of the original cornices and ceiling roses in the hallway, and these were used in other rooms for the rebuild. These beautiful period details are accentuated with Resene colours throughout the house, particularly in the master bedroom where the trims, cornices and ceiling rose are Resene Quarter Parchment, contrasted with Resene Baltic Sea on the ceiling and Resene Double Parchment on the walls. Plastercraft took master moulds of the cornices to add to its collection. The moulds have been used for other post-earthquake repair jobs.
“It’s lovely to think the heritage of our home has been shared around other homes in Christchurch,” she says. “As Christchurch rebuilds itself, it’s heartening to see villas like this still going strong.”
As an interior designer, Amber has worked on many homes – heritage and contemporary. She enjoys working on a myriad of new home projects with her clients as well as character villas and cottages. She says the key to creating a beautiful home is with layers of texture, remembering that good things take time.
“It takes quite a while to bring a home together with styling elements, personal pieces and careful planning – it doesn’t happen overnight. Take the time to get to know your house – where the sun rises and observe how you use it – to create an inviting space.”
design Amber Hamilton [email protected]
build John Hamilton Construction www.johnhamiltonconstruction.co.nz
images Kate Claridge, Jane Ussher
Amber’s top tip: Use Resene SpaceCote Flat to accentuate the colour of your ceilings. If you have cornices and ceiling roses, use Resene Lustacryl semi-gloss waterborne enamel as well as Resene Room Velvet, a fast-drying hybrid waterborne-alkyd paint which gives a beautiful, even, silky low sheen finish to make the details really stand out.
The walls of the master bedroom in Amber and John Hamilton’s home are Resene Double Parchment and the ceiling is Resene Baltic Sea – these colours accentuate the ornate cornices and ceiling rose which is painted in Resene Quarter Parchment. Amber also used a chandelier and headboard from French Country Collections, bedlinen from Bianca Lorenne and black and white velvet cushions from St Barts in Australia to create a comfortable, yet glam space.
Amber and John’s son Marcus has a bedroom decorated with the same colours as the master bedroom except “in reverse” with walls painted in Resene Baltic Sea, ceiling in Resene Double Parchment and ceiling rose and cornices in Resene Quarter Parchment. The cornices in this room have a thistle design and were recreated from moulds in the hallway. The deer antler chandelier is from Halo and the wool plaid drapes are from Unique Textiles.
Amber used warm neutral Resene Double Canterbury Clay on the walls of the living room which contrast with the ceiling in Resene Bokara Grey and architraves and trim details in Resene Quarter Thorndon Cream. This neutral palette is accentuated with lots of texture, including cushions from House of Hackney and Andrew Martin and the orange ottoman from David Shaw.
The ceiling of the hallway is painted in regal Resene Pohutukawa with walls in Resene Double Parchment and trims and cornices in Resene Quarter Thorndon Cream. The original hardwood flooring was polished by a flooring contractor, but when she’s doing it herself Amber uses Resene Qristal Clear Poly-Gloss for a glossy finish.
The kitchen ceiling is accentuated in creamy coffee colour Resene Cafe Royale. The walls are painted in Resene Quarter Craigieburn and the trims, skirting, ceiling rose and cornices are Resene Quarter Thorndon Cream.
Amber says the key to creating comfort is through texture and layers of colour. The walls of the kitchen are painted in Resene Quarter Craigieburn and the skirting is Resene Quarter Thorndon Cream, the perfect neutral backdrop for the drapery from Warwick and artwork. The chairs, cushion and sheepskin are from French Country Collections.
The weatherboards of Amber and John’s double-bay villa are painted in Resene Tapa with Resene Black Haze trims and Resene Fuscous Grey on the foundation and veranda decking. The roof is COLORSTEEL® Ironsand. The roses at the front of the house are classic ‘Iceberg’ and the luscious lavender is ‘Hidcote’, an English variety.
The pool cabana house is painted in matching colours to the main house with Resene Black Haze on the interior and beams. Amber picked up the decorative apple from Terra Viva Home & Garden, the outdoor sofa is from CC Interiors and the stools are from French Country Collections.
Published: 30 May 2023
Do you have a home full of wonderful Resene paint and colour? Send us some snaps by emailing [email protected].
Resene Double Canterbury Clay
Resene Double Canterbury Clay
Resene Double Parchment
Resene Double Parchment
Resene Quarter Thorndon Cream
Resene Quarter Thorndon Cream
Resene Quarter Parchment
Resene Quarter Parchment
Resene Quarter Craigieburn
Resene Quarter Craigieburn
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 Quarter Craigieburn
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the look
If you're stuck on what
colour to use or need colour
advice, try out the Resene
Ask a Colour Expert service.
