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From Habitat magazine - issue 23

A major renovation on top of a relocation kept this family on its toes.

Moving countries is enough of a disruption for a family with school-age kids, but when Gareth and Jolie Hodson's wish-list for a new home prioritised location before the condition of the house... they also ended up with a major renovation project on their hands.

As the family of four planned their move back to New Zealand from Australia, they went house-hunting on Auckland's North Shore where friends and family lived. They managed to find and buy a house before their relocation date. It had a big sunny section and was close to the beach, shops and schools. As a bonus, and fairly rare for the area, it was a character-filled transitional villa – but one that hadn't been updated for decades.

The couple was well-prepared for the renovation process, having rebuilt a home in Sydney just 18 months before. The epitome of efficiency, they had the architect's plans in hand and builder lined up within a few short months of landing on home soil.

Says Jolie: "We had a clear idea of what we wanted, especially in regard to the main living area at the back of the house. We had a similar space in Sydney with an open-plan area opening to the outdoors, and it worked extremely well. Our architect Greg Jones [of Jones Architects] had also just completed a similar house in Grey Lynn so we were able to easily visualise how this one might be."

When it came to colour, the couple wanted a reasonably neutral palette but not to use the same colour throughout the house. They let children Sam (11) and Emma (10) choose their own colours – Resene Escape for her, and Resene Quarter Stack for him. Says Gareth: "Emma's room gets a lot of comments from her friends. It's a great colour, and it will last her as she gets older, too."

While the large open-plan living room is kept light and airy with Resene Sea Fog, a more traditional second living room has been given a cosy feel with Resene Sandspit Brown. All of the ceilings are in Resene Half Sea Fog with trims in Resene Quarter Sea Fog.

Says Jolie: "We're very happy with all of the colours. They work well along with feature pieces like the marble splashback in the kitchen, and the David Trubridge lights, which were an early choice."

The colours were chosen with help from Lorraine O'Rourke from Trinity Design. She even went doorknocking when she spotted an exterior colour the couple liked. It turned out to be Resene Half Tapa, which is now used on the Hodson's weatherboards, joined by a garage door in Resene Fuscous Grey and trims in Resene Quarter Sea Fog.

In turn, strangers now knock on the Hodson's door asking about the colour and in a humorous twist, one of those was a Resene staff member.

Lorraine was involved early in the project, helping to plan not only the colours but designing all of the built-in joinery, the kitchen and bathrooms, various accessories and fittings, and any new furniture needed. Jolie and Gareth were the perfect clients, making decisions quickly and not back-tracking on those. "You have to be fairly decisive on a project this size. If you start shifting things around, it can have major implications," says Jolie.

The family rented elsewhere while the renovation work was done and haven't long been back in. They are very happy with the result, and say they wouldn't change a thing.

Next on their do-to list is the garden. While larger landscaping items like the pool and a covered outdoor room are in place, the planting is yet to come. For now, the children and golden retriever Bailey are enjoying plenty of space to play.

Top tips:

Use Resene SpaceCote Low Sheen on walls in busy areas of your home; it's easier to wipe down to remove any marks than standard acrylic paint.

Using a scheme based on variants of the same colour, like Resene Sea Fog, gives a calm feel and a cohesive look.

Accessories: Builder: Craig Pym, United House. Architect: Greg Jones, Jones Architects www.jonesarchitects.co.nz. Tiles: European Ceramics. Interior designer: Lorraine O'Rourke, Trinity Design, www.trinityinteriordesign.co.nz.

Alternative solution – dare to go dark

Bedrooms are one of my favourite spaces to design; being able to create drool-worthy sanctuaries. Here I've created a cosy and elegant space characterised by dark moody tones, layers of texture and pops of warm earthy browns.

The wall behind the bed has been roughly plastered to add texture and then painted with Resene Regatta in a flat finish for a sense of depth. The opposite wall, also in Resene Regatta, has a standard smooth finish; it draws you into the space and sets the tone. Other walls are Resene Fuscous Grey, a lovely warm grey. The lighter Resene Ecru White shutters add balance to the otherwise dark room, and picking out the villa trims in this colour is a nod to the home's history. Finishing touches include a chair to relax in, a super stylish art work and an oversized rug to anchor the bed.

The moral of the story? Dare to go dark and use lots of gorgeous textures!

Top tip: Use colour on your ceiling for a fashion-forward look. In bedrooms, it's great for creating a warm, cocooning effect.

phone 021 814 329   web www.loubrown.co.nz

Accessories: Wall Lamp with Pewter Finish, Recycled Pine Desk with Gunmetal Sides, from CC Interiors. Capri Rug, from Artisan Flooring. Chateau Side Table, from Trenzseater. Dancing with Dragons artwork by Jodi Anne Newnham, from Mid Century Swag.

Alternative solution – vintage fun

Using the duvet cover in this scheme as my inspiration, I wanted to create a room with a hint of vintage style. The moodiness of the colours in the bedlinen is played up by using Resene Barometer for the walls, while bright colour pops of yellow, pink and teal are used as accents and to paint a custom-coloured second-hand dresser in Resene Bright Lights, Resene Smooch and Resene Dauntless. These colours also appear in other accents such as the chaise lounge fabric, cushions and stool.

The calming sea-foam grey of Resene Emerge is used for the shutters and trims, while Resene Quarter Cararra is a clear off-white that holds it all together on the ceiling. The whole scheme is anchored with a carpet with its colour also drawn from those in the duvet cover.

Top tip: Use Resene Enamacryl for painting furniture. It gives a tough, hardwearing surface and a lovely glossy finish that adds more character to bold colours such as these. Or for a chalk-style paint finish, use Resene SpaceCote Low Sheen or Resene SpaceCote Flat.

phone 027 485 4286   email sandra@colourdesigngroup.co.nz

Accessories: Giraffe with Books Cushion, Aura Chevron Throw in Bright Yellow, from The Design Store. Domani Aurora Duvet, from Farmers. Y Stool used as a bedside table, from Tim Webber Design. Ninna Cushion, from Country Road.

words: Sharon Newey
pictures: Mark Heaslip
illustration: Malcolm White

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