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The elegant lounge of Hannah and Malachi’s live-in show home features walls in Resene Merino with a bold feature wall in Resene Karaka. The ceiling is in Resene Half Sea Fog and the trim is in Resene Double Alabaster.
The daring exterior of White Wood Homes combines reclaimed brick work with Resene Black White on the exterior and Resene Black trim.
The kitchen is given a touch of luxury with brass finishings that complement the warm walls in Resene Merino, feature wall in Resene Karaka and ceiling in Resene Half Sea Fog. The trim is in Resene Double Alabaster.
Elegant details such as this cosy reading nook in the living area bring the home to life. The feature wall is in Resene Karaka and the surrounding walls are in Resene Merino.
The incredible hand-made curved feature wall of the entranceway was given a polished finish with surrounding walls in Resene Merino, ceiling in Resene Half Sea Fog and trim and doors in Resene Double Alabaster.
The tongue-and-groove feature wall in the master bedroom uses warm Resene Half Drought. The ceiling is in Resene Half Sea Fog and the trim is in Resene Double Alabaster.
The surrounding walls in the master bedroom are in soft Resene Merino with Resene Double Alabaster trim.
The boys’ room features delicate wallpaper in Resene Wallpaper Collection HAN100389404. The surrounding walls are in Resene Merino with Resene Half Sea Fog ceiling and Resene Double Alabaster trim.
This tropical powder room combines accents of pale rose with Resene Merino walls and a feature wall in Resene Wallpaper Collection 220125.
The office dwelling takes on a Scandinavian atmosphere with Resene Double Alabaster on the walls and skirtings, Resene Athens Grey on the doors and architraves and Resene Half Sea Fog on the ceiling.
Life in a show home: Meet the young family living in this colourful Cambridge show home
Hannah and Malachi are taking working from home to a stylish extreme. With a flurry of interruptions to their business due to covid, the husband and wife team – who are the directors of White Wood Homes – needed a way to easily alternate between their business and family life and came up with the ultimate solution: a live-in show home. Their daring way of living didn’t end there and the couple decked out their home in dynamic Resene wallpapers alongside deep Resene Karaka and rosy Resene Half Drought.
Based in the Cambridge subdivision of St Kilda, White Wood Homes is an award-winning building company that has been creating sophisticated homes across the Waikato region for more than ten years. The office and show home is also home to Hannah and Malachi, their two young boys, three-year-old Elijah and two-year-old Milo, their two dogs Archie and Onyx, and cat Indy.
“When I tell people we live in a show home with our two young boys they think we’re crazy!” says Hannah. “But we are both super tidy people and just seem to make it work. We take a lot of pride in our home and love sharing it with people.”
The couple have used a clever design to showcase as many different products and finishes as possible, creating two separate dwellings with a smart exterior in Resene Black White and Resene Black connecting both. The first two-bedroom dwelling is White Wood Homes’ office and design centre, while the main dwelling is where the family lives and is available for viewings by appointment.
“The brief we gave our architect, Evan from Architecture Bureau, was that we wanted something modern with a classic timeless look,” says Hannah, who combined recycled brick with new materials to create a stylish exterior. “We feel we have gone for a look that won’t date and will last the test of time.
“We also wanted to go for quite a neutral palette on the overall look of the interior as we had quite a lot going on in there.”
The couple brought the interiors to life with doors and trim in Resene Double Alabaster and ceiling in Resene Half Sea Fog, a barely there black-edged white. The walls in the living, dining and kitchen were painted in warm neutral Resene Merino.
“The colour Resene Merino was the prefect wall colour for us, it keeps the rooms feeling light and bright while being very forgiving with little toddlers being around,” says Hannah, who loved the way Resene Merino complemented the curved brick feature wall of the entranceway.
“It’s the perfect neutral colour and is so versatile. The warm tones worked perfectly with all the brass accents and the reclaimed bricks.
“I love the entranceway – walking in and seeing the curved brick feature wall. I actually cut all the brick slips for this wall so I feel rather proud of how it turned out.”
