Becky and her Resene Smitten dining table, which she says always makes her visitors smile. The walls, ceilings and trim of her dining area are painted Resene Half Black White.

Next came her sons’ shared bedroom. Old hospital beds that Becky and her siblings slept in as kids received a facelift with a fresh coat of Resene Energise to make them stand out against the complementary Resene Keppel walls.

Old hospital beds – which are believed to have come from Oamaru hospital in the 1930s – and the room’s pendant lamp were brightened up with Resene Energise in colourful contrast with the Resene Keppel wall. The ceiling and architraves look crisp in Resene Half Black White.

The brick walls and concrete floor of the conservatory, which had been added to the front door during the 1970s, was updated with Resene St Kilda. Becky then asked surface pattern designer Samantha Elise to design a mural to liven up the space. Samantha had recently returned from Cuba where she had been inspired by the eclectic imperfect tiling everywhere. She designed and hand-painted the stencilled pattern over brick - which was hugely labour intensive and the result is gorgeous.

The stenciled tiles in Becky’s conservatory were created and painted by surface pattern designer Samantha Elise. The walls and floor of the room were given a coat of Resene St Kilda before the pattern was created with Resene Blanched Pink, Resene Siesta, Resene Ragamuffin and Resene Mai Tai.

For the comfortable and spacious master bedroom, Becky chose Resene Apache. “Gold is an accent colour that appears in accessories and fabrics throughout the rest of the house, so I wanted to include it in my paint colour scheme. The master bedroom was the natural choice,” says Becky. “The room is on the south side of the house, and the beautiful retro-inspired ochre tone has really warmed the room and frames the ‘Miss Sangria’ artwork by Melissa Sharplin beautifully.”

Becky chose Resene Apache for her master bedroom. She loves the colour for its warmth and the way it complements the artwork. The trim and wardrobe have been painted Resene Half Black White.

The home’s bathroom already had good bones with the previous owners adding a gorgeous grey granite bath surround and vanity top. But with its tiled floor, single glazing and Resene Half Black White walls, Becky says that “it felt like a fridge”. A fresh coat of Resene Sakura added a beautiful warm glow.

“I can most liken the feeling of walking into the room now to the feeling of a really lovely hug!”

Becky’s bathroom shook off its fridge-like feeling with a fresh coat of Resene Sakura. The ceiling and trims were kept neutral in Resene Half Black White.

The lounge, after much deliberation, was the hardest room to settle on a colour for. In the end, Becky went for Resene Rouge. “I chose to use Resene SpaceCote Flat and I love the chalky matte finish it has given to the feature wall. At night, it soaks up the light and becomes moody and luxurious, but during the day it is cheerful and lively! I love how it contrasts with the mid-century inspired turquoise sofa and, in particular, how beautifully it works with the mint green background of ‘Magpie’ – a stunning original canvas work by Melissa Sharplin.”

The feature wall in Becky’s lounge looks brilliant in Resene Rouge. The other walls, ceiling and trim frame the space in Resene Half Black White.

The barn door in the lounge was the final piece of the puzzle for that room. “The very first day I moved into the house, I took the solid door that separated the hallway and the lounge off its hinges immediately. It really disrupted the flow of the space,” says Becky.

“I trawled wreckers’ yards looking for an old 1950s front door that was the right size to use as a barn door across that opening. Eventually, I found the perfect one, stripped it, had the old letterbox slot and hardware holes filled and repainted it.” Becky’s dad pitched in to help her partner Phil with the install.

The repurposed barn door in Becky’s lounge was given new life in her lounge with a fresh coat of Resene Half Black White to match the trims and ceiling. Becky especially loves the way the Flemish glass panes look against the Resene Rouge feature wall when the door is open. The other walls in the room have also been painted Resene Half Black White.

Artwork definitely plays a big role in Becky’s home design. This passion led her to release her own collection of works in collaboration with artist Anneke Stewart. The pieces feature elaborate photographic arrangements of flowers grown or foraged by Becky along with vintage hand-painted silks and furnishing fabrics presented in Anneke’s signature mandala style. The results are rich kaleidoscopes saturated in colour.

Two pieces of artwork from Becky and Anneke’s collaboration set the tone for these bright and bold rooms. The room on the left is painted Resene Gimblet and the room on the right is in Resene Swiss Caramel.

Their artwork is available for purchase at www.annekestewart.com.

Becky was featured in the Autumn/Winter 2019 issue of habitat by Resene Magazine – available now at your local Resene ColorShop. More of Becky’s work can also be found on her website.

images Becky Lee, Juliet Nicholas