Goth but make it glam: Creative couple go to the dark side with Resene Double Foundry and Resene Permanent Green

Before Frankie had even moved into her new Auckland home with her partner Max, she knew what Resene paint colour would be splashed on every wall. She’d eagerly mapped out each room on her iPad in their rental property, inspired by her long-time love for darker shades and gothic interiors.

“My whole Pinterest is mood boards based around dark colours; they’ve always given a ‘cosy’ feeling for me. I always dreamed of splashing the walls of our rentals with dark and bold colours,” says Frankie, a regional manager at Bendon Lingerie.

The couple knew they wanted their Gulf Harbour home to reflect their personalities: “Quirky and bold, that’s how we do life in all aspects!” Naturally, they didn’t shy away from darker tones (like Resene Permanent Green and Resene Double Foundry) and wallpapers with impact. Throughout the house, moody greens and inky blue-blacks complement the hanging tendrils of plants, velvet furnishings and funky framed insect art.

Resene Double Foundry emerged as an early favourite, used on the fence outside, then as a colour for feature walls throughout the home and in the main bedroom. Max took a little convincing from Frankie to paint the walls black, he didn’t always share an identical vision, she says. “I think I can now say confidently I’ve won him over.”

The couple say it’s their bedroom that reflects who they are most. “We’ve added splashes of colour through bold, eclectic art pieces that I have drawn or created myself. Our ensuite continues the dark theme, with a splash of greenery on our wallpaper from the Resene Tropic Exotic Wallpaper Collection,” Frankie says.

The contemporary tropical design Resene Wallpaper Collection TP81200 is striking against the black and white of their bathroom cabinetry. In the ensuite lay the pair’s biggest learning while DIY-ing their home: “Make sure not to lay wallpaper on a very hot day – as it can shrink. It’s also just not an enjoyable task in the middle of summer.” If the temperature of the room is too high while wallpaper is still drying, then it will speed up the drying time which can cause shrinkage. It’s best to paste wallpaper in a well-ventilated room, with no heaters on.

The pair’s gothic interior style continued in the guest bedrooms – beetles in gold gloss on black climb a wall in Resene Wallpaper Collection 289519. The feature walls pairs strikingly with Resene Permanent Green on the remaining walls. “It’s such a deep, beautiful colour. I found the styling of this room so much fun because of the wide range of complementary colours I could decorate with.” Moss-coloured bedding and framed scarab beetles tie the look together.

Their pairing of a bold wallpaper choice with Resene Permanent Green is one of Frankie and Max’s favourite combinations in the home. “It’s such a mood. We can only hope our guests like it as much as we do, bugs aren’t for everyone!”

Resene Retro, a modern mix of blue and green, is painted on the walls in the couple’s second guest bedroom. “I get a lot of inspiration from gothic style homes/witchy mood boards on Pinterest and Instagram. I would describe our interior style as our own, it’s not for everyone and we know that, but we adore our space. Our home is our safe haven,” Frankie says.

Painting a home isn’t without its difficulties sometimes, the couple add. “A challenge was not ending the marriage after our disagreements when it comes to paint prep. Max would spend a week taping up the walls to ensure everything was ready for paint, I was happy to freehand it and hope for the best.”

Thankfully, Max has grown fond of the dark and daring Resene Double Foundry splashed throughout the house, and Frankie is just about to meet her next challenge. “It’s convincing him to let me paint more. The upstairs hallway is next on my hit list, I’m thinking Resene Regatta.”

Frankie’s advice for any others decorating is to let your personality shine through, after all, there’s nothing another coat of paint can’t fix.

Top tip: Wanting to use black in your home but can’t decide on the shade? Look at charcoals such as Resene GravelResene Double Stack and Resene Tuna. These colours provide a cool, urban edginess. For a hint of blue, these colours are steely and stormy, adding mystery and moodiness: Resene New Denim BlueResene Coast and Resene Raven.  Use Resene SpaceCote Flat to bring out the moodiness in dark colours.

Wallpaper top tip: Resene offers a sampling service where you can order a sample of many wallpapers to try out at home. Just talk to the staff at your local Resene ColorShop to arrange. Wallpaper samples are available for a wide range of designs. If no samples are available, most wallpaper books can be borrowed overnight and taken home to use as your reference.

In the first guest bedroom dogs Cosmo and Luna approve of the gold beetle wallpaper design, Resene Wallpaper Collection 289519. The feature walls pair strikingly with Resene Permanent Green on the remaining walls. The ceiling and trims are Resene Double Alabaster.

Resene Double Foundry was used as a colour for feature walls throughout the home and in the master bedroom. The hallway wall, windowsill & ceiling are in Resene Double Alabaster.

Artwork and deep green bedding are striking against Resene Double Foundry on the walls. The ceiling and trims are Resene Double Alabaster.

The couple’s ensuite continues the dark theme, with a contemporary splash of greenery from the Resene Wallpaper Collection TP81200. The side wall is Resene Double Alabaster.

Feature walls throughout the home feature Resene Double Foundry, the perfect gothic backdrop for framed artwork and the couple’s collection of house plants.

Resene Retro, a modern mix of blue and green, is painted on the walls in the couple’s second guest bedroom. The windowsill and skirting are Resene Double Alabaster.

In the home’s main bathroom, the walls are Rockcote Otsumigaki from Resene Construction Systems tinted to a custom grey. The windowsills are Resene Double Alabaster.

Walls in the lounge are clean and fresh in Resene Double Alabaster, the perfect blank canvas to build on with bold furnishings.

Published: 21 Apr 2022

Do you have a home full of wonderful Resene paint and colour? Send us some snaps by emailing [email protected].

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Resene Permanent Green

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Resene Double Foundry

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Resene Double Stack

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Resene New Denim Blue

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