Country villa charm

Lynn Dill-Russell loves colour and she has painted the rooms in her replica villa in a range of colours. When it came to painting her country-style kitchen, she chose Resene ‘Bermuda Grey’ for the walls and Resene ‘Parchment’ for the cabinetry and trims.

At first she thought the wall colour might be a little dark, but when she put her A4- sized Resene sample drawdown alongside the granite benchtop, with its tiny blue accents, and the kauri floor, she knew the colour was a perfect match.

It was a rich, welcoming shade that also promised to sit well alongside the darker recycled rimu furniture in her dining room. Ultimately, that same blue was her inspiration for fabric she chose to re-cover a sofa that sits between the kitchen and dining room.

Left: Lynn knew from the word go that her kitchen would be decked out in soft blue. Right: Painting the trims and cabinetry in Resene ‘Parchment’ provided a stunning contrast to the French blue walls.

Lynn has never been a fan of all-neutral interiors. In her native South Africa, she painted the rooms in her house different colours and she’s carried on the style since settling here with her family nine years ago.

“I had seen neutral colours in a show home, but I knew it was just not for me,” she explains. “This house has the three metre villa stud and the leadlight windows and I just knew that different colours would work well throughout the interior.”

So sure was this creative homemaker that blue would be her colour of choice, that she even bought her blue kitchen scales and blue kettle before her house (built by Villa Homes Ltd) was little more than plans on paper. The choice has proven a winning formula.

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