Jessica finds the beauty in bold neutrals

When Jessica Judge and husband John Cowan bought their brand new house in Cambridge, Waikato, it was painted completely in Resene Thorndon Cream... and while a great neutral, Jessica wanted a bit more personality in the colour of her walls.

The couple broke up the cream by using a palette of beautiful, bold Resene neutrals in interesting ways, from wide stripes in the master bedroom to painting half the walls in Resene Bokara Grey in the kitchen and dining area. 

Jessica describes the home's new look as "contemporary with a country twist." And that it is – a modern home with views of Cambridge's rural outskirts and cows grazing happily in the paddock next door.

The dining room and kitchen are part of a long open-plan area that looked a bit empty before the new colour scheme. This prompted Jessica to paint the lower half of the walls in dark Resene Bokara Grey, with the upper part painted in Resene Half Silver Chalice. The colours work well with the existing kitchen cabinetry colour, painted in Resene Talisman.

“I love black but couldn’t paint the whole room black," says Jessica. "So this was a way of introducing it in an acceptable manner."

The family room is a new addition to the home, to accommodate the young family of four. The couple had plans to install a fireplace in the future, allowing a spot for it in the family room – they couldn't decide on a fireplace they liked, so have turned the spot into a feature wall for artwork, painted in Resene Bokara Grey. The rest of the walls are painted in cosy Resene Silver Chalice.

When it came to the bedrooms, each one has its own personality. Jessica and John's is still painted in Resene Thorndon Cream but has been modernised with wide stripes in Resene San Juan.

For her 10th birthday, daughter Indie chose dark Resene Rhino for her bedroom (a love for bold, dark neutrals must run in the family). And seven-year-old Matilda's bedroom has been kept in Resene Thorndon Cream, perfect for her pink, red and yellow accessories. 

Jessica has done all the painting herself, which she says is a "learn-on-the-job" skill and can have its pitfalls.

"Dark colours are hard to achieve straight lines with, especially against light ceilings, so always use masking tape for a neat finish,” she says. 

She also says it helps to filter other people's opinions when it comes to choosing a colour scheme.

“Don’t take too much advice from others, everyone has a different opinion on colour. Some like to play it safe while others are more bold in their choices," says Jessica. "Overall, it is your home, do it for you.”

“If you don’t like it, you can always repaint!”

Published: 12 Oct 2017

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

kitchen, white

The kitchen is part of a large open plan area, painted in Resene Half Silver Chalice, with cabinets painted in Resene Talisman. The half height colour on the wall to the side is painted in Resene Bokara Grey. 

dining, black

To add visual interest to the long open-plan dining room and kitchen, the walls were half painted in Resene Bokara Grey (below) and Resene Half Silver Chalice. Jessica used her graphic design background to create the hanging artwork. 

family room, feature wall, black, grey

Jessica chose Resene Silver Chalice for the walls to cosy up the family room, with a feature wall in Resene Bokara Grey. 

family room, black, neutrals

 The artwork that hangs on the feature wall is by Jessica’s second cousin Julia Oakley. The wall is painted in Resene Bokara Grey, and the rest of the walls are painted in Resene Silver Chalice. 

family room, black, neutrals

A corner in the family room shows off more of the home's modern artwork. The walls are painted in Resene Silver Chalice. 

stripes, blue, bedroom

For the master bedroom, wide stripes in Resene San Juan have been painted over the existing Resene Thorndon Cream walls.

black, bedroom, kids, children

In daughter Indie's bedroom, the walls are painted in Resene Rhino, which she chose herself for her recent 10th birthday. The ceiling is painted in Resene Half Thorndon Cream. 

neutrals, white, bedroom

For Matilda's bedroom, Jessica kept the walls in Resene Thorndon Cream, one of the few bedrooms in the house in the original colour.

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Resene Silver Chalice

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Resene Half Silver Chalice

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