Personality plus

From the Resene/Your Home and Garden Colour Home Awards Competition - Grand Winner 2016/2017

An eye for design, a love of colour and a give-it-a-go attitude has transformed this 1950s home.

When Alison and Callum Dixon stumbled across their Castor Bay, Auckland, abode back in 2009, it ticked every box. “The main criteria for us was a decent-sized section and an older home with character that hadn’t been renovated,” says Alison. “We purchased it from the original owners and completely fell for it. With its sea views, short walk to the beach and large bush area at the bottom of the section, we could really see the potential.” Stay-at-home mum Alison says she has really enjoyed renovating the weatherboard beauty, especially rediscovering her creative side since leaving her accountacy job to raise the couple’s three children, Violet, 5, Rita, 3, and Fred, 1. “We put so much into creating what we wanted. Designing each space was a labour of love for me,” she says.

The transformation has included opening up the kitchen and living area, landscaping and, of course, a few licks of new Resene paint! Alison, who says she struggles to pinpoint one aesthetic, is drawn to varying styles and simply chooses things she likes and hopes for the best. “Somehow it seems to come together, or at least I think it seems to,” she laughs, and Alison, we’d have to agree! This eclectic family home is a breath of fresh air and manages to be sophisticated, airy and light, as well as colourful and packed with personality.

Lounge and kitchen
Left: Living the Dixon family clearly love colour, but Alison admits she can’t go past a clean white backdrop. In the living area they’ve gone for a crisp Resene Sea Fog and brightened things up with their eclectic mix of furniture and other displayed treasures.

Right: The kitchen makeover has made the biggest difference to the home. “It was completely cut off from the living area before, so opening that up has been a game changer for us. With the finishes we’ve used and the quality of the cabinetry, I don’t think I will ever grow tired of it,” Alison says. Glossy white, glazed hexagon tiles from Academy Tiles in Australia add an extra dimension and are the perfect backdrop to the custom-made open shelving and flooring in American oak timber.

Childrens bedrooms

Left: Bedrooms Alison says her girls played a big part in designing their shared room and “fun” and “playful” were the guiding concepts. “Lots of their own artworks are dotted around, as well as plenty of things made by me and family and friends,” says Alison. “There’s a lot of love in there.” Resene Cornflour a slightly dusky pink, adorns Alison and Callum’s door – a perfect contrast to the neutral backdrop and bedding.

Children and front door
Painting the front door in Resene Bingo was a nod to tradition, as the original was “a brilliant teal colour”. Violet and Rita chose Resene Dali, a vivid turquoise, for their doors, while Fred’s Resene Nocturnal grey door will be repainted when he’s old enough to choose.