A house that proves neutrals needn't be boring

Published: 12 Jan 2012

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

A simple palette with style and impact

Although this house is now a family home, it was originally a show home for a new design of transportable housing. The interior design team at Yellowfox used their talents to transform the new building into a home that looks stylish and ready to live in. We loved their work - and their clever use of Resene paints - so much that we just had to show you the result. Below, the Yellowfox team answer our questions about their creation:

What did you want to achieve with the interior design? The client wanted a modern look that would suit any environment in which it was placed. We strived to keep the colours neutral and lift the design with a range of tactile textures.

What was the biggest challenge? The spaces are quite compact so it was challenging to keep the home uncluttered with a spacious open flow.

What was the greatest success? The relationship of colour and texture throughout the home. You can go overboard with either in a home of this size. Sometimes editing is your best tool.

Which space in the house is your favourite? The clean white kitchen (Resene Quarter Thorndon Cream) set back into the deep beige wall (Resene Stonewall) really works well - it sets the kitchen apart from the living spaces in a very subtle, unobtrusive way.

What is your advice for someone trying to achieve a similar look? When decorating a small space, choose like tones and make statements with texture rather than colour.

What colours did you use? We used light beige Resene Sisal as the main wall colour throughout the house, deep beige Resene Stonewall in the living area on the wall that has the kitchen, Resene Eighth Thorndon Cream in the kitchen and on the ceilings, and charcoal black Resene Bokara Grey on the feature wall in the master bedroom as well as on some of the interior doors and on the shadowclads. For the exterior, we used Resene Triple Grey Olive, Resene Eighth Thorndon Cream and Resene Bokara Grey. They are all earthy colours that can easily blend with a coastal or bush setting.

pictures Many thanks to Yellowfox interior designers www.yellowfox.co.nz Get the look: To get more of a textured feel to your colour scheme, consider using a paint-on wallpaper - you just paint over it using your favourite Resene colour. This will allow you to get the texture of a wallpaper without being limited by a small number of colour options. Alternatively, consider using a textured paint finish, such as Resene Sandtex Mediterranean effect, which can be applied in a criss-cross manner inside or outside your home.

On neutral ground

A palette of four different neutrals (Resene Stonewall, Resene Sisal, Resene Bokara Grey, Resene Quarter Thorndon Cream) in the living area adds interest to the small room while proving that a variety of paint colours can look fantastic in one space.

White kitchen

Painting the kitchen Resene Quarter Thorndon Cream against a deep beige Resene Stonewall wall, sets it apart from the living spaces in a subtle, unobtrusive way.

Night and day

The charcoal black Resene Bokara Grey feature wall in the master bedroom works beautifully with the pale wood furniture. The other walls in this room are painted in Resene Sisal.

In the black

Charcoal black Resene Bokara Grey has been used on the shadowclads both inside and outside the house.

Square square colour information icon
Square square colour information icon

Resene Triple Grey Olive

register h icon  look book

Create your own mood boards of your favourite colours, photographs and information from habitat by resene.

Login or Register to get started!

×

register h icon  look book

Create your own mood boards of your favourite colours, photographs and information from habitat by resene.

Login or Register to get started!

×
Square square colour information icon
Square square colour information icon

Resene Bokara Grey

register h icon  look book

Create your own mood boards of your favourite colours, photographs and information from habitat by resene.

Login or Register to get started!

×
Square square colour information icon
Square square colour information icon

Resene Eighth Thorndon Cream

register h icon  look book

Create your own mood boards of your favourite colours, photographs and information from habitat by resene.

Login or Register to get started!

×

register h icon  look book

Create your own mood boards of your favourite colours, photographs and information from habitat by resene.

Login or Register to get started!

×

the look

If you're stuck on what
colour to use or need colour
advice, try out the Resene
Ask a Colour Expert service.