b'over the rainbowFor her, there is no job too big or too small iflodge-styleholidayhomeandinChristchurch she knows she can improve a space. I said yes toonalargefamilyhome.Ididafewsitevisits every job that came my way when I started outthroughout the projects but was able to do theand I still do. Not everything has to be high- bulk of the work successfully from Sydney.end or luxury to entice me. Theres as muchWhencreativityisastruggle,Gina joy in completing a one bedroom apartment asrecommends switching gears for a while. Its there is in a mansion for me. A happy client ishardtobeinspiredandonallthetime.Its my sole motivation. important to leave your desk and do something My favourite type of work, if I have to pickcompletely different for a while then come back a favourite, would be the work Im doing in thewith fresh eyes and thoughts. You can never Southern Highlands in NSW. Im working onpredictwheninspirationwillhityou.Ioften a 46-room boutique hotel, the Berida Hotel,getabrilliantideawhenImdaydreamingat and have just finished working on the beautiful,the traffic lights! Forcing it never works but by historicBriarsInn.Ivebeenveryluckytocreating some empty space in your mind you essentially have been given free rein. The briefgive inspiration some room to pop in.was simply to make it gorgeous, and I think onOnepieceofadviceIwishIdgivenmy both those hotels, the brief has been met. earlier design self would be believe in yourself, On her recently completed Briars Inn project,as self-doubt ruins really great ideas. But if I Gina used three custom Resene colours thatwere to give a piece of advice to someone else she hopes to use again in the future, now thatgetting started in this industry, I would tell them theyre on file at her local Resene ColorShop.to never say no to a tiny project because you It became clear, even back then, that Gina was destined for an artisticabove: Ginas recentlyResene Ive named them Middle of the Night, which isnever know where it will lead you.Buttery White For Gina, this approach has brought her some Gina Berneys contemplativefield. I always knew I wanted a creative career, and although it took me acompleted Briars Inna stunning black navy; Winter Paddock, a lovelyof her most rewarding projectsboutique hotels project boasts a freshlygreyed-off sage green and Blacksmith, which colour use transforms homes andwhile to find that my talent lies in colour and design, the search actuallypainted faade in Reseneis the perfect shade of not quite black. On the where visitors from far and wide are able to created the foundation for success, she says.AquaShield tinted to Reseneexperience the magic she wields with colour in hotels from modest to massive. Prior to starting her own design business, Colour7Design, she workedBlanched Pink accented with windows in Reseneexterior of the inn, we used Resene Blanched in graphic design and typography. It was the days before digital design,Lustacryl tinted to Resene Buttery White andPink on the main walls, Resene Buttery Whitecreating emotional, atmospheric spaces. shutters and a door in a custom Resene black. Foron all the window trims and my custom colour, and that career being very much pencil and paper really appealed to meW hen you have a deep understanding and reverence for the powertypography, in particular, and I explored hand lettering and calligraphy ina similar look, try Resene Foundry. RenovationBlacksmith, on the posts, gazebo structure andTo see more of her work, check out her portfolio at of colour, there are few things more disheartening than looking atthe process. I was still searching for the right creative fit when I overheardcarpentry by Steve Cucuruto. Painting by MABnew weatherboards. www.colour7design.com.au.real estate listings. When every space looks the same as the next,two women in a caf discussing this new school where you could just studyPainting. Image by Fliss Dodd, www.flissdodd.com. Resenehasbeenawonderfulcolour how does a prospective buyer choose? The strangely pervasiveand perhapscolour. All the bells started ringing in my mind! I quickly investigated andopposite left above and below: Gina approachedpartneronmyprojects.Ivehadunending perverseidea that all walls must be white in order for a property to sell hasended up studying a year of purely colour, followed by a year of stylingher local Resene ColorShop to create customsupportandadvicefromtheteamandtheleft: Ginas design for the BeridaResenespooked many owners out of putting their own special stamp on their spaces. then topped it off with a degree in design. colours for the Briars Inn project, including apalettes never fail. I love the greyed-off tonesHotel in Bowral, NSW featuresHalf MerinoFormorethantwodecades,interiordesigner,stylistandcolourThe school they were discussing was the International School of Colourdeep marine blue, a soft black and a greyed sagethroughout the colour range and the whites andplenty of deep, moody Resene green. For similar colours, try Resene Shadowyhues to create a chic and luxurious specialist Gina Berney has been busy proving that colour isnt somethingand Design (ISCD) in Ultimo, NSW. And up until 2017, Gina ended upBlue, Resene Foundry and Resene Smokyneutrals complement, enhance and completevibe. Games room walls in Resene to be feared in residential and commercial settingsbut rather, its theinstructing on the principles of colour and design there before her ownGreen. Upper wall above batten panelling inmy schemes perfectly. Half Merino, ceiling and wainscotingResenelynchpin of effective design. work demanded her full attention and creative vision. I loved sharingResene Buttery White. Renovation carpentryIn her career so far, Gina has been able to makein a custom Resene black (try ReseneBlack ForestGina grew up on the northern beaches of Sydney, a time which she recallsknowledge and ideas with a class of open and enquiring creative minds.by Steve Cucuruto. Painting by MAB Painting.her mark on both sides of the Tasman. I have veryFoundry for a similar look) with details in being fondly filled with surfing, sunbaking and shell collecting. I was foreverArtistic exchange does keep you fresh, she says. Images by Fliss Dodd. lovely and loyal clients, so when they move locally,Resene Half Merino. Conference room making shell necklaces and little pieces of beach art with dried seaweed andGina believes that her time working in a different design discipline hasinterstate and even overseas, they call me to setwalls in Resene Black Forest and ceiling Resene Resene in Resene Olive Green. Build by shells. They must have been reasonably good as I remember having a stall atalso helped her be a better interior designer and stylist. Being exposedBlanched Pink Shadowy Blue them up with a new interior space. Ive had twoSteve Cucuruto. Images by Sue FerrisReseneour school fete and selling out. Maybe my mother bought them all to keepto design in all its forms is essential in being able to understand form,Resene Resene clients move to New Zealand, which has allowedPhotography, www.instagram.com/ Olive Greenmy aspirations as a successful artist intact, maybe not, she jokes. function and aesthetics. Smoky Green Foundryme the privilege to work in Queenstown on asueferris_photographer.32 blackwhitemag.com blackwhitemag.com 33'