This striking black kitchen is the crown jewel of a contemporary North Otago farmstead

Situated in Ardgowan, just west of Oamaru, this jaw-dropping house has a spectacular vista overlooking farmland and the Kakanui mountain range. The hardworking couple who own it are in their mid-30s with two young children. Together, they own and operate a successful helicopter business in North Otago.

During the design phase, the homeowners consulted with Annabel Berry of Design Federation to come up with a colour palette that directly reflected their personalities and lifestyle. (Annabel’s own house was featured in in our Autumn/Winter 2019 issue of habitat by Resene magazine.)

Annabel says that her team’s first colour discussions with the client took place when they selected Resene Nero soffits for the exterior – a choice that provided the perfect tie-in for Annabel to bring some ingenuity to their interior.

“We wanted to ensure that the main living spaces felt contemporary with clean lines, while in the bedrooms and second lounge, we wanted to bring their children’s personalities to the forefront. The couple likes a minimalistic aesthetic but recognised that bringing creativity to the children’s areas was going to ensure that the family was satisfied across the board,” says Annabel.

“There was a real mix of trust and respect with this client, with the brief bring fairly open. We recognised what they wanted to achieve and respected their intentions while they trusted that we would deliver the result for them which is the perfect mix in our relationships with our clients.”

“This client gave us the opportunity to work with black in ways we have not done before, and we believe it is a successful result. Resene Nero frames the landscape beautifully and provides a real focus to the surrounds while still making the interior feel contemporary and fresh,” says Annabel.

“We wanted to explore how we could continue to use their favoured black – Resene Nero – in the interior in a successful way.”

“We researched different Resene paint products to bring Resene Nero inside in different ways, spending a considerable amount of time on planning to ensure that the scheme did not overwhelm the house. Once we had completed our research and reviewed each room we determined to use Resene Nero on the doors and architraves and keep the skirtings the same colour as the wall colour. This gave us the basis for our palette, and then we knew we needed a soft, warm wall colour,” says Annabel.

Reviewing a range of neutrals, the couple settled on Resene Half Foggy Grey as the main wall colour to be used through the hallways and for the main living and dining area. The warm grey works well with Resene Nero while also providing a sophisticated backdrop for the wooden features throughout the living, hallway and kitchen.

The architectural design of the home maximises sunlight with a mono-pitched roof and high windows that climb to the ceiling. Opting for Resene Nero for the architraves creates a striking frame for the enviable views of the surrounding landscape. Most of the ceilings were painted in Resene Double Alabaster to retain a sense of lightness throughout the home.

“The children’s TV room gave us an opportunity to bring some energy to the palette,” says Annabel. “The clients love yellow, and it’s part of their business brand, so we wanted to bring yellow into their children’s space.”

“When reviewing yellows, we kept coming back to Resene Apache as the colour – and the fact that it was named after a type of helicopter was very fitting,” she says.

The key was ensuring the yellow was used in a way that was complementary to the black, grey and white scheme used throughout the house. By painting the main wall in the room Resene Foundry, they were able to find the balance they needed to paint the rest of the walls in the room with Resene Apache.

On the colder, east side of the house, the couple wanted the design of the spare bedroom to reflect the northern Otago landscape. A feature wall in Resene Smoky Green complemented with a bespoke handmade leather headboard – made in-house by Design Federation’s stylist – captured the essence of the region.

In the master bedroom, they wanted a bold encompassing space that reflected the rest of the home and provided a haven in their busy lives. The feature wall in Resene Foundry behind the bed with walls teamed with Resene Foggy Grey provides just the haven they were after.

The results are enviable – a mostly neutral contemporary home that uses colour to reflect the personalities of those who live in it, and the landscape the surrounds it.

To see more of Annabel’s work, take a look at Design Federation's website.

Published: 06 Mar 2019

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kitchen, black kitchen, resene nero, black and white kitchen, black benchtop, dark kitchen

The feature wall in the kitchen in Resene Nero plays off of the dark island, stools, and flooring to give the impression of a black kitchen without being too heavy. The other walls provide balance in Resene Half Foggy Grey and the ceiling in Resene Double Alabaster adds further levity to the space.

lounge, black and white lounge, grey lounge, black feature wall, open plan living, resene nero

The living and dining space are also anchored by a feature wall and architraves in Resene Nero, but plenty of cosiness has been brought in through the carpet, rug, curtains and furnishings to soften the space. The other walls are in Resene Half Foggy Grey and the ceiling is in Resene Double Alabaster.

dining room, grey dining room, grey interior, resene half foggy grey, white ceiling

A mid-mod inspired dining table with clean and classic lines provides plenty of space to entertain. The walls have been painted Resene Half Foggy Grey and the ceiling is in Resene Double Alabaster.

entranceway, black entranceway, black feature wall, resene nero, black and white, black hallway

At the entranceway, Annabel and her team assisted the client in choosing the Muros wall product to bring some texture to the space, which was then painted Resene Nero. The ceiling is in Resene Double Alabaster.

bedroom, black feature wall, black and white bedroom, black bedroom, grey bedroom, resene foundry

In the master bedroom, Resene Foundry continues the dark scheme used in the main living areas and makes the burnt orange bedding really pop. The remaining walls are in Resene Foggy Grey and the ceiling is in Resene Double Alabaster.

bedroom, green bedroom, green feature wall, resene smoky green, spare bedroom, feature headboard

In the spare bedroom, the feature wall in Resene Smoky Green has been painted behind the leather bedboard – inspired by the North Otago landscape. The other walls and ceiling are in Resene Double Alabaster and the door and trim are in Resene Nero.

girls bedroom, pink feature wall, pink bedroom, pink and white, resene dawn chorus

The homeowners went with Resene Dawn Chorus in their daughter’s bedroom to reflect her vibrant and sunny personality. The adjacent wall is in Resene Quarter Taupe Grey, the doors and trim are in Resene Nero and the ceiling is in Resene Double Alabaster.

bedroom, boys bedroom, kids bedroom, childrens bedroom, blue bedroom, blue ceiling

The family business inspired the idea to bring the sky into their son’s room by painting the ceiling and top section of the wall in Resene Seachange – a theme which was carried through the bedding and curtain patterns, and brought to life with a model helicopter mounted to the ceiling. The lower portion of the walls are painted Resene Double Alabaster to tie in with the rest of the house.

tv room, lounge, yellow lounge, black and yellow. yellow feature wall, yellow tv room

The children’s TV room was painted Resene Apache to bring some life into the space. The key was ensuring the yellow was complementary to the black, grey and white scheme and did not overwhelm. The wall on the right in Resene Foundry helps to anchor the space to the rest of the colour palette.

interior design Annabel Berry, Design Federation
styling Meghan Nockels, Design Federation
imagesRachel Wybrow Photography

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Resene Half Foggy Grey

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Resene Double Alabaster

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Resene Dawn Chorus

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Resene Quarter Taupe Grey

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