Lead with your heart

Grand Winner – Colour Home Awards Competition

A warm and vibrant jewel-toned palette that was bold, yet classic helped guide this year’s Resene Colour Home Awards winner.

Let this vibrant Arrowtown new-build be a reminder to follow your gut and embrace the colours that make your heart sing. For Rae and Nick Prentis, a jewel-toned colour palette is exactly what they wanted – and helped them take out the top prize of the 2025/2026 Resene Colour Home Awards.

Resene Colour Home Award article

The kitchen was Rae Prentis’ first love, painted top-to-toe in Resene Bush.

“Winning feels incredibly affirming and has really reinforced my decision to trust my instincts and lean into colour without overthinking it. Our home has always been about creating a space with personality, so to have that recognised feels very special,” Rae says.

The home consists of three core colours – Resene SpaceCote Low Sheen in Resene Bush for the kitchen, Resene SpaceCote Low Sheen in Resene Blue Night for the living room and Resene SpaceCote Low Sheen in Resene Arthouse for one of the bedrooms. Additional colours include Resene Lustacryl in Resene Wan White for the ceiling and Resene SpaceCote Low Sheen in Resene Tino Pai for another bedroom and the fireplace in the living room.

Rae Prentis - 2025/26 Colour Home Awards Grand Winner
Rae Prentis – Resene Colour Home Awards Grand Winner

Dark navy blue living room painted in Resene Blue Night
The dark navy of Resene Blue Night was used in the living room

A jewel-toned interior colour palette

“Rae and Nick have created a wonderful, welcoming environment with their exciting colour choices,” says Your Home and Garden editor Fiona Hawtin. “By balancing bold tones with calm neutrals, it is a home that doubles as a work of art.”

Rae already has her eyes on the next big project: painting the exterior. She says that her prize money will go towards the makeover. “Our house is brick with a plaster finish and we initially painted it white to create a classic Mediterranean feel, but it’s never felt quite right to me. We’re now planning to repaint it in Resene Spanish Green – a beautiful, elegant green that will sit far more comfortably with the interior colours.”

A deep pinot noir red bedroom painted in Resene Arthouse

Using Resene SpaceCote Low Sheen in Resene Arthouse was a surprising choice for this bedroom, but Rae says she couldn’t be happier. “The deep pinot noir red feels warm, cocooning and timeless.”

As an avid supporter of local artists, Rae also wants to invest in a piece of New Zealand art. She’s looking forward to sourcing a piece that will work with her home’s brilliant colour palette. She says that it will be a meaningful way to commemorate the award – “it’s something I’ll be able to enjoy every day”.

For those contemplating colour in their home, Rae has some solid advice. For her, it’s all about letting go of fear and having faith in your preferences. “Trust your instincts, but don’t be afraid to ask for a little guidance. A chat with a Resene Colour Expert can introduce you to shades you might never have considered but could end up absolutely loving. Colour has an amazing ability to lift your mood and completely change the feel of a space. And if you’re unsure, just remember: it’s only paint. It isn’t permanent – and if your tastes change down the track, you can always change it.”

A jewel-toned interior painted with green and blue hues

All in all, she is thrilled that her use of colour has had a sparkling reception. “Winning this award has really confirmed for me that using colour confidently creates a home with warmth, character and personality – and that’s exactly how I want our home to feel.”

Colours mentioned in this article