When long-haul pilots Kurt and Paula Schultz set about creating a quiet coastal retreat, they initially went for bold, bright shades. More recently, however, they’ve taken new colour cues from nature and repainted throughout their home with Resene to achieve an outcome that is cosy, yet contemporary. And they haven’t ditched strong colour altogether, using deep red in the study, sea blue in the bathroom and fresh green in their daughter’s room.

The journey began when the large farmhouse villa travelled by night, from its original location in the Waikato, and was set to rest in a sunny spot on the Awhitu Peninsula.

For more than 11 years, Kurt and Paula have worked on the house, anchoring it to its new surroundings by re-plumbing, rewiring, removing walls and renovating it completely. It was a labour of love, and needless to say, their highlight was decorating a gorgeous girly space in Resene Reef for daughter Amara, who arrived four years ago.

What inspired the Resene colours and products you used?

We’ve used Resene colours in every single room. Being novices, we initially went into the Resene ColorShop and chose all our colours then and there, straight off the paint charts. We know now that you should take time to choose a paint colour and use testpots to ensure the best results.

For a number of years we had a bright orange kitchen and a dark blue hallway – probably not the best choice. We loved our mismatch effect at the time, but recently we rethought our scheme and went for lighter shades.

How did you decide on the overall look of the interiors?

This time around, we chose colours that we knew would work well with the style and heritage of the house and which would complement the honey-coloured kauri floorboards. In keeping with its age, the house had originally had dark wood ceilings and trims so we felt it needed a fresh new start.

In our bedroom we used the versatile Resene Half Spanish White and added a feature wall in Resene Lemon Grass. In the bathroom we wanted something that would set off the stunning stained-glass window and Resene Tranquil did the trick perfectly.

The kitchen is now painted in Resene Tana, a cool, stony grey, and the hall in Resene Half Tana, which has lightened the whole area and has a lovely relaxed feel.

What part of the house are you most happy about?

We love the whole house but we are especially proud of the way the study has turned out. Resene Red Berry is the perfect choice and gives the room a warm ‘wrap-around’ feel.  Kurt calls it the ‘smoking room’ because he likes to enjoy a cigar and a nice drop in here with the boys!

When the sun streams in the afternoon, the light dances off the bright red walls. In summer we throw the bi-fold doors open and a breeze wafts right through the house. Our custom-made bookshelves complete the ‘library’ effect.

What is your advice for someone trying to achieve a similar look?

I suggest looking through lots of magazines and home sites online for ideas. It’s also wise to paint quite large areas with your testpots, because light can definitely change the effect of any particular colour. We have Resene Half Tana in our guest room, as well as in the hall, and people always think it’s a completely different shade.

What was the biggest challenge for this project?

In the early days we were living in a house with a big hole where the fireplace used to be and we could see the earth below. The roof leaked so we had buckets in the hallway for nearly two years. A nice big budget would have enabled us to do all the renovations immediately but the house wouldn’t have evolved in quite the same way and we wouldn’t have appreciated it as much as we do now!

The kitchen and dining area is now painted in Resene Tana, a cool, stony grey, which works with the honeyed tones of the kauri floors. 

Kurt and Paula are especially proud of the way the study has turned out, with its cosy Resene Red Berry walls.

Versatile Resene Half Spanish White warms the main bedroom. 

Resene Half Tana is used on the walls of the hall, which has lightened the area and has a lovely relaxed feel, says Paula. 

Daughter Amara’s room may be girly but it’s certainly not pink. Resene Reef is a happy and young sprout green – perfect. 

Walls in Resene Tranquil give the bathroom a fresh character feel.

Resene Half Tana is also used in the guest room, as well as in the hall, and because of the different light qualities, visitors always think it’s a different shade.