Meet Crankiepants from NZ RenoTok

08 Jul 2025

NZ RenoTok’s season one was a smash hit! Over an exhilarating six-week TikTok Live series, four creator‑led teams took on renovation challenges streaming live to the DIY community. Racking up over 24 million content views across season one shows that renovation can certainly feel like prime‑time entertainment!

We speak to Chris Anker, also known as Crankiepants, about his journey on the show alongside partner in crime Nic, as well as their skilful use of Resene throughout their projects!

How did you come to be an avid DIYer?

“I learned when I was younger how to help mum and dad with their projects, then as I grew up, I’ve always found it hard to sit still. So, channelling that energy into DIY was a great fit. I started by painting walls and just kept wondering, can I fix that too? Invariably the internet told me I could, so I decided to give it a go.”

How did you come to create your own channel?

“When I bought my own home Nic (also known as the 'Minister of Interiors') would often watch me as I tried (and often failed) to do various projects around the house and occasionally video the antics. The @crankiepantsnz channel was born from there.

Tell us about your journey on the show and about your designs each week!

Week 1 – Master wardrobe:

“This was a great week to get used to the format and the expectations of the show. Nic really lived up to her moniker of 'Minister of Interiors' and had a clear plan to follow. We quickly found that living in small town Blenheim comes with stock issues. We'd chosen a beautiful wallpaper to go in behind the wardrobe however when the suppliers informed us it wouldn't get here for three weeks, we had to pop back to Resene and choose a gorgeous blue instead, Resene Indian Ink.”

Inside the new master wardrobe, the stunning, deep shade of Resene Indian Ink resides. The walls and doors are painted in Resene Black White.

Week 2 - Master bedroom (including building a new wall):

“After the reveals on the first week we realised just how much work the teams were putting in and decided on the second week to go big. We have plans to extend our house in the future and that meant building a new wall in the master bedroom to facilitate a future ensuite. We had decided we wanted a dark moody, cosy cottage bedroom and the Pinterest board was epic. We had agreed on creating a built-in headboard with V panelling and initially that was going to be the only dark wall however inspiration took over and we painted all four walls in Resene Midnight Moss with Resene Quarter Black White on the trims. This is BY FAR my favourite room.”

The bedroom is a cosy space drenched in Resene Midnight Moss paired with earthy toned décor.

Week 3 - Lounge entertainment wall:

“The lounge has been bare gib or exposed walls for the better part of two years so it was a relief when this space was chosen. We customised cabinetry to hide all of the kids’ Lego and board games and carried Resene Field Day into this space. This is Nic's favourite room because she also designed and created a heated cat bed stained in Resene Colorwood Walnut – and the cat actually uses it!”

The entertainment wall in the lounge is painted in Resene Field Day, a peaceful, welcoming green. The cat bed is stained in Resene Colorwood Walnut.

Week 4 - Kindness Collective Kōhanga playhouse:

“This week we wanted to bring some of the renovating spirit into the Kōhanga by creating a DIY workshop! With the help of Mitre10 builder Stan and input from the Kōhanga team we had a name and a direction. Bold Resene colours on the interior and natural dark green and dark brown on the exterior. This one warmed the heart.”

Week 5 - Living room:

“Nothing could have prepared us for this week. Initially Nic had planned on family friendly with a nod to mid-century modern. Tan leather couch, structured armchairs, beautiful art but we were stuck on the paint colour. We love Resene Forest Green which was already on the wall however we also really loved Resene Field Day we'd just painted on the entertainment wall. After much to-ing and frow-ing we decided to keep both and have them meet in an ombre! This was really tough to get right but when it all came together it looked amazing.

We also made a design decision after speaking with an AC Install Tech to paint the bright white unit the same colour as the wall, along with some floating shelves we made. We used Resene Lustacryl for this and an air sprayer. Unfortunately, this was the week where ferry traffic was shut down and as our furniture was en-route from Auckland, it meant we were unable to complete the space by the live show.”

Resene Forest Green adds a splash of cosiness and sophistication in the living room.

Week 6 - Workshop and courtyard:

“For the final week we decided to go big or go home. And since we were already home, we took a punt and split up for the week. Nic tackled the outdoor courtyard while I was tasked to create the ultimate mancave in my workshop. The courtyard seemed simple but required a lot of physical labour. Nic stained the fence in Resene Woodsman Ebony and the garden sleepers in Resene Woodsman Kwila. The workshop was open framing and I had been sent some saveBOARD to line the interior. Storage was key and once I'd got the walls lined, I focused on getting some shelves in. That didn't stop us getting a bit nerdy and Nic used an old OHP to paint a massive R2D2 graphic on the wall.

Just when we thought we were on top of the week we had a phone call that our lounge furniture was on the way so to eat our words, go big or go home we're up to three spaces for the week!”

Outside, the fence is stained in Resene Woodsman Ebony with garden sleepers in Resene Woodsman Kwila.

Chris’ mancave is playful and packed with personality, with walls in saveBOARD, a sustainable building choice, and a large Star Wars graphic painted in Resene Black.

What are your favourite Resene colours?

MY favourite is Resene Midnight Moss, which we used in the bedroom, and Nic’s is Resene Dover White – this is featured in the powder room which isn’t on NZ RenoTok but it is on our socials!

Visit Instagram to keep up to date with @crankiepantsnz.

Published: 08 Jul 2025