Championing colour

Grand Winner – Colour Home Awards Competition

This year’s Resene Colour Home Awards winner’s work on her holiday house proves that a shoestring budget is no obstacle to true creativity.

It’s hard to believe that this is Bridgette Lawrence’s first serious foray into decorating with different colours. A big fan of a neutral palette, Bridgette decided to take on the project of refreshing her family bach in Waitaki Lakes.

A stand-out lounge and bookshelf painted in blue green Resene Juniper

Colour balance: The base of Resene Saltpan allowed for the colours to really stand out. In the lounge, Bridgette painted the bookshelf in Resene Juniper, the chairs in Resene Green Meets Blue, and was lucky to find a matching fabric scroll to decorate the door.

“While the bach has always represented a place to make great memories, its function was countered by its lack of aesthetics,” she says. Armed with 10 Resene paint colours and one wallpaper, she set to work breathing new life into the 1950s property. The result that followed is a colour-rich haven that pays homage to the landscape that surrounds them.

Resene SpaceCote Low Sheen in Resene Saltpan was her neutral, which she then countered with greens and blues such as Resene Juniper, Resene Gecko, Resene Atomic, Resene Cinder and Resene Balderdash. Then she added sporadic bursts of exciting colour, with circles of Resene Yuma, Resene Tuscany and Resene Golden Sand appearing in the bedrooms and kitchen. The exterior of the home, as well as pieces of furniture, was painted in Resene Lumbersider Low Sheen in Resene Green Meets Blue. When writing a detailed list of paints, she realised that nearly every inch had been painted.

A yellow painted circular headboard in Resene Golden Sand

Bridgette Lawrence - Grand Winner

“Bridgette’s home is the perfect example of a successful ‘paint-over’ and how a little Resene colour can go a long way to make your space feel new without the time and expense of a full reno,” says Resene marketing manager Karen Warman. “Bridgette has cleverly used Resene Saltpan for her main neutral, which helps to hero her accent colours and keeps things looking fresh.”

Bridgette isn’t new to a DIY update. At her own home, she’s creating “luxe for less”, making plinths and wall mouldings that give chic Parisian Haussmann vibes. But the bach makeover has inspired her to bring more colour into more spaces. “The results surprised the heck out of me. I’m now looking at my own home in a more playful manner,” she says.

A bedroom painted in blue black Resene Cinder

Natural Selection:

Resene Cinder was the choice for one bedroom, with the side tables painted in Resene Balderdash.

A half circle of Resene Tuscany was a colourful terracotta addition

Natural Selection:

A half circle of Resene Tuscany was a colourful addition.

A home exterior painted in Resene Green Meets Blue

Natural Selection:

Resene Lumbersider Low Sheen in Resene Green Meets Blue was used for the entire exterior.

Being selected as this year’s winner has delighted Bridget. “I was ecstatic just to be chosen as a finalist, so actually winning has been a shockingly great surprise.”

She plans to split the prize money into two halves. The first will be “sensible, but rather dull” and go towards her mortgage, but the other half will go towards future decorating in her own home. She already knows what her next project will be. “I’ve got my peepers on the quite fabulous Resene 39650-1 wallpaper. I want to create a library space.”

A green faux headboard in Resene Gecko

Winner's Circle:

In this bedroom, Bridgette created a faux headboard by painting a half circle with Resene Gecko.

A fun yellow semi-circle painted in the kitchen

Winner's Circle:

The kitchen is one of the brighter rooms in the home and features a fun Resene Golden Sand arch.

A bright and cheerful kitchen

Winner's Circle:

The kitchen is one of the brighter rooms in the home and features a fun Resene Golden Sand arch.

Bridgette wasn’t able to make it down to the bach over the summer but was overjoyed to see photos of her family enjoying the refreshed space.

Her words of advice to anyone wanting to follow her lead and take the leap into decorating with colour? “Be brave. Be bold. It’s only paint, and it can always be changed.”

A stunning bedroom feature wall