A bold front door makes a huge impact. This door is painted in Resene Parsley with trim in Resene Alabaster, weatherboards in Resene Merino and deck in Resene Woodsman Natural. Plant pots in Resene Digeridoo and doormat in Resene Felix. Lantern light from Lightingplus, buxus plants from Mitre 10. 

Although its dramatic roof, which points over the landscape to the sea, could only be described as contemporary, Parirau by architect Pete Bossley of Bossley Architects (www.bossleyarchitects.co.nz) also feels like a traditional home thanks to its use of colour. The cedar cladding is stained in Resene Woodsman Totem Pole, a colour reminiscent of traditional rural barns, and the dramatic soffits are in Resene Eighth Pearl Lusta.  

As a young girl, Chessa Stevens remembers her family driving past the dilapidated house in her hometown of Carterton and wishing she could one day do it up. The conservation architect finally got her chance when she and her partner  
Rob bought the property and restored it to its original glory. Chessa and Rob run Rare Buildings (www.chessastevens.co.nz), a local company that specialises in designing and restoring historic homes. When working on this villa, they chose their exterior paint colour palette carefully, painting the weatherboards in Resene Half Delta, the window trim, doors and details in Resene Grey Friars and the facings, fascias and corner boards in Resene White.   

Heather and Rod’s bach in Whitianga is inspired by Heather’s childhood, where she lived in a Cape Cod-style home in Pennsylvania, USA. Cove Construction (www.coveconstruction.co.nz) built the A-line extension on an existing 1980s bach and the colour scheme features Resene French Pass. “Our home has some blatant American characteristics – so much so, we have had a few people walk up to our front porch and the first thing they ask is, ‘Are you American?’” says Rod. “We are fans of any beautiful colour. Don’t give us browns, blacks and beiges. Life is better with colour!”  

When designing an extension to an Edwardian villa in Auckland, Natasha Markham of Maud (www.maud.nz) wanted her design to complement but not compete with the original building. The twin-peaked extension built around a central courtyard garden uses heritage brick, which Natasha paired with Resene Lumbersider in Resene Double Alabaster for the weatherboards. “The use of the brick outside informed the material palette,” says Natasha. “Resene Double Alabaster provides the perfect foil for these rich natural hues and allows for light play throughout the day.” 

Adam and Sooz had always dreamed of living in a black house, so when they bought their 1927 brick and stucco do-up in Gore, they set about transforming the beige home into a black beauty with Resene All Black. “It had always been the dream to have a black house,” says events manager Adam. “Choosing the right black took a while, as we had to consider the dark fleck through the clinker bricks on part of the house.” Their son Carter chose Resene Double Sea Fog for the trims, and as a family, they decided on Resene Log Cabin as the feature colour for the stairs and front door. 

This home in Mangawhai Heads by Maurice Langdon of Eclipse Architecture (www.eclipsearchitecture.co.nz) has nearly 360-degree views of the coast and land, but the windswept site faces a constant battering from the elements. Luckily, its exterior finish is up to the task. Rodney Decorators and Painters recently repainted the house in Resene Ebony Clay, and it looks as good as new.  

This home in Mangawhai Heads by Maurice Langdon of Eclipse Architecture (www.eclipsearchitecture.co.nz) has nearly 360-degree views of the coast and land, but the windswept site faces a constant battering from the elements. Luckily, its exterior finish is up to the task. Rodney Decorators and Painters recently repainted the house in Resene Ebony Clay, and it looks as good as new.  

A lot of thought was put into the Resene colour scheme for this much-loved mid-century home. The house, originally built in 1965 by Architect Keith Cottier of Alan Jack and Cottier of the renown ‘Sydney School’, was modernised with an extension designed by architects hungerford+edmunds (www.hungerfordedmunds.com) to connect the original structure with the pool area. The colours were chosen to match photos of the original building. The exterior masonry is painted in Resene Quarter Thorndon Cream paired with accents in Resene Dynamite on the roof edge, Resene Bokara Grey on the balcony columns and Resene Triple Masala on the door and window frames. The mural near the pool is painted in Resene Dynamite, Resene Retro, Resene Half Resolution Blue, Resene Dauntless, Resene Spotlight, Resene Adrenalin and Resene Eighth Masala

A lot of thought was put into the Resene colour scheme for this much-loved mid-century home. The house, originally built in 1965 by Architect Keith Cottier of Alan Jack and Cottier of the renown ‘Sydney School’, was modernised with an extension designed by architects hungerford+edmunds (www.hungerfordedmunds.com) to connect the original structure with the pool area. The colours were chosen to match photos of the original building. The exterior masonry is painted in Resene Quarter Thorndon Cream paired with accents in Resene Dynamite on the roof edge, Resene Bokara Grey on the balcony columns and Resene Triple Masala on the door and window frames. The mural near the pool is painted in Resene Dynamite, Resene Retro, Resene Half Resolution Blue, Resene Dauntless, Resene Spotlight, Resene Adrenalin and Resene Eighth Masala

Leonie Bolton has never had a painting brief quite like this one. When Melbourne Precision Painters (www.melbourneprecisionpainters.com) received this commission from an artistic couple to paint their entire exterior in Resene Resolution Blue, she couldn’t help but smile. “Jobs like this don’t come up very often – this one was very special,” says Leonie. “Everyone who walked past while we were painting it commented. It’s very striking.” Leonie had painted the window frames on the house a few years ago in the same colour using Resene Enamacryl. She had joked that the homeowners should consider painting the entire house that colour – a few years later, they did just that and Leonie and her team chose Resene Sonyx 101 waterborne semi-gloss to achieve the eye-catching look.