Bay Residence

The challenge of this house was that it had gone through a major renovation structurally some years ago but the owners had not had a chance to give the interior a new look in terms of colour or fit-out. The brief was open and after spending considerable time visiting the spaces and analysing the light factors and spaces generally, James Peters settled on a colour concept.

The painter Peter Witten has meticulous attention to preparation. James and Peter worked closely together to assess how well the result was meeting the vision and concept. Sometimes subtle changes were made due to spatial and light factors to ensure the end result was optimised. After several inspections of the property, James concluded that the colours required leaned towards a brighter palette.

The living rooms on the top floor are long and narrow with limited natural light. The division between the kitchen/dining area and the formal lounge required a continuity of colour application. From each end of the living spaces, the aim was to be able to view a selection of the three brighter colours. With the clients busy with professional commitments, James had a pronounced sense of responsibility for the end result. As the colour was applied to the walls, James visited the house in the evenings as well as different times during the day to assess that the colour palette was fitting the overall concept, which it did well.

The house had a fairly cool interior. The colour palette took this into account and also took references from existing rooms of the house, including the timber in the kitchen, the wooden fire surround and the strong wooden floors. The colours needed to have sufficient strength to complement these timbers.

The major inspiration for the colours came from viewing the back garden, which the clients had planned and planted superbly. The Resene Himalaya colour was inspired by the various green foliage of the garden and Resene Buttered Rum was inspired by viewing the setting sun from the front deck during a site visit. Resene Caffeine is a very seductive colour and complemented the other colours perfectly. These strong colours are complemented by Resene Half Tea on skirtings, architraves and bookshelves and Resene Alabaster on ceilings. Resene Zylone Sheen low sheen waterborne paint was chosen for all interior walls for its practicality, durability and density.

Client: Alan Barber
Colour Selection: James Nicholas Peters, James Peters Design Concepts
Painting Contractor: Peter Witton
Photographer: Stella Brandon
Project: Resene Total Colour Awards 2013

› View a PDF of this article