Pure imagination

Grand Winner 2023 – Colour Home Awards Competition

This year’s Resene Colour Home Awards winner uses colour theory to knock a win out of the park.

Our 2023 Resene Colour Home Awards winner lives and breathes colour, pushing the envelope on bold shades and a jaw-dropping mural used for a stunning effect. Kareen Durbin has transformed her former state house into a visual delight, a chocolate box of blues, browns and sorbets, taking out the grand title and a $5000 prize in the process.

A hand-painted mural on a feature wall

An award winning home interior

Make an impression: “The wall surrounding the fireplace has been painted in a joyful abstract manner incorporating all the colours in the house,” Kareen says, which includes the likes of Resene SpaceCote Low Sheen in Resene Cinnamon and Resene Glorious. DIY Inspo: Make your own feature wall with a hand-painted mural for the ultimate wow factor. Kitchen: For a respite from colour, Kareen used Resene SpaceCote Low Sheen in Resene Quarter Iron in the kitchen.

From the “cosy cave” main bedroom painted in Resene SpaceCote Low Sheen in Resene Jambalaya, which layers warm brown tones to the garden granny flat decked out in Resene SpaceCote Low Sheen in Resene Glorious, a sorbet shade that’s all about eye-candy – it’s clear that Kareen has an expert eye for colour and design.

On opening the front door, guests are submerged into a vivid colourscape, with the hallway and ceilings drenched in Resene SpaceCote Low Sheen in Resene Deep Koamaru, which Kareen describes as an “immersive colour experience” as through the tunnel of violet, visitors are reborn into the Resene Low Sheen Resene Quarter Iron white living space.

But the showstopping moment belongs to the hand-painted living room mural, an abstract dreamscape that incorporates all the colours in the house, including Resene SpaceCote Low Sheen in Resene Cinnamon and Resene Glorious.

A cosy bedroom painted in a warm colour

Main bedroom: This “cosy cave” was painted in Resene SpaceCote Low Sheen in Resene Jambalaya, layering brown tones in the room on top of the statement native timber floorboards. Hot idea: Make a bedroom feel super cosy by drenching it in one warm colour.

“Kareen has a real painter’s eye. I love the brown and pink rooms and might copy her, but the mural is next-level amazing,” says editor Fiona Hawtin.

Resene marketing manager Karen Warman agrees. “Kareen’s wholehearted embrace of colour is a striking reminder that you can really make your home your own with paint colours you love,” she says.

Kareen feels grateful to have won the coveted title, saying she’s “pleased that such a simple home, with a bit of colour, can have that level of impact”.

A dark blue entryway

Cool and functional chairs

A colourful hand-painted wall mural

Star turns: The Hang-it-all rack enhances the Resene Deep Koamaru hue of the entrance; functional chairs in a cool design (center photo).

“I guess I’m a big believer in creating beauty without much budget – that the magic happens because of constraints. It’s validating to have that acknowledged,” she says.

As for the $5000 prize, Kareen says she should throw the majority on the mortgage, but has her eye on a particular quilt and dreams of installing a huge skylight in her New Plymouth home. Will, however, thinks a new surfboard is in order.

The pair have many plans for their home, although they’re trying to stop and enjoy the work already completed. To manage her “addiction to colour”, Kareen has also been developing the interior of an op-shop she manages with more Resene colour combinations and is “exploring ideas I ran out of space for in our house”.

A pretty watermelon hued sleepout

Sweet as sorbet: The pretty watermelon shade of Resene SpaceCote Low Sheen in Resene Glorious was used in the Durbin’s fun sleepout.

A green sleepout exterior

Green light: The sleepout’s exterior was boldly painted in Resene Lumbersider Low Sheen paint in Resene Japanese Laurel.

Her advice to others looking to add more colour to their homes is to simply have fun. “Paint is quite a safe way to make some super bold moves that transform a room entirely,” Kareen says. “My favourite thing is being in a newly painted environment with an immersive approach to colour; walking in is invigorating, the colour has so much impact emotionally.”

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Meet & Greet: Will (sustainability manager) and Kareen Durbin, (florist and hat maker), and daughter Nina, four.