A can-do attitude and a talent with colour meant that this family’s limited home-building budget didn’t affect the amazing results they achieved.

Dave Ritchie and Clare Cosson live on the South Island’s West Coast with their children Georgia and Abby (pictured) and wanted a home that merged with the surrounding bush and which reflected their casual welcoming style. A wide-ranging palette of both bold and neutral Resene colour helped them achieve that look. 

Says Clare: “We have used Resene products everywhere, transforming Trademe finds such as bedside tables, old chairs (in Resene Classic Rose and Resene Hopbush, pictured) and lampshades. We found that Resene offered us the best selection of colours, and we received fantastic service and advice from Wayne at the local Resene ColorShop in Hokitka.

“We used the Resene website to look for interesting colour combinations. The colour we used (Resene Flourish) on the little garage sale table in the lounge is the result of advice from the website.

We sealed our floors with Resene Uracryl and love the colours that emerged from the raw concrete. And with two busy kids that love to play in the mud it is extra forgiving...”

What inspired your colour choices?

Our colour choices were inspired by the colours of the rugged West Coast bush and beaches.

How did you decide on the overall look of the interiors? What was your overall philosophy?

We wanted the overall look of the interior to be warm, welcoming and relaxed. The monochromatic look that seems prevalent in a lot of modern homes is a bit too ‘perfect’ for us. We wanted to mix in some deeper colours, but still keep a sense of flow throughout the house by using the same neutral colours.

Building on a limited budget we were determined to make our house more environmentally friendly than the old bungalows we were used to. We sacrificed the more standard carpet and tiles for solar hot water and extra thick walls, filled with 50% more insulation.

What part of the house are you most happy with?

The room that we spend the most time in and probably enjoy the most is the lounge. We like the combination of the natural concrete finish with the Resene Half Napa, Resene Pohutukawa and Resene Coffee Bean. It has been an easy combination to add other colours into, such as the Resene Flourish on the little entrance table.

What is your advice for someone trying to achieve a similar look and/or for using a wide palette of colours?

I like to work out my colour story before I buy any paint. I probably spent a day with swatches, clippings from magazines, curtain fabrics and a house plan. I laid out possible combos and then looked at how the whole house would feel as you moved through it. I also considered the furniture and soft furnishings that we already had – like the giant couch in the living room, that we couldn’t live without.

What was the biggest decorating, renovating or building challenge for this project?

Two words – limited cash. We wanted to build a house that was within our financial means, which meant sealing the concrete floor rather than carpeting, painting our own house inside and out, sewing our own curtains… We probably saved upwards of $25,000 by doing these things ourselves.

Do you have a favourite colour, and if so why is it your favourite?

Currently my favourite colours are orange, aqua and brown. I am also loving muddy natural colours and dull metallics.

A peaceful corner of the living room, where the walls are Resene Half Napa. 

A much-loved oversized sofa dominates the living room. Walls are in Resene Half Napa, the back of the front door is Resene Gunsmoke and the entry wall is Resene Pohutukawa. The hall table has been painted in Resene Flourish. 

The house exterior was designed to blend with the West Coast bush, so is finished in Resene Limed Gum on the timber cladding, Resene Driftwood on the deck and Resene Ironsand on the corrugate cladding and roof. 

Resene Green Meets Blue is a soulful colour for the master bedroom and beautifully offsets the timber furniture. Resene Gold Dust from the Resene Special effects and metallics range is used on the window trim and the bedside table is painted in Resene Fuscous Grey. 

Walls in Resene Half Napa in the laundry are typical of the restful neutrals that tie the interior scheme together. 

A sofa in the study sits against a wall of Resene Tasman. The door and trims are Resene Milk White. 

A sofa in the study sits against a wall of Resene Tasman. The door and trims are Resene Milk White. 

A dramatic Resene Dynamite front door greets visitors. The cladding is finished in Resene Limed Gum from the Resene Woodsman exterior wood stains range.