eye-catching exteriors

From Habitat magazine - issue 11

Architectural detailing, well-chosen colour and dramatic features make these three house exteriors different but quite special.

1. The dramatic entry to this Christchurch house, designed by Colin Hill of Hill + Miles Architecture, is made all the more striking with the column of electronic louvers, a play on materials and discrete yet effective lighting. The double-height centre block forms the core of the house, running through it from front to back. Painted in Resene Villa White, it is offset by weatherboards either side painted in Resene Black Russian, detailing in galvanised steel, concrete blocks and a redwood front door. The house is also angled off the front boundary to break up the very linear look many contemporary homes can have if placed straight on.

2. Don Nelson of Don Nelson Architecture went to “great pains and deliberation” to decide on the Resene Blue Bark for the exterior of his own harbour-side Auckland house. Now he loves it. “It has a bit of green in it so blends beautifully with the trees, and changes colour depending on the light. It goes quite dark on a cloudy day but the sun brings out the colour.” He used Resene Cool Colour paint to protect the substrate, which is Eterpan panels. The joints are finished with cedar battens, which are left to weather naturally to a silvery grey. The house design has deliberate nautical references with porthole windows and wire-rigging balustrades.

3. This cute cottage is part of a larger gathering of holiday homes designed by Wellington-based architectural designer Nicola Habbitts of Design Habbitts. At Turangi, there’s also a double-storey house split into two apartments, all sharing this whimsical stone fire pit – great for toasting marshmallows, and sitting around on a cool evening. Dubbed The Vine, the one-bedroom cottage has vertical cedar on the sides, left to weather naturally, as well as weatherboards on the front, painted in a specially mixed colour, Resene The Vine (code TV061).

Want to get your own free copy of future issues of habitat magazine?

Printed copies of habitat highlights are available from late March 2024 at Resene ColorShops and resellers, while stocks last. You can view back issues of habitat magazine online.

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