Just like home: Take a peek inside Gem Adams’ rustic chic teeny house

21 Oct 2021

Elegant and sophisticated are two words you don’t expect to hear when talking about a cardboard box, yet interior designer Gem Adams’ teeny house is both. When Gem first began planning her cardboard teeny house (order yours here) she had one goal in mind: to make a home she would want to live in.

“I really wanted to make a home that felt relaxing yet refined,” says Gem. “I started with colours, pulling on some tried and true colours I have used in my own home over the years.”

Gem began by choosing her hero colour, Resene Spanish White, a colourful neutral with undertones of yellow, orange and green. “I love the warmth it brings to a space,” says Gem. “There are so many options with how you use it, depending on the tint. This teeny home has everything from Resene Eighth Spanish White to Resene Triple Spanish White!

“I wanted to use a green and chose a forever favourite, Resene Waiouru, that tied the kitchen and bathroom together, then I used the deep tone of Resene Bullwhip in the master bedroom and studio finished with a textured-style in paint effects and dreamy Resene Apple Blossom for that perfect pink pop.”

When it came to furnishing her teeny house, Gem got creative. She used pine offcuts to create a cosy couch and impressive bed, kraft boxes from a local variety store for her kitchen, kid’s bed, studio table, cabinet and bathroom accessories and repurposed buttons and beads to create simple, modern light fixtures. She finished off the look by giving the couch and bed a refresh in Resene Colorwood Natural and staining the remaining pieces of furniture in Resene English Walnut.

To give the house a homely atmosphere, Gem incorporated colourful rugs and artwork, tiny curio noir candles, rocks collected from her travels and even tiny oranges. “It all gives it a lived in, loved feeling,” says Gem.

“My favourite part was really all the little details, playing with air dry clay making teeny pottery plates and creating teeny books with my daughter, who really fell in love with the place!”

Gem Adams’ elegant teeny house features muted green Resene Waiouru and Resene Bullwhip with bright pops of Resene Apple Blossom.

The kitchen floors and walls are in Resene Quarter Spanish White with cabinetry in Resene Waiouru. The table and chairs are in Resene English Walnut and the painting is in Resene Toffee and Resene Quarter Spanish White.

The lounge’s warm glow is thanks to walls painted in Resene Double Spanish White with a paint effect of Resene Triple Spanish White and flooring in Resene Double Spanish White. The couch is stained in Resene Colorwood Natural, with coffee table in Resene Dark Buff, stool in Resene English Walnut and lightbulb in Resene Wan White.

Gem created a stylish and contemporary bedroom with walls in Resene Bullwhip and a paint effect in Resene Half Spanish White over the top. The floor is in Resene Spanish White, the bed is stained in Resene Colorwood Natural, stool in Resene English Walnut and lightbulb in Resene Wan White.


The kids’ bedroom creates a brilliant pop of colour in Gem’s teeny house and she painted the walls in Resene Apple Blossom. The floor is in Resene Sakura and the bed base is in Resene Apple Blossom with Resene Sakura handles. The stool is in Resene Smashing, the table is in Resene Daredevil and the bedside table is in Resene Colorwood Natural.


Gem created an artist’s nook in the attic with floor and walls in Resene Bullwhip with a painted effect in Resene Half Spanish White. The cabinet and stool are in Resene English Walnut and the desk is in Resene Wan White.


Gem’s clever creations went beyond her interiors when she created a sweet garden shed made from the cardboard envelope the teeny house arrived in, stained in Resene English Walnut.

Published: 21 Oct 2021