b'Opposite: Industrialstyle bar stools in Darrens favourite lime colouring give a shot of colour in the otherwise black and white room. Left: The glamorous dining space is defined with a silver and black striped wallpaper from Resene (Black & White 28701) and an oversized gilt framed mirror.Below: A walk-in pantry tucked into a corner ofthe room continues the French theme with antiqued knobs andbrick-pattern tiles.ReseneRed TapeReseneBlack WhiteReseneBlackF or a new home, Darrens kitchen looks like it has beenpluckedfromacharacterhouse,ora French villa perhaps. And thats just the way he likes it. WhenDarrenplannedthebuildingofhisnew home, he wanted to give it more character than the standard design-and-build house. So he modified the plan, then set about creating a black and white French-style living area and kitchen with the help of interior designer Kate Voice. Says Darren: While Ive used stronger colours in previous homes, here I wanted to create an elegant space that would be easy to accessorise with different colours. Those accent colours are currently red and Darrens favourite colour, lime, used sparingly on the rug and in the industrial-style bar stools tucked under the island bench. SaysKate:Thelookanddesignneededtobe timeless. I had to resist the urge to be avant garde! Simple design and quality are what makes the design theme come up trumps.Says Darren: Ive never had such an open-plan spacebeforesokeepingthebackgroundpalette neutral has helped keep it cohesive visually. The walls are in Resene Sea Fog, the trims are in Resene Black White and the cabinets of the island bench are in Resene Black. To help define the dining space within the open-plan area and to give it a heightened sense of drama and luxury, Kate specified a silver and black striped wallpaper from Resene (Black & White 28701) on the back wall. It frames a whitewashed sideboard on top of which is an over-sized gilt-framed ornate mirror. 43'