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This feature wall is subtle yet striking, painted in the gentle botanical green of Resene Half Lemon Grass. The ceiling is Resene Quarter Bianca.
Resene Half Bianca flows through the house, pairing well with the tongue-and-groove feature wall in Resene Half Lemon Grass. The trims and ceiling are painted in Resene Quarter Bianca.
This stunning kitchen with a skylight helps to showcase the dreamy Resene Half Bianca walls and Resene Quarter Bianca on the ceiling, trims and doors. Keep timber flooring looking its best with Resene Colorwood Natural wood stain and Resene Qristal ClearFloor 1K.
The crisp white colour throughout the kitchen, creates a uniform and cohesive look. The walls are painted in Resene Half Bianca, with Resene Quarter Bianca on the ceiling, trims and doors. Keep timber flooring looking its best with Resene Colorwood Natural wood stain and Resene Qristal ClearFloor 1K.
The kitchen leading into the scullery has a tongue-and-groove feature with walls painted in Resene Half Bianca and Resene Quarter Bianca on all the ceiling, trims and doors.
The Resene Half Bianca tongue-and-groove painted wall provides some texture in the scullery, complementing the wooden floor, furnishings and joinery. The ceiling and trims are painted in Resene Quarter Bianca.
The light and airy open-plan lounge is inviting and calming, with large windows providing plenty of natural light. The walls are painted in Resene Half Bianca with Resene Quarter Bianca on the ceiling and trims.
Effortless elegance: A home in timeless neutrals
White and neutral interiors are always a popular choice in our homes. They create a calm, serene, and timeless feel, making it a popular choice for those who prefer a minimal, elegant aesthetic. When it came time to decorate her newly built house in Marlborough Aimee Materoa chose Resene Half Bianca, a charming and gentle white, for the interior walls.
Aimee's husband Reon, owner/operator of RSM Construction, also has a property development business, MLB Construction, with James Baker. Together the trio built the house with the intention of selling. Aimee and Reon have plenty of experience and skills between them. Aimee is a kitchen designer and interior stylist, while Reon has 20 years of experience in the building and construction industry. The unstoppable team have built and sold several houses in New Zealand
“As a designer it’s quite fun for me as I am the ‘client’, however, it’s always harder with decisions,” laughs Aimee. “But it’s quite a blessing as I get to design and choose everything, so it’s a chance to try new things and use new combos.”
Specialising in kitchen and bathroom design, Aimee worked her magic on the central room of this home, creating a bright and airy space that exudes a sense of sophistication and cleanliness. Resene Half Bianca seamlessly blends the kitchen into the dining and living area, creating a wonderful open-plan space, great for entertaining.
“I love Resene Bianca so much,” Aimee says. “I call it ‘my white with a touch of lemon’. It has a crisp and soft feeling, and it works well with all wood tones, which I love.”
As this was a fresh new home built to be sold, Aimee wanted to attract as many potential buyers as possible. To achieve that, she created an inviting and soothing space for people to fall in love with, the second they walked into the home.
“Greens, neutrals and whites are always favourites,” Aimee says. “However, it couldn’t be boring, so adding textures on walls, tiles in the kitchen, fittings and accessories created the aroha it needed.”
The tongue and groove features in the bedroom and kitchen scullery were one way Aimee added interest and texture to the home while keeping to the neutral colour scheme. She also used different textures on different backsplashes and added a marble-look benchtop. This space is a great example of how a white kitchen can feel soft and inviting.
“The soft touch of coloured cabinetry in the scullery flows from the bedroom feature wall in Resene Half Lemon Grass, along with other elements in the kitchen, the tongue and groove paneling on the island, aged brass handles and glass cabinetry – to show off the potential new owners’ glassware or treasures.”
Aimee decided on the overall look and feel of the home by aiming for a “calm, inviting, and interesting” space. The colours she has chosen ooze dreaminess and comfort, giving the sense that it’s a space to really relax in. The gentle earthy hue of Resene Half Lemon Grass complements Resene Half Bianca throughout the house, creating a simple, fresh home.
Aimee and Reon opted for Resene Zylone Sheen for the walls, giving a smooth result that provides a durable finish with easy application and cleaning. It comes in a no added VOC version with Sensitive Choice approval too. For the doors and trims they chose Resene Lustacryl for extra toughness and durability.
When it comes to favourite colours, Aimee is definitely a lover of whites and neutrals. Her favourite five Resene whites are Resene Bianca, Resene Black White, Resene Sea Fog, Resene Merino, and Resene Wan White from the Resene Karen Walker Paints range.
