Stencil that in

Finalist 4 – Colour Home Awards Competition

A front porch plays with shapes and punchy pops of pink.

Martine Connor’s front porch, previously an “aged, unsightly plain concrete”, is now unrecognisable from its former self. The exterior of her Whangārei home has been transformed into a Mediterranean-like beauty, complete with patterned flooring and a bright, bold front door.

A Mediterranean-like front porch

A light pink letterbox in Resene Gelato

The letterbox perfectly matches the front door, which is painted in Resene Gelato.

Martine had previously done stencilling on a patio and thought the porch could benefit from the same treatment. She painted it with a base of Resene Walk-on flooring and paving paint in Resene White, then stencilled on a pattern in Resene Friar Greystone, a gorgeous stone grey, for contrast. The project took three days.

Martine Connor on her renovated front porch

Martine Connor used stencils to create a front porch ‘wow’ moment.

“It did turn out to be a bit of a mission doing a three-metre stencil at a time and then carefully moving it along,” she says.

Mission or not, the results don’t lie. She painted the porch in 2020 and says “it’s held up really well after two years with lots of foot traffic and a young dog”.

Cat on newly renovated front porch

Meanwhile, the house exterior is painted in Resene Raven. She initially considered using a dark colour but instead chose one that would have more of a heat-reflective quality, due to the humid summers up north. A pop of pale cherry pink punctuates the misty grey, with Resene Gelato painted on the door, a nearby plant pot and the house number, to add a fresh, lively tone.

Martine did this pink paintwork in July last year, in plenty of time to enjoy the delights of summer and outdoor living. Two Cape Cod chairs now invite visitors to admire the view, and the handiwork. “It’s now a lovely place to sit, sheltered, watching the rain,” she says.