In the living room, Hannah paired walls in Resene Merino with a bold batten feature wall in rainforest green Resene Karaka. “I love the main living space,” says Hannah. “It’s the heart of the home, it feels so warm and inviting and we spend so much time here as a family.
“The large batten feature wall in Resene Karaka is definitely a stand out. The deep earthy green tone marries in so well with the rest of the finishes in the space.”
While Hannah is constantly drawn to creating light, airy and organic spaces she branched out for this project, embracing a modern luxe look and introducing a gorgeous excess of texture and colour into the bedrooms. The couple chose Resene Half Drought for the tongue-and-groove feature wall in the master bedroom, and complemented the Resene Merino walls in the boys’ room with a serene feature wall in Resene Wallpaper Collection HAN100389404.
“We wanted the rooms to feel warm, cosy and inviting so we went with warmer tones in the space,” says Hannah.
Despite the challenge of supply issues and delays due to Covid, the couple’s attention to detail remained impeccable. Small features such as the reading nook nestled between Resene Merino and Resene Karaka walls in the living room and the carefully considered tropical powder room complete with Resene Wallpaper Collection 220125 are what makes this home truly shine.
“Our biggest learning with this project was to not sweat the small stuff. Sometimes things don’t always go to plan but there is always a solution.”
The office of White Wood Homes is comprised of an equally thoughtful colour palette. With a Scandi vibe in mind, the couple painted the walls in Resene Double Alabaster, with doors and architraves in Resene Athens Grey, and ceiling and soffits in Resene Half Sea Fog. “We went for a cooler, lighter colour palette to work in with the lighter timber accents and the white granite benchtop in the kitchen,” says Hannah. The couple have used Resene products on all of their builds for over ten years. “We love the colour range and quality Resene has and it stands the test of time.”
While its purpose is to excite others at the prospects of what’s possible, this show home is everything Hannah and Malachi ever dreamed their family home would be.
“This house was truly a labour of love.”
Find out more about White Wood Homes on their website
Top tip: Add depth to batten feature walls by using different levels of sheen. Use a flat finish such as Resene SpaceCote Flat for the main wall and then use a semi-gloss Resene Lustacryl on the battens to create a luxe look. Resene Lustacryl is also ideal for trims and skirting boards due to its enamel like toughness. Or for a higher sheen contrast use Resene Enamacryl gloss in place of Resene Lustacryl.
The elegant lounge of Hannah and Malachi’s live-in show home features walls in Resene Merino with a bold feature wall in Resene Karaka. The ceiling is in Resene Half Sea Fog and the trim is in Resene Double Alabaster.
The daring exterior of White Wood Homes combines reclaimed brick work with Resene Black White on the exterior and Resene Black trim.
The kitchen is given a touch of luxury with brass finishings that complement the warm walls in Resene Merino, feature wall in Resene Karaka and ceiling in Resene Half Sea Fog. The trim is in Resene Double Alabaster.
Elegant details such as this cosy reading nook in the living area bring the home to life. The feature wall is in Resene Karaka and the surrounding walls are in Resene Merino.
The incredible hand-made curved feature wall of the entranceway was given a polished finish with surrounding walls in Resene Merino, ceiling in Resene Half Sea Fog and trim and doors in Resene Double Alabaster.
The tongue-and-groove feature wall in the master bedroom uses warm Resene Half Drought. The ceiling is in Resene Half Sea Fog and the trim is in Resene Double Alabaster.
The surrounding walls in the master bedroom are in soft Resene Merino with Resene Double Alabaster trim.
The boys’ room features delicate wallpaper in Resene Wallpaper Collection HAN100389404. The surrounding walls are in Resene Merino with Resene Half Sea Fog ceiling and Resene Double Alabaster trim.
This tropical powder room combines accents of pale rose with Resene Merino walls and a feature wall in Resene Wallpaper Collection 220125.
The office dwelling takes on a Scandinavian atmosphere with Resene Double Alabaster on the walls and skirtings, Resene Athens Grey on the doors and architraves and Resene Half Sea Fog on the ceiling.
Published: 04 Nov 2021
Do you have a home full of wonderful Resene paint and colour? Send us some snaps by emailing [email protected].
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Ask a Colour Expert service.
