Behind the scenes of NZ RenoTok with Brad and Alex

02 Jul 2025

Over an exciting six-week TikTok Live series, NZ RenoTok’s season one was a roaring success, seeing four creator‑led teams taking on renovation challenges that wowed their audience.

Streaming live to the DIY community and racking up over 24 million content views across season one, the teams showcased their talents, patience and skilful use of Resene paints and products.

This week we are back speaking to another team, brothers Brad and Alex Smeele.

Can you please tell us a little about yourself and your experience with DIY?

“We’re Brad and Alex, brothers living in Kumeu, Auckland. I’m (Brad) a former pro wakeboarder turned quadriplegic after an accident in 2014. And Alex is my younger brother who is a tech entrepreneur. Alex and I bought our house together in 2023 and we’re working toward renovating it to make it fully wheelchair accessible.

“Our dad was a builder, so we learned a lot from him as we were growing up, and I carried that into my wakeboarding career, which involved building features like ramps and rails to hit on my wakeboard.”

What was your journey like on the show?

“The show was six weeks of mayhem! Each week we had a different project with a different brand partner. We started with our charity partner week with The Kindness Collective to build a playhouse for a local Kōhanga Reo. Then it was onto our Toolshed, followed by the Resene challenge of painting a mural, which was a fun challenge for two colour blind young men... especially as it was an outdoor mural during a cyclone. Our final three weeks involved our lounge patio, and then finishing off with my bedroom (in the garage).

“It certainly tested us as brothers working and living together, tested us creatively, and there were plenty of late nights, which we found is actually when we got the best amount of work done.

“And the favourite part honestly has to be having all these new spaces to enjoy!”

Where did you find the inspiration behind your design choices and colour selection?

“Quite honestly, we leaned on the people around us a lot for inspiration, as well as the viewers. With the colour choices we were very grateful to have help from the wonderful Ilza at our local Westgate Resene ColorShop. When it came to the Marae style playhouse, we got advice from a mother from the Kōhanga who helped us with the designs. We loved the yellow, Resene Spotlight, and purple, Resene Séance, combination.

“In our toolshed, against a Resene Black background, we used Resene Olive Green which we also used in our nature mural palette. On our fireplace, we used Resene Half Grey Friars.”

In the handy toolshed, the pair used Resene Black and Resene Olive Green for the shelving. These dark hues make their brightly coloured tools stand out clearly on the shelf.

The playground at the Kōhanga Reo is painted in the vibrant hues Resene Spotlight and Resene Séance.

Brad and Alex’s mural is painted in a mix of nature-inspired colours including Resene Olive Green which also features in their toolshed.

Visits to their local Resene ColorShop in Westgate allowed Brad and Alex to choose the colours they wanted in person.

What is your favourite Resene colour?

“My favourite was the combination of the Resene Spotlight and Resene Séance on the playhouse.”

To follow along with what Brad and Alex are up to, you can find them on all social media platforms with: @bradsmeele.

Published: 02 Jul 2025