A lthough the owners of this Wellington house aren’t afraid of colour, when architect John Mills first showed them a proposed scheme for their renovated Roseneath home, there was a sharp intake of breath. “Our previous house in Karori was painted 50 shades of white,” laughs the owner. “John is known for his use of colour but we were still a little surprised by his choices. However, we trusted him and now we’re so glad that we did.” The resulting four-level home is a riot of vibrant blues and jewel-toned greens, alongside more subtle shades of lavender, grey and lemon. It won a Maestro A sensitive redesign lets bold colour and stunning harbour views live side by side. a happy alliance award in last year’s Resene Total Colour Awards. “The hero of this house is the expansive harbour view,” says John. “So while I didn’t want the interior palette to detract from that, there was an opportunity to not only enhance what was going on outside but also to create a cooler look and feel, because this is a very warm house.” Externally, the use of two colours (Resene Crisp Green and Resene Tea) helps to express the form of the build and highlight the entrance, says John. Colour isn’t the only thing these homeowners changed; initially the plan was to revamp only the kitchen of the 1920s house to make it more user- Resene Woodstock 20