Like many other couples with a young family, Dean and Karryn bought their sprawling, four-bedroom Auckland bungalow with the intention of doing it up. Also like many other couples with a young family, they found that renovation has taken a little longer than they first anticipated – 11 years so far. The creative couple, who love colour, and always planned to incorporate lots of it in their house, undertook a major downstairs renovation and have been working their way around the upstairs area room by colourful room since then.

Of their favourite space in the house Dean says: “The green room provides, again and again, a sense of satisfaction: when we moved in we simply painted over the top of whatever wall-covering was there and in this case we chose a peerless apple-green that reflects late-afternoon sun with an unapologetic vigour. When it came time to renovate the room like grown-ups, there was not even a pause in selecting the same colour. We just added a subtle blue on the windowsills and inside of the door just to be positive that this room would remain in character.”

A deep shade of purple was chosen to enhance the feeling of intimacy in the family room. “In the winter, with the fireplace, it’s really cosy,” says Karryn. The leather sofa came from Corporate Style in Onehunga, and the cushions were sourced around the country, including one by Esther Diamond. The wall hanging is a souvenir from Turkey.

The cupboards in this child’s bedroom were given a new lease of life with painted stencils and pictures. Karryn used test pots of Resene paint for the renovation.

The sunroom, painted in a refreshing sky blue, is the perfect place to dry laundry, or relax on a sunny afternoon. Wooden drying racks above the windows (not pictured) make the most of the sun that streams through the windows.

A pop of red in the entrance hallway contrasts with the green of the guest bedroom. The round mirror is one of more than 40 throughout the house that Karryn has collected over the years. The Sai chair (one of four: two red, two orange) was bought off a film set. With two active boys in the family, their hardwearing wipe-able finish is very handy, Karryn says.