While Aimee can’t quite find the perfect word to describe her own personal interior style she says she has a home filled with lots of aroha of who she is and where she comes from.
“I have lots of Māori art, pottery and photos - the most important thing in your home. It tells a story of who you are,” says Aimee.
“I love blues and greens as colours thriving throughout. I also love to use durable materials that will last – wood, concrete, steel, stone, wool carpets. In all my designs, and my own house, I always work with nature, feng shui, proportions, heights and levels, as these are what creates a home.”
One of Aimee’s biggest lessons learned through her interior design career and her time decorating and selling houses, has been finding the balance of spend. By that she means offering potential buyers a great house, that offers special and unique features without pushing the home into a different price bracket.
“It is about having my ‘want list’ and comparing that to the budget. As these homes are always to sell, I need to keep that in mind to not over-capitalise.”
For Aimee one of the highlights of decorating and selling houses, is the tradies she and Reon work with who help create the homes, from their plumber at MT Pluming, to their electrician at RV Electrical, Lloyds Drainage, their painter at Decorating Marlborough and their joiner at James Neal Joinery.
“When I work with my clients, it’s extremely exciting as every home and style is different, it represents who they are and what they love,” says Aimee. “I feel so blessed being able to jump from style to style. My next brief is “Kiwiana”, and I can’t wait!”
This home is now on the market with Bayleys, view the listing here.
design Aimee Materoa, Materoa Design
build Reon Materoa, RSM Construction
photography Mahana Wairua, Two Oceans Meet
Top tip: If you’re planning on decorating with white, you’ll discover a wealth of Resene ‘whites’, with varying touches of yellow, green, brown or grey to turn them into a huge cast of interesting shades. The best place to start is with the Resene Whites & Neutrals collection, which is home to a host of whites as well as darker neutral colours – greys, beiges and blacks.
More than any other colour, whites and off-whites are influenced by other elements in the room. If you have off-white walls and a lot of green accessories, expect your walls to take on a green look. Use a strong blue rug or furniture, and your walls will pick up on the blue. You can use this to your advantage. For example, if you have rich, reddish timber floor that you find a bit overpowering, using a cool white on the walls (with a grey or green base) will diffuse the effect of the floor. Find more tips and tricks in habitat plus – Whites and Neutrals.
This stunning kitchen with a skylight helps to showcase the dreamy Resene Half Bianca walls and Resene Quarter Bianca on the ceiling, trims and doors. Keep timber flooring looking its best with Resene Colorwood Natural wood stain and Resene Qristal ClearFloor 1K.
The crisp white colour throughout the kitchen, creates a uniform and cohesive look. The walls are painted in Resene Half Bianca, with Resene Quarter Bianca on the ceiling, trims and doors. Keep timber flooring looking its best with Resene Colorwood Natural wood stain and Resene Qristal ClearFloor 1K.
The kitchen leading into the scullery has a tongue-and-groove feature with walls painted in Resene Half Bianca and Resene Quarter Bianca on all the ceiling, trims and doors.
The Resene Half Bianca tongue-and-groove painted wall provides some texture in the scullery, complementing the wooden floor, furnishings and joinery. The ceiling and trims are painted in Resene Quarter Bianca.
The light and airy open-plan lounge is inviting and calming, with large windows providing plenty of natural light. The walls are painted in Resene Half Bianca with Resene Quarter Bianca on the ceiling and trims.
Resene Half Bianca flows through the house, pairing well with the tongue-and-groove feature wall in Resene Half Lemon Grass. The trims and ceiling are painted in Resene Quarter Bianca.
This feature wall is subtle yet striking, painted in the gentle botanical green of Resene Half Lemon Grass. The ceiling is Resene Quarter Bianca.
Published: 15 Feb 2023
Do you have a home full of wonderful Resene paint and colour? Send us some snaps by emailing editor@habitatbyresene.co.nz.
Resene Quarter Bianca
Resene Quarter Bianca
Resene Half Lemon Grass
Resene Half Lemon Grass
the look
If you're stuck on what
colour to use or need colour
advice, try out the Resene
Ask a Colour Expert service.
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Resene Quarter Bianca
Resene Quarter Bianca
Resene Half Lemon Grass
Resene Half Lemon Grass
the look
If you're stuck on what
colour to use or need colour
advice, try out the Resene
Ask a Colour Expert service